Posted on 09/17/2004 11:45:54 PM PDT by RatherBiased.com
The Washington Post and The New York Times both have huge stories in today's editions on the connections between Bill Burkett, CBS News, and the Democratic Party. Memogate is the story that just keeps giving.
First from the Post's:
The former Texas National Guard officer suspected of providing CBS News with possibly forged records on President Bush's military service called on Democratic activists to wage "war" against Republican "dirty tricks" in a series of Internet postings in which he also used phrases similar to several employed in the disputed documents. [...]
In e-mail messages to a Yahoo discussion group for Texas Democrats over the past few months, Burkett laid out a rationale for using what he termed "down and dirty" tactics against Bush. He said he had passed his ideas to the Democratic National Committee but that the DNC seemed "afraid to do what I suggest."
In another message, dated Sept. 4, Burkett hinted he might have had advance knowledge of some details in an explosive segment that aired Sept. 8 on the CBS News program "60 Minutes." [...]
"I believe that Bush knows that there is more coming out than Ben Barnes," Burkett wrote. "No proof, just gut instinct."
In an Aug. 13 essay for a liberal webzine called OnlineJournal.com, Burkett hinted again that President Bush was going to be attacked. This time he was more specific:
Americans will get through the gotchas of the preemptive strike from the Republican swift boat crews who want to elevate obviously flimsy charges in order to immunize Americans from more Bush assaults. The Bush assaults are rumored to finally close the issue of Bush's disappearance from his Air National Guard duty in Alabama; efforts and methods to falsify and cover up Bush problems in his files; and the obvious disciplinary actions that led to his grounding from flying. Both sides will count on the electorate to sicken of this style and leave the real meat on the table untouched.
As documented in most recent polls, the real issues of Iraq have already required enough Maalox for most Americans. Most Americans don't like war. They are rapidly moving their focus to their domestic issues of jobs, healthcare and education.
Burkett elaborated on his thoughts in an Aug. 31 posting not printed in the Post:
While some of us pine for the return of Bill CLinton, that's not the real answer. Many of us have risked everything on this election. And the disappointment is deep and difficult to manage.
But we fight on, inspite of incompetance at the top.
The truth probably is that many of the insiders simply didn't think to chekc someone out in Texas. Does that mean they won't check out those that submit themselves for key positions, as well. That's what we all think.
CBS has said that it obtained its controversial documents within the last few weeks. It may have received them from Burkett following the latter's unsuccessful attempts to pass them on to former Democratic senator Max Cleland who traveled to Texas in late August. Before Cleland's trip, Burkett had telephoned the ex-senator saying that he had damaging information about Bush. He was told to pass this information along to the Democratic National Committe but, according to the Post, national hq was less than enthusiastic.
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."
Cleland confirmed that he had a two- or three-minute conversation by cell phone with a Texan named Burkett in mid-August while he was on a car ride. He remembers Burkett saying that he had "valuable" information about Bush, and asking what he should with it. "I told him to contact the [Kerry] campaign," Cleland said. "You get this information tens of times a day, and you don't know if it is legit or not."
Contacted by the New York Times, Cleland confirmed contact with Burkett, acknowledging that the disgruntled former guardsman had offered him information relating to Bush's guard service.
"I couldn't swear to it whether he used the term documents or information," Cleland told the paper. "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."
CBS has publicly denied Burkett was its source although a source within the network told Times reporter Jim Rutenberg that Burkett had "helped with the reports" but did not elaborate on exactly how.
Burkett's lawyer, a prominent Democratic activist named David Van Os who is the party's candidate for the Texas Supreme Court denied that his client had forged the Memogate 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," Van Os told the Times.
Stan Merriman, co-founder of a group seeking to make the Texas Democratic party more liberal, echoed Van Os's sentiments in a Sept. 17 posting to the Yahoo Texas Democrats mailing list.
"Our brother, Bill Burkett is under siege by the Carl Rove [sic] smear machine," Merriman wrote.
"David Van Os assures me that as Bill's legal Counsel on a longstanding basis, any assertions that Bill has engaged in 'forgery' vis a vis the now infamous documentation of the Bush desertion of duty as a Texas National Guardsman is total smear with the footprints of the Karl Rove modus operandi all over it."
"I stand with both our brothers Burkett and Van Os and applaud their guts to stand up to the right wing slander machine; President Kerry and many of our DNC brethren can take a lesson from our two populist fellow-Texans who have the cajones to look contemptuously in the eye these ruthless cowards bringing down our formerly proud democracy and tell them to go to h*ll."
A long-time associate of Burkett's is James Moore, a former reporter for CBS's Houston affiliate, KHOU. Since 1994, Moore has been hounding Bush over his National Guard service. Eventually, he left "objective" journalism and has since become a part of the anti-Bush cottage industry that has sprung up following Bush's emergence as a national figure. He is the author of two books on the president,
Bush's Brain and Bush's War for Reelection.
While researching his second book, Moore received assistance from Burkett who provided him with a number of documents which Moore used to make the case that Bush had acted dishonorably during Vietnam. Some of these documents were given to CBS News which used in a Feb. 12 Evening News report which relayed Burkett's charges that Bush had instructed staff members to destroy documents which cast doubt on his Guard service.
Mary Mapes, the producer of CBS's Sept. 8 report which relied on the controversial Memogate documents likely was the recipient of these papers since, according to the network, she has been working on the Bush Guard story for the past five years and is based in Dallas. CBS officials have confirmed that Mapes interviewed Burkett.
