BINGO! That is the big question!
I figure there is plenty of cross talk between reporters and campaigns. No sweat.
But THIS call, whoa. This isn't a "can I get you on the record," or "You opponent has said such and so, what is your response?", etc. This was "We are running that TexANG story, and you need to call Burkett."
Now that I think about it, I think Lockhart's mention of the Swift Boat opposition actually ties in. He sees the Killian memos as rebuttal or response to the Swift Boat Veterans allegations (it isn't respnsive to the issues they raise, but when are DEMs ever responsive?).
Something to consider is that Mary Mapes is probably just another media droid who's so totally focused on advancing her career that she's intent on "breaking" the next huge story, to the point where's she's lost any objective journalistic viewpoint (supposing that she had one to begin with) in her pursuit to become the next Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein.
"What I want to know is why the hell a CBS news producer, at least one in his or her right mind, would even think it was permissible to contact a member of either party's presidential campaign"
What I want to know is why Mapes doesn't have half a dozen cameras and microphones shoved in her face at this very monment?
I see Larry King just trotted Jimmy Carter out to be the latest mouth to say that Bush's TANG record is the real story and poor Dan Rather Blah Blah Blah