Deadline writes “Shortly after they uncovered evidence of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, CBS News producer Mapes and former CBS News anchor Rather thought they found the story of their careers as Bush’s reelection campaign was getting underway and he was facing competition from Democratic candidate and Vietnam vet John Kerry. The story, based on documents purportedly from the files of Bush’s deceased National Guard commanding officer, alleged that the president’s powerful father, then an ambassador and future president, made calls to put him atop the list for the Texas Air National Guard.”
With the Republicans outraged, CBS began an internal investigation to see whether the documents they used to slander Bush were false. Mapes was fired for her lapse of judgment; she still maintains that the documents were real and Rather and Mapes were targeted by conservatives.
