Posted on 09/17/2004 8:58:58 PM PDT by The Bandit
Edited on 09/17/2004 9:05:20 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
BAIRD, Tex., Sept. 17 - Bill Burkett, the former Texas National Guard officer who has been caught up in the mystery of how CBS News acquired memos that seem to question President Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service, unsuccessfully offered information and advice to help the Kerry campaign attack Mr. Bush, according to a posting Mr. Burkett wrote in an e-mail newsletter.
"I spent some time on the phone with the Kerry campaign seniors yesterday," Mr. Burkett wrote on Aug. 21 in an e-mail letter circulated to a list of about 600 Texas Democrats.
He complained that he had to "get through seven layers of bureaucratic kids trying to get a job after the election."
"I talked with Max Cleland," Mr. Burkett continued, referring to the former senator from Georgia who has been supporting Senator John Kerry's Democratic presidential bid.
Alluding to advertisements by a veterans group that deprecates Mr. Kerry's Vietnam service, Mr. Burkett continued, "I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. He said counterattack."
"So I gave them the information to do it with," Mr. Burkett wrote. "But none of them have called me back."
Mr. Burkett did not say what information he offered. Earlier this year, he gained attention for saying that in 1998 he saw aides to Gov. George W. Bush of Texas and Guard officials dispose of pieces of Mr. Bush's National Guard record that could prove politically embarrassing. Mr. Bush's aides have denied his account.
"I volunteered to come back out with more," Mr. Burkett wrote.
Mr. Burkett, who was at home on his ranch in Baird, near Abilene, on Friday, declined to comment.
Mr. Cleland said in a telephone interview that Mr. Burkett called him "a couple of weeks ago," as he was out campaigning for Mr. Kerry.
"I couldn't swear to it whether he used the term documents or information," Mr. Cleland said. "It was some kind of stuff, some kind of information he wanted to get to the campaign, or something, regarding Bush's National Guard service. I referred him up to somebody in the campaign."
Mr. Cleland said he received up to 100 calls a week from people with tips and ideas. "He sounded like he had something," Mr. Cleland said. "But of course, in this business, you go around, every friend, everyone around the corner, has some something or other."
Campaign officials said Mr. Cleland had referred Mr. Burkett to someone at the campaign who passed his message on to the research department, where the message was set aside amid the deluge of other calls.
Mr. Burkett has returned to national attention since CBS News and "60 Minutes" reported last week on four memos reportedly from the personal files of Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, Mr. Bush's squadron commander, who died 20 years ago. The memos said that Colonel Killian was under pressure to "sugar coat" the record of the young Lieutenant Bush and that the officer had disobeyed a direct order to take a physical.
Forensic experts, a secretary who said she typed Lieutenant Killian's memos and members of his family have said that they doubt the authenticity of the documents. CBS News has said it is evaluating their legitimacy and has declined to identify its sources. But one person at CBS confirmed an account in Newsweek that Mr. Burkett had helped with the reports. The official was unable to say what role he played.
Mr. Burkett is an avid Democrat and a frequent contributor to the Texas Democratic e-mail list. His name also shows up occasionally as a contributor of criticism of the Bush administration on a Web site, onlinejournal.com. Asked about his contributions to that site, Mr. Burkett on Friday declined to comment. His wife, Nicki, later confirmed that the articles were indeed his.
His many online musings provide a glimpse of his thinking, including his intense desire to remove Mr. Bush from office. They include some inconclusive references to the possibility of more documents appearing about Mr. Bush's Guard service. Aside from the CBS report, the Pentagon on Friday released new documents from Mr. Bush's files.
Addressing Mr. Bush rhetorically in an article on the Web site on Aug. 25, Mr. Burkett wrote, "I know from your files that we have now reassembled, the fact that you did not fulfill your oath, taken when you were commissioned to 'obey the orders of the officers appointed over you.' " On Sept. 4, shortly before CBS News broadcast its report, Mr. Burkett told the Democratic e-mail list he had a hunch that more material might soon emerge to embarrass the president. "No proof, just gut instinct," Mr. Burkett added.
