Dan Rather's Main "Memogate" Source Admits He Has Been Certified As Mentally Ill and Hospitalized!

NY Times and others | 12 Feb 04

[MindBender26]

Exerpt: NYT article on Bill Burkett;

"In it, (a letter) Mr. Burkett complained of "severe retaliation" from General James for what he said was reporting "illegal acts" within the National Guard. He also complained about the government's failure to pay for his medical care after suffering from a tropical disease after a military assignment to Panama in 1997. Before finally winning medical benefits in July 1998, he said, he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for depression."

ENDIT

[MindBender26]

This is an exerpt of an article about Burkett back when he was complaining about the "Bush records in the trash can," a story that has since been totally debunked.

In order to have been hospitalized, Burkett must have been certified by physicians as fitting into two categories:

1. Significantly mentallly ill and 2. A danger to himself or others.

A person is not hospitalized for mental illness unless they meet BOTH criteria.

This article was first published in the NY Times on Feb 12, 2004.

Rather's researchers had more than 7 months to check on their story source. They knew or should have known that had been certified as both severely mentally ill and a danger to himself or others.

.... and they still went with the story....

(sorry, link is pay only)

[truthkeeper]

Sounds like the dam in about to break. bttt

[Vinomori]

Rather says unimpeachable

[MrConfettiMan]

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Gee, what a comparison in characters!!

Bush said he would never take the word of a madman.

And Rather prefers to take the word of a madman.

To him experts don't matter.

[Piquaboy]

Dam Blather is the one who is mentally ill and should be hospitalized.

[MindBender26]

What's The Typeface, Kenneth?

[nuffsenuff]

Maybe Rather meant that his source was "unimpeachable" because if you tried to impeach his credibility, he may hurt you.

[TexasTransplant]

"Dan Rather is a Liar"
Oliver North repeated this many times on Sean Hannity, I have been looking for the transcript, I was driving and didn't get everything but in Rathers Biography he claims to have been a Marine, Dan Rather quit in Basic Training after 44 days, he was NEVER a Marine, he was only a Recruit AKA "Worm".
If any Freeper finds this transcript it is a good one, I think it was Thursdays (16th) show about half way in.
TT

[B Knotts]

Dan Rather's Main "Memogate" Source Admits He Has Been Certified As Mentally Ill

Doesn't that qualify him for a job at CBS News?

[TC Rider]

Rather and team always knew that all their sources were weak, either hacks, incompetant or both.

They trotted out Barnes, a certified liar, who they knew was on the Kerry payroll, but said essentially, don't worry about this man's credentials because we have documentation, now proven false.

(Barnes had previously testified under oath that he had not helped Bush get in the Guard)

[Casloy]

Proving once again, pictures are worth a thousand words.

[Enterprise]

"Dan Rather's Main "Memogate" Source Admits He Has Been Certified As Mentally Ill and Hospitalized!"

Bill Clinton?

[Mo1]

IMO .. Burkett was just the fall guy

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

May he meant that his source was unimpeachable, in the sense that the guy he got the memos from directly was not a federal official constitutionally subject to impeachment. Yet.

[grammymoon]

The National Enquirer has higher standards than CBS.

My stepdaughter is a Hollywood semi-celebrity.
A negative story was being written about her that was prompted by a person that was once close to her who called the Enquirer. The person wanted to get back at her for imagined insults and wanted the payment.

The reporter called ALL family members, checked out our responses and when he was informed that the person was once in a mental hospital and was still on Prozac, the story was dropped.

Too bad CBS couldn't adhere to the same standards as a "scandal sheet"!

[P.O.E.]

Personally, I think this is unfair. People do recover from illnesses.

Many other reasons to doubt this whole affair, but this would cast aspersions on millions of people who suffer from such ailments.

Don't forget all the recent flap about Prozac aggravating such conditions - might have been some bad meds.

[Ides of March]

Burkett has not been named as the source except in a "whispering" campaign,
and not even that by Dan Ra^ther. He may be the fall guy.
Not exactly an "unimpeachable" source.

[sitetest]

Dear MindBender26,

A person cannot be hospitalized against his own will if he doesn't meet the two criteria you mention.

But a person can check himself into a mental hospital of his own accord.

I didn't see that the committal you mention was involuntary. If I missed it, I apologize - I'm still only on my second cup of coffee. But if it was voluntary, then it is possible that he wasn't sufficiently disturbed to be categorized as "mentally ill," or a danger to himself or others.


sitetest

[Wonder Warthog]

"What's The Typeface, Kenneth?"

Great line---is it yours, or "borrowed"???