I remember seeing some sort of 2nd page story in the Washington Compost that appeared to be a puff piece of all things on this Bill Burkett character, and how he is one of two Democrats in his part of Texas and everyone likes him blah blah blah...
HERE IS ONE MORE CONNECTION THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.
David Van Os, Burkett's lawyer, actively worked on Howard Dean's campaign and has recieved Dean's endorsement.
1st Sentence...2nd Paragraph. (a little over 2/3rds down the front page of his campaign web site
http://www.vanosforsupremecourt.com
To receive the endorsement of Governor Howard Dean, the man who gave voice to millions for whom nobody was speaking, is an honor beyond measure. Governor Dean represents the aspirations of millions of Americans who want to take their country back from the special interests in every branch and at every level of government. His endorsement will be a huge boost to my campaign to restore the Courts of Texas to the ownership of the people of Texas, and at the same time, to kick the totalitarian Republican political beast right in its belly.
I became actively involved in the Dean campaign in Texas in the early summer of 2003. Governor Dean inspired me enormously. He made people realize that they really can stand up and fight to take their country back from the right-wing clique that has hijacked the Republican Party and through it the whole government. He re-ignited people’s faith in their ability to retake ownership of their government through grass roots political action. His inspiration was a large factor in my decision to challenge the special interests that control the Republican Party for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court, one of their bastions.
The only thing that can stop us from winning the struggle to take our government back is our own disbelief in our power to do it. We the people do have the power, and our time has come.
David Van Os
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2004 DFA
Contact: Laura Gross, 802-651-3200
Gov. Howard Dean and Democracy for America Endorses
David Van Os for Texas Supreme Court
San Antonio, Texas—David Van Os, Democratic candidate for the Texas Supreme Court, has been endorsed by Gov. Howard Dean, honorary chair and founder of Democracy for America (www.democracyforamerica.com). Van Os is part of the “Dean Dozen,” a select group of socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates that represent the spirit of grassroots democracy in this country.
On behalf of the candidates, Democracy for America has reached out to their supporters to inform them that Van Os was part of the “Dean Dozen.” Many of these enthusiastic supporters have already expressed interest in financially supporting and volunteering for candidates Dean endorses.
“It is a great honor to receive the endorsement of Governor Howard Dean" said Van Os. "Governor Dean represents the voice of millions of ordinary Americans and Texans who want to take their government back from the special interests in every branch and at every level of government. This endorsement is a huge boost to my campaign to restore the courts of Texas to the ownership of the people of Texas."
“This year the race for the presidency is unbelievably important,” Gov. Dean said. “Beside our efforts to evict George W. Bush from the White House, we must expand the base of the Democratic Party by competing in tough races across the nation. This group of candidates represents the future leaders of our country.”
Two weeks ago another group of Dean Dozen candidates was announced. Within hours, candidates running for all levels of government saw the impact of this powerful endorsement: Rob MacKenna, candidate for supervisor of elections in Hillsborough County, Fla had 22,840 visits to his Web site the Friday after the endorsement, up from a daily average of 420. Jeff Smith, candidate for US House from Missouri, saw a 600% increase in web traffic in the first 24 hours after the endorsement and has received national media interest in his 10-way primary to fill the vacant seat of Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.). This intense Web traffic led to increased donations and volunteer support.
Dean will be endorsing a dozen candidates every two weeks. For a complete list, please visit www.democracyforamerica.com/DeanDozen/.
Today there is not a single Democrat among the nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court. The all-Republican Court has tilted the scales of justice against working people. David Van Os is a practicing attorney of 27 years experience who has built a distinguished record as an advocate of justice for working people. He is a people’s lawyer who will be a people’s judge on a Court that is badly in need of a voice for the people.
Democracy for America is a political action committee dedicated to building a grassroots network to support socially progressive, fiscally conservative candidates at all levels of government.
That comment by Staudt is very telling. He must have been one hell of a commander. His subordinates would have had no doubt where he stood. I think I will do some research on him.
I think the left will have their "come-up-ins" this election cycle.
............oh I'm getting sick, to much Dummyrat...
That's gross but pretty damn funny.
Thank you.
He's a real beaut, ain't he?
Looking at him, I do believe his hair hurts.
That was a strategic piece designed to soften him up so he would say something. We'll see if it worked or they need to write another one.
( To tell the truth, I CAN remember! )
Phil, please see #20...
Yes, but don't you think that the American people can see where this all came from? The Kerry camp is really desperate.
I just spit Diet Coke all over my monitor! LOL.
This just gets better and better. Cleland just doen't know when not to pick something up. Looks like this is going to remove the teflon that has prevented people from noting his true character.
This story has legs of its own that no one can stop now. Even if the WaPo or NYT drops it, someone else will pick it up. It is a tremendously engaging narrative which desperately is in need of a dramatic conclusion.
Did you see this thread? It was the third hit on google for "Walter Staudt". I love it because we are really getting out there. I find links back here all the time!
President Bush's Former Commander: "He was an asset" (Col. Walter Staudt)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1217277/posts
Yeah, Cleland may finally finish blowing himself up at long last with this one.
Donate to Swift Boat Vets for the Truth HERE.
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What do you think the conclusion will be?
I was thinking the same thing.
Does ole Max not realize that he just ratted out a Dem connection to those memos...
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