Posted on 09/25/2004 5:51:39 AM PDT by beyond the sea
The Fort Worth Star Telegram has retracted a quote from former Texas National Guard commander Bill Burkett, who reportedly had told the paper that top Kerry aide Joe Lockhart pressured him to share forged documents on President Bush's military record later broadcast by Dan Rather.
The report - the first to implicate the Kerry campaign in the Rathergate scandal - sent shock waves through political circles on Friday.
But by midday, the Telegram had posted a revised version of the report, explaining:
"This article has been corrected from the version published in the newspaper and online Friday morning to reflect that Bill Burkett was referring to conversations with CBS when he said, 'They tried to convince me as to why I should give them the documents.' The earlier version incorrectly reported that he had discussed the documents with Joe Lockhart of the Kerry campaign."
While the retraction was good news for Lockhart and team Kerry, the Telegram let stand other Burkett claims against CBS and its star newsman, such as his complaint: "By his action and inaction, Dan Rather ruined my reputation in front of 70 million people."
Burkett also told the paper that he has suffered four seizures since being identified as CBS' source and that his home phone has been tapped.
Also on Friday, John Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley issued a clarification of comments he made to the New York Times, which had been widely interpreted as a move by the author to trim his earlier claims that Kerry was a war hero.
"Every American now knows that there's something really screwy about George Bush and the National Guard, and they know that John Kerry was not the war hero we thought he was," Brinkley told the Times.
By Friday afternoon, however, he issued this clarification:
"A story in the September 24 New York Times leaves the false impression that I think John Kerry was not 'the war hero we thought he was.' Nothing could be further from the truth. He was a great American fighting man in Vietnam and deserved all of his medals. Over the past year I have vigorously defended Kerry's military record and will continue to do so."
Brinkley added, "My comment was meant to be about the political consequences of the anti-Kerry Swift boat attacks vs. the anti-Bush National Guard ones. I was speaking about public perceptions not my personal beliefs."
Isn't is amazing how this whole story in the past two days has been basically ignored by the lamestream media. It sickens me.
This collusion and crime is at least as bad as Watergate, and the old media now is getting together to cover it up.
This country is in danger, because of the old media. Believe it or not, they still control things. I wish they didn't but they do.
Guess the check cleared.
ping ............ to more intimidation
Burkett's attorney is a Dem activist. No more need said.
The media can move on a dime when it makes a mistake that clouds liberal causes.
Yeh...... Lockhart, Burkett, Deep Throat II (the elusive Lucy), etc.
Isn't it funny how the Fort Worth paper got this little detail wrong. Impossible.
Lockhart is a LIAR, just like Carville, Begala, Mc Curry, and Ickes, and all the CLINTON Gang !!
" Lockhart Didn't Press Burkett for CBS Docs"
My guess is that he already has them!
Gather the butterfly nets.
LOL! To think he was just getting the suicide note written (except a piece or two), and the phone rang.
"This article has been corrected from the version published in the newspaper and online Friday morning to reflect that Bill Burkett was referring to conversations with CBS when he said, 'They tried to convince me as to why I should give them the documents.'" --- the first report from the paper specifically had Lockhart's name as the subject of the verb "convince" (or the concept of turning over documents), not the pronoun, "they". Burkett hasn't changed his own story here, THE PAPER HAS changed the story. There is no quote from Burkett that he was misunderstood.
This is a stone-*ss coverup by the Fort Worth rag. Nice touch, DNC.
Spin, spin, spin. Eventually it will crash, crash, crash. This is not going away, it will fester and bubble until it finally boils over and we'll see the total corruption in all it's glory. Admit the documents are forgeries CBS!
Telegram 24.09.04 Burkett malreported refs Dempersons
rewrite fullwise upsub antefiling
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1225723/posts
The Fall
National Review Online ^ | September 24, 2004 | Victor Davis Hanson
Do not miss this terrific article on the Rather disgrace.
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