Posted on 09/28/2004 7:11:30 PM PDT by RatherBiased.com
Daniel Irvin Rather must be a masochist. You'd think that in the midst of the terrible publicity he is currently getting for working closely with a partisan Democrat bent on bringing down President Bush that Dan Rather would have the good sense to lay off the liberal bias for a while. But common sense seems to be in short supply at CBS News these days.
Three weeks after he denounced the internet as being "filled with rumors," the embattled CBS anchor ran a story on his Tuesday "Evening News" program hoping to stir up fear of an impending military draft.
In a story that was a textbook example of slipshod reporting, CBS reporter Richard Schlesinger used debunked internet hoax emails and an unlabeled interest group member to scare elderly "Evening" viewers into believing that the U.S. government is poised to resume the draft.
At the center of Schlesinger's piece was a woman named Beverly Cocco, a Philadelphia woman who is "sick to my stomach" that her two sons might be drafted. In his report, Schlesinger claimed that Cocco was a Republican and portrayed her as an apolitical (even Republican) mom worried about the future.
Schlesinger did not disclose that Cocco is a chapter president of an advocacy group called People Against the Draft (PAD) which, in addition to opposing any federal proscription, seeks to establish a "peaceful, rational foreign policy" by bringing all U.S. troops out of Iraq. Like Schlesinger's Cocco, the group portrays itself as "nonpartisan"although its leadership seems to be entirely bereft of any Republicans.
The group's domain is registered to a man named Jacob Levich, a left-wing activist who in a 2001 essay compared the Bush Administration to the totalitarian government portrayed in George Orwell's 1984.
PAD also lists Anita Dutt, a Green Party activist who is also a member of an anti-war group called Bronx Action for Justice and Peace. In a March 3, 2003 New York Times profile of the group reprinted on the organization's web site, Heidi Hynes, one of its leaders, said of her fellow members that "none of us are Republicans."
Also left out of the CBS story was the fact that while there are two bills in Congress that are seeking to reestablish the draft, both of them (S-89 and HR-163) are sponsored exclusively by Democrats and have been pronounced DOA by the Republican leadership.
Much more on this to come but in the mean time, click read more to see the transcript or watch the clip by clicking on the picture to the right.
DAN RATHER: It's no secret: The all- volunteer U.S. Military, especially the Army, Marines and many reserve units, are stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan. So what about bringing back the draft? A lot of Americans are worried about that. Where do the presidential candidates stand? CBS's Richard Schlesinger tells you in the "Eye on America" election series, "What does it mean to you?"
SCHLESINGER: Beverly Cocco has spent most of her life protecting children in Philadelphia.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: She usually worries about other people's kids.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: But as Election Day approaches, it's her own two grown sons who Beverly is most worried about.
BEVERLY COCCO ("Pennsylvania Voter"): I go to bed every night and I pray, and I actually get sick to my stomach. I'm very worried. I'm scared. I'm absolutely scared. I'm petrified.
SCHLESINGER: Beverly is petrified about a military draft, and she's not alone. Mass e-mails are circulating among worried parents. But neither president bush nor john kerry has said he will re- institute the draft. In fact, they both say they will not.
Sen. JOHN KERRY (Democratic presidential candidate): I will give us a foreign policy that absolutely makes it unnecessary to have a draft for this country.
SCHLESINGER: Kerry says he'll try to get allies of the U.S. to send troops that could relieve American soldiers in Iraq. The Bush Administration says that is pure fantasy. The president wants to train more Iraqi troops to take over for the Americans.
Pres. GEORGE W. BUSH: The war on terror will continue. It's going to take a while and no, we don't need a draft.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): But Beverly's not buying it. She's a Republican, but she's also a single issue voter.
(on-camera) Would you vote for a Democrat?
COCCO: Absolutely. I would vote for Howdie Doody if I thought it would keep my boys home and safe.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): In fact, there are at least three votes in this house riding on the draft: Beverly's and her sons,' Carmen [sic] and Nick.
(on-camera) Are you guys worried about being drafted?
NICK COCCO (College senior): Yeah. It's the talk. The talk's there. Though people aren't actually coming out and saying it, it's, it's there.
SCHLESINGER: The machinery for a draft is already in place and the acting director of Selective Service believes he could start drafting people quickly.
