This is not going to end well for CBS
July 23, 2009 11:28 am ET by Eric Boehlert
Just a note about Dan Rather's lawsuit over his firing from CBS in connection with the so-called Memogate story and how it continues to haunt the network. As the New York Times reported, Rather and his lawyers just won a key victory and were given permission to look at thousands of internal CBS documents.
My guess is that that will translate into more embarrassments for CBS. Because you'll recall that late last year we learned, via Rather's lawsuit, that internal memos indicated that CBS when first facing the right-wing firestorm over its 60 Minutes report about Bush's National Guard years, considered appointing Matt Drudge to sit on an "independent" fact-finding board to investigate the scandal. (A board which Bush refused to answers questions about his Guard service from.)
In fact, we learned that CBS was in full panic mode and was willing to take whatever step necessary to placate the right-wing fanatics frothing about Memogate. The picture painted by the CBS memos and documents already reviewed by Rather suggest a craven news organization that was less interested in uncovering the truth about the disputed memos, and more interested in appeasing Rush Limbaugh. It wanted to "mollify the right," as one internal CBS memo put it.
As I said, my guess is that with Rather and his lawyers about to dive into a new batch of documents, that portrait will only become more vivid.
And here's the kicker for the former Tiffany Network: Rather has vowed to never settle the case out of court.
I'm not at all surprised that CBS was anxious to placate the frothing-at-the-mouth right wing, though it will be interesting to see if they pay for their cowardice.
What astounds me even today is the idea that these records are 'lost'. My father worked for Social Security, and I asked him one time about all the paperwork that went into his job. He joked and said (circa 1980) "Well, son, it's all done in triplicate: one copy for the regional office, one copy to Washington, and we burn one copy so the Russians can't have it!"
In my opinion, the very lack of evidence that Bush completed his tour of duty with the National Guard is actually almost evidence enough.
Dan's one of the last true journalists. He's no Cronkite, but he comes form that mold. Publishing the whole story will be his crowing achievement. I look forward to reading the book.
Don't you know? Someone has to be considered "liberal" reporting against a conservative to get fired ...
The news is the news, not infotainment.
Even if the story were completely and utterly false, nobody should have gotten fired. CBS caved to the right wingers calling for blood on this one.
Funny how that all works out. Right wingers tell lies every single day, nobody gets fired. Rather lets one alleged lie fly, and gets shown the door.
CBS put a hugely enlarged image of the photocopied document online. A right-wing blogger shrank and otherwise manipulated the text and claimed it was identical with the same text typed from Word defaults. It was not, and contained artefacts of actual typewriting. But that fact wasn't interesting to the right-wingers, who had been after Rather for years.
'Nuff said!
Lawyers for Disgraced commentator Rather
The link on the memo links back to same old blog...
I notice you didn't chastise the former Tiffany Network for actually firing the Disgraced Rather. You can't change the facts they ran a bogus story on the flimsiest of hearsay and then FORGED memo's! Rather and five other minions were deservedly fired for trying to effect an election. That goes unmentioned also. At least Danny can't do any damage in his current position of Hotel High Def channel spokesman.
I'll throw this out there for you. There is one, ONE, key piece of evidence that if you find it, it will be the equivalent of the liberal Holy Grail. It will take some legwork and can't be found inside your protective DC bubble. If found they will erect monuments in your name.
Find the FEB. When you find that you might have a story. Other than that, this is just sour grapes and crying over a lost lion of the left.
There are thousands of blatantly derelict media actions in front of Rather's guard story in the media malfeasance line.
Do you have any evidence of these "facts"?
Just kidding. I know right wing trolls have an entirely different and bizarre definition of "facts".
Find the FEB big guy. Until you do, you're charging windmills in the distance. Good luck with that.
But it doesn't work like that anyway.You stated that CBS forged documents.If you believe that because you've been told that by your trainers, I won't try to talk you out of believing it.If you're going to base your argument here on it, it's not my job to search through a pdf doc. and try to prove a negative.Take a stand.