Mr. Burkett's lawyer, David Van Os, said his client had not fabricated any documents. "From my knowledge of Bill's character, I am 100 percent positively, unequivocally certain that Bill Burkett has not created or falsified any documents," Mr. Van Os said.
In another development, ABC News reported on Friday that former Col. Walter B. Staudt - who interviewed Mr. Bush for enrollment to the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 and who was named in a disputed Killian memo as exerting influence on behalf of Mr. Bush - said he "never pressured anybody about George Bush." He also told ABC News that he planned to vote for Mr. Bush.
David D. Kirkpatrick reported from Baird for this article, and Jim Rutenberg from New York. Nathan Levy contributed reporting from Baird.
You caught that too huh?
Seems Max is trying to pass the buck
I saw a picture of him on FOX and he even looks like a jerk; for real.
So Cleland starts talking campaign strategy and costs with a guy who said he had to go through seven layers of kids to even get to a senior person? Somehow this doesn't ring true.
I have a question. Burkett was in the Texas Army Nat'l Guard. President Bush was in the Texas AIR Nat'l Guard.
Army and Air Force, for all intents and purposes. Do the Texas Army and Air Guard share office space? How would Burkett, being Army Guard, be aware and privy to, what was going on in the Air Guard?
I was under the impression that the services protected their turf zealously.
Anyone???
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30043-2004Sep17.html
from the Washington post a similar piece:
In e-mail messages to a Yahoo discussion group for Texas Democrats, Burkett laid out a rationale for using what he termed "down and dirty" tactics against Bush. He said that he had passed his ideas to the Democratic National Committee but that the DNC seemed "afraid to do what I suggest."
In an Aug. 21 posting, Burkett referred to a conversation with former senator Max Cleland (D-Ga.) about the need to counteract Republican tactics: "I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. He said counterattack. So I gave them the information to do it with. But none of them have called me back."
Yeah, and I wonder why he said that. He must know someone has tied him to this.
Burkett is still the most likely source. I offer two reasons:
1. An amateur attempt at forgery
2. Burkett's lawyer says that Burkett didn't do it :)
You're right. The timing fits.
So Burkett is now connected to: Moore, Cleland, and through Cleland the Kerry Kampaign. Who works in Kerry's research department? Perhaps the NY Times or WaPo lurkers here could dig up that info? :)
By pointing the finger to the Kerry Kampaign, Cleland is trying to avoid that nasty little possibility of conspiracy, of forgery charges. Think he was afraid that Burkett may have already bragged to someone that he passed the info to Cleland.
Another thought - Cleland had quite a bit of press coverage when he performed his stunt in Crawford. Wonder if there is a photo or video of him meeting with Burkett?
Also, it has been said that Rather was working on this story for four or five years. That is before 9-11, before Afghanistan and Iraq, and before W became President. The argument all along has been that they are examining a man who is leading this country in wartime. Bull! This was a planned character assassination from the get-go.
FYI
Oh, I'm sure that he is the author, but I bet someone on Jenjis John's campaign delivered it to Rather. The MSM is now busy writing sKerry a get out of jail free card, and they are going to leave Burkett holding the bag. Too bad, so sad for Burkett.
Great minds think alike!
Good point.
Also they came from a Kinko's 21 miles from his home. What are the odds that there is another person similarly informed and motivated on this particular issue that close to the Kinko's.
Could be. If there truly was any type of conspiracy the major players would leave themselves an out. Burkett makes the perfect patsy. I'm not buying into this, but it's fun to speculate. It's a turd, surrounded by bull$hit, buried under a dung heap.
EllaMinnow on the WaPo thread wondered if Dobbs (the reporter) had obtained Burkett's cell phone records.
I was surprised to see Cleland so seemingly forthcoming, yet on closer scrutiny there are more questions for him as some have noted above.
Guys,...there were a lot of people when they delivered that letter...and a lot of journalists...
It wouldn't surprise me, if Burkett is on one of this pictures...
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