David Van Os (Bill burkett's lawyer) with Senator Max Cleland
Fact is, there are a LOT of VERY serious issues that should be pushed HARD about the documets.
1. The widow and son were IGNORED
2. Document experts were IGNORED
3. Hodges was MISLED
4. The old secretary was NOT INTERVIEWED until afterward
5. The opinions of the experts were MISREPRESENTED
6. The swift boat veterans were MALIGNED
7. George Bush's roomate DURING HIS GUARD YEARS, who AGREED TO SPEAK TO THEM WAS TURNED DOWN BECAUSE HE WAS TOO "PRO BUSH"...
And the list goes on. Fact is, this was a HIT PIECE ON BUSH. And just because dnCBS owns up to fake documents does NOT CLEAR THEIR PROPAGANDA / DNC REPORTING!!
If the documents were the ONLY ISSUE in this, without all of the other plainly propaganda driven results, it wouldn't be such an issue.
THE DOCUMENTS ARE JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG! THE ICEBERG IS THE MANIPULATION AND DECEPTION OF THE PUBLIC!!
This is how I see things went down:
Burkett created Memo ======> Provided to Cleland ======>
OK'd from Kerry ======> Cleland gave Memo to Texas DNC =====>
Texas DNC faxed to CBS News
Max Cleland, at this very moment, may be wishing the medics weren't so efficient those many years ago, and Bill Burkett most certainly is pining away for the good old days, when he was safe and secure in a rubber room.
CBS worked 4 years on the National Guard story?
How many years did they work on the Juanita Broaddrick story?
If these suggestions are true, that there was collusion, then I'd hazard to say Max doesn't have a leg to stand on.
And softly in the background, "Taps" is being played.
Link or limb?
What are the chances that the Kerry campaign is NOT behind the release? That instead it's the "Clinton '08" campaign who got them to Burkett knowing he would use them?
I do know for a fact that Cleland has been working very hard on the military vote for the Kerry campaign. He's been the brains behind their strategy to target military voters in swing states.
Also, wasn't he in Texas quite recently doing a PR stunt outside the gates at Crawford?
I think Cleland is a definite high probability.
CBS must divulge all sources in the chain of custody of the documents.
If they were "decieved" then there is no first amendment protection issue. divulge the decievers.
all over the WWW this morning is the "CBS thinks they were "midlead" .. this is SO MADDENING to read!!...mislead?? Dan Rather himself said "there is No APOLOGY coming and no investigation coming, NOR SHOULD THERE BE"... they are ONLY doing this AFTER A SOLID WEEK of people like us, calling them on it.. if NOT they would have "STUCK" by that pack of lies.....I say they get NO PASS ON THIS.....that RATHER and his PRODUCER BOTH and the HEAD OF CBS should be fired....less than THAT is an INSULT to US and the President of the United States....
dont LET this story go away!!!
Maybe Cleland was trying to deliver copies of the "memos" when he showed-up at W's ranch?
A week before McAulliffe started accusing Rove of planting the documents, I posted a thread showing the dems were trying to pin it on the GOP. (The thread was pulled for some reason)
Anyway, the DemocRATS proved to be true to form.
Bill Burkett states he then sent what he had to Max Cleland, and that was the last Burkett heard from anyone involved with the Kerry campaign.
This is the first time I've read that Max Cleland was in the actual chain of custody of the ''documents''. What I've read other places is more ambiguous, something along the lines that Burkett gave ''them'' the information, implying the Kerry campaign organization without any info as to ''who'', specifically, the info was mailed/ faxed to. IF it has been nailed down that the info was sent to Cleland, this is a significant new fact, I would think, although not a real surprising one.
If Cleland is the source, you can expect 0 legal ramifications from this and the story will probably die.
Despite the obvious fact that things were done that were illegal against federal law, you're just not going to see anyone from the Bush Administration go after a handicapped vet, it's just not going to happen.
By making Cleland the conduit, the DNC probably, sad by true, protected the inner workings of this strategy and fiasco.
BTW, the Dallas Morning News has a front page story (below the fold) today stating that CBS had now changed it's mind on the Rather forgeries and would say something official today. I've not seen any mention of that here. Did I just miss it?
I can't believe that Bush gave Max a gov't job> Hasn't Bush learned that the greatest danger to him and the nation is Clintonistas?
Except Bush is the target and on that basis the other networks will give CBS a pass.
Another very nice column from Barbara Stock.
The one imporant thing she should have mentioned is that Byrkett has a lawyer now. He is a DNC-appointed lawyer who, I guarantee you, is NOT working for Mr. Burkett. Burkett is toast.