Show me the evidence (Please, not Freerepublic or CrazyTown Weekly opinion pieces) that CBS forged memos.
Good luck.
AG Thornburgh's report said "it raised serious questions about their (Killian documents) authenticity and CBS News handling of them". It's even bolded for you, so you can muddle over the high points.
Found the FEB yet? I didn't think so. Until you get that one king, you got nothing. It will be a race between solon and yourself for MMfA hero of the year. Good luck boys. Knock yourself out.
Rather was fired for a reason. He isn't going to get his old job back. He is disgraced and deservedly so. It begs the question...how many other 60mins stories were fabrications? How many other facts were twisted and faked? That you defend this is just the icing on the cake!
Keep looking for the city of El Dorado ol' chap...I've heard men have gone mad searching...
You said it was a fact that CBS forged documents, and were simply asked to provide some evidence of this. Seems pretty simple. You made a pretty serious charge, and you're basing several comments on the assumption that what you said is true.
You've come back several times and commented, but failed to back up your claim.
Do you think it's unreasonable that it should be your responsibility to back up your words?
Or does it seem more reasonable to you that others should hunt down your (possibly imaginary) source to earn the honor of discussing this with you?
Do you realize that you're calling other people tin-foil hatters for not producing something that you say exists and supports your point, but have failed to produce?
You think the FEB is my El Dorado? You're the one who needs it, not me. That's when you can get in the game, when you produce something, not when I go on a scavenger hunt for your material.
I'm not sure what that "icing on the cake" is that you're talking about .What am I defending, aside from trying to get you to be honest?
Just admit you lied, and move on.That's what an adult would do.
Or, you can continue to post increasingly crazy comments implying that other people need to find your mythical supporting evidence. That's what many right wing trolls would do.
I know which one I'm betting on.
I'll drop this, as it looks like you've given up, but I'll try to check back just in case you come up with something.
There is a little document in the military (I'm losing you about now I suppose) that is used when a person fails to complete flight duties. That could be for a number of reasons. Failure to fly, failure of progress checks or check rides, or blatant misappropriation of gov aircraft.
Are you up to speed now? Is the picture getting clearer? There should be an FEB associated with those faked Killian Documents. There is none. I've asked several people if they are privy to that piece of evidence as it would bolster and dare I say prove YOUR point.
You keep insisting I prove my point by producing the elusive FEB. I'm saying there IS NO FEB. GET IT?
If there is smoke here as the left contends there WILL BE an FEB. That is your challenge, not mine.
Happy hunting.
(I'll give you a little hint. You're not going to find anything...so you may as well keep defending the deplorable disgraced Danny Rather.)
When you get that document, then we'll talk. Other than that you're just TT'n into the wind.
Sorry but AG Thornburgh's report said "it raised serious questions about their (Killian documents) authenticity and CBS News handling of them". Pretty cut and dried. Danny boy is in Hotel HD purgatory and left wing kooks like you are left to pick up the pieces and wonder "what if"!
Keep your nose to the grind stone ol' boy. You may find that Doc yet and be the hero you always wanted to be.
Since you're too lazy(or scared) to link to your proof, I'll try this.Can you narrow it down to the page/paragraph/line that supports your claim about the forgery?
Thanks in advance (for the comedy).
That's from Pg. 4, first paragraph of what I think is your source. Correct me if I'm wrong, as you were too sure of your failure to link to a source.
BTW, nice try vaguely citing a 224 page pdf doc full of smoke and mirrors as your source.
Do you ever get tired of wearing the big floppy clown shoes?
Yeah, thanks for the laughs!
Now get back to work and find me that elusive FEB.
So far, your primary source says the exact opposite of what you claim. You've called yourself a liar, and if you think I'm going to go try to find something that changes that, you have a very distorted view of how things work in the real world.
