NYT: CBS News Concludes It Was Misled

[Killarney]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/politics/campaign/20guard.html
CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say

After days of expressing confidence about the documents used in a "60 Minutes'' report that raised new questions about President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News officials have grave doubts about the authenticity of the material, network officials said last night.

The officials, who asked not to be identified, said CBS News would most likely make an announcement as early as today that it had been deceived about the documents' origins. CBS News has already begun intensive reporting on where they came from, and people at the network said it was now possible that officials would open an internal inquiry into how it moved forward with the report. Officials say they are now beginning to believe the report was too flawed to have gone on the air.

[rfranklin]

1. CBS should admit they were scammed by Karl Rove....

"yes, we fell for Mr. Rove's efforts to muddy the waters concerning George W. Bush's desertion of the TANG and we