JACK MARTIN (Selective Service System): I think we could do it in less than six months if we got the call.
SCHLESINGER: This time there would be no long deferments for college students and a lot more people could be eligible for the draft than ever before. Men and women aged 18 to 26 could be called up.
Of course, there hasn't been a draft since 1973. But that's not much comfort to Beverly Cocco. So she is keeping a sharp eye on the political traffic. She's a Bush supporter today, but if she doesn't like what she hears between now and November, Beverly could easily cross over. In Philadelphia, I'm Richard Schlesinger for Eye on America.
bump
Has to be. Kerry's shadow is longer than everyone else's.
Bump. Just because I can.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/07/rangel.draft/ (Link opens in new window)
Do you set them strait?
I've tried but people here are very nervous. Now that most people have electricity back things may settle down but it will be many months or years before they return to normal.
Part of the problem is that no one is sure what is a rumor and what isn't. A few days after Ivan passed through someone started a rumor that Ivan had circled around back into the Gulf and reformed. Turns out it wasn't a rumor.
People are getting upset at the State and Federal governments. FEMA has pulled out of Pensacola before the clean-up efforts have hardly begun and their phone lines are always busy.
Many people are very upset because of a State law that forces insurance companies to total cars because the cosmetic damage done by Ivan exceeds the book value. Think of losing your car without receiving enough money to replace it because it was scratched up.
I'm not sure what is going to happen in NW Florida on election day. This area is usually strong GOP but now I wouldn't place a bet one way or the other. I've heard that Move On is going to run a campaign add that ties Bush to Global Warming and refusing to sign the Kyoto Treaty. That would get a lot of traction in Florida.
Global Warming has become the most important issue for a lot of Floridians including me. All of the terrorists in the Middle East couldn't begin to do the damage or create the fear that exists in Florida today. Four major hurricanes in two months tends to put your priorities in order.
Iraq is still worrisome but North Korea and Iran are very real threats.
I agree. At the coffee shop a few days ago I overheard a group of young people talking about the draft. Some of them said that any government that has to force its citizens to defend it doesn't deserve to survive. Bush needs to abolish registration before this gets out of hand.
Exactly. What does Dan have to lose? His reputation is in the toilet and he'll just blather on until CBS flushes him.
Brilliant!
How can we not bombard c bs with emails phone calls and tell them to stop the lies??????? I have sent mine over and over and called!
IMO Iran has manipulated the Iraq situation to get us in our current position. Iran couldn't defeat Sadaam on their own but they knew that we could. I think Iran was the source of the forged yellow cake letters. They want us trapped in a situation that they can manipulate to their advantage and so far they are being successful
Nice. Real nice. *loud applause*. Please be sure to post on cBS threads for more to see....
LOL, cut the drama it does not work on me.
Kyoto and Global warming, state laws, Fema, ie the evil Bush's?
(you see, I get your Dem talking points too, by email, everyday)
Thank you. I can't express my outrage at cBS any other way. Please help me by posting it and emailing it as well.
ROTFLMAO!
As usual, Kerry is a big clintonoid liar!!!! Kerry will NOT get us out of Iraq, no matter what his supporters think--he has said as much. And under a Kerry/Soros/clinton/clinton administration, we would be very likley to enter into one or more "humanitarian wars", certainly in the Balkans and perhaps elsewhere as well.
At least some Democrats are proposing a draft to support "humanitarian wars".
As for civilain national service, I myself will be doing something for homeland security, in my own professional capacity, and on a strictly VOLUNTARY basis. And I am no longer in the 18-26 age group. Those of us who are able to contribute to homeland security and/or other community needs should consider doing so, without being "drafted".
I don't know how to capture and post graphics. Quick tutorial and I will. I'm sure it will get a lot of play as it is. So much is said in it. Kudos....
I thank Kerry or whatever other idiot thought it would be a good idea for him to use Vietnam as his basis for running for president. The odds of all those fine people Kerry lied about 30 years ago being able to clear their names was very slim until this year. So, go Vietnam Vets! Go Swifty's! Clear your good names! And keep speaking the truth about the "90 day war hero".
The sad thing is that so many people were hurt about what Kerry did 30 years ago and those people took the false sham of Vietnam to their graves.
Kerry makes me want to puke!
Story has been update:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1230294/posts
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