Don't you think it would feel sort of liberating to just admit that you either lied or were fooled? Your delusional comments are getting a little embarrassing.
It is you sir that have been fooled with this left wing blog conspiracy. Hey. I understand. Too many Hollywood movies and spy novels.
And there is to brand or tattoo LIAR FOOL on the lips or face of every Bush backer -- so they never work in politics again and are required to wear a location tracking device at all times until they've successfully completed intervention deprogramming, literacy classes, and psychological evaluation -- for whoever (friends report) spoke in public attesting character support for Jr. Sociopath.
But that leaves the actual criminal himself -- BUSH's the DESERTER -- and the traitorous crime of desertion of duty and violation of oath, under NO statute of limitations. Prosecution and rendition is going to involve messy military and civilian tribunals and justice proceedings which could drag on unsatisfied and unpunished. Since BUSH "abandoned his buddies, abandoned his post, and just walked off," now the modern recourse allows that taxpayers whose money was misspent and concerned citizens whose votes were burned "can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills."
unchallenged document states clearly that Bush was suspended from flying because he missed his physical.
As Media Matters for America has documented, according to a September 20 U.S. News & World Report article, Bush didn't fulfill the "military service obligation" that he signed. Even using White House methodology, he still didn't attend enough drills to meet requirements. Bush also failed to comply with time limits on making up missed drills.
The U.S. News article reported: "[D]uring the final two years of his obligation, Bush did not comply with Air Force regulations that impose a time limit on making up missed drills." In addition, Bush never made up five months of missed drills.
According to the U.S. News article, Bush "apparently never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972, contrary to assertions by the administration." According to a September 8 article in The Boston Globe, Bush twice signed documents pledging to meet requirements and twice violated that oath.
Finally, on September 16, Salon.com's Eric Boehlert reported that a "newly surfaced document (pdf) from President Bush's military file" from 1968 shows that Bush agreed to serve for five years as a pilot after he completed his Guard pilot training.
But since Bush stopped flying at least two and a half years before this five-year commitment would have ended, as Boehlert noted, the document "offers more proof that Bush failed to fulfill his military obligations."
after you enter the URL, add (after the IMG SRC) 'width=500'(approx). That will keep the photo/image within the width of the post.
If the image (as the one above) is too wide, it's possible to use 'right-click/view image' to see the full page.
It's that connection that explains the survival-level backlash against CBS/Rather for simply telling a true story that the public is still being denied its right to know.
--
Imagine how Election '04 might have turned out if Risen's story and Rather's had run that October. Sure, Bush's failure to fulfill his military obligation had been hashed over in 2000. But that was before the carrier-deck strutting "war president" had launched the unnecessary and catastrophic invasion of Iraq. And indeed, virtually everyone knew of Bush's penchant for secrecy, but it was the warrantless wiretapping story that put the lawlessness into perspective. (Yes, "lawlessness." A month after Risen's story broke, attorneys at the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service indicated the National Security Agency's unrestrained wiretap program was illegal. Congress was yet to legalize spying without judicial oversight. Also still to
come was indifference to torture.)
Even in the absence of Rather's "Bush AWOL" expose and Risen's
warrantless wiretap story, Bush's esteem among voters was sagging. The destruction of Fallujah just after the election dropped his ratings below 50 percent. By Inauguration Day, voters already were feeling buyers' remorse. Then came the year of Cindy Sheehan and Katrina.
Juxtaposed against 2004-2009 history, Rather's case against CBS should drive home a lesson that shouldn't need repeating: Never run from a news story, especially if you're the one with the news.
Jerry Elsea
It went into great deal about his tour with the national guard.
It was loaded with photostatic copies of fitness reports, how he did not attend meetings, and at times just plain disappeared. Much of this was obtained from the fredom of information act, the other from a contact at the base. There were pages and pages that proved he was a poor officer.
I saw the sixty minute report and Dan Rather did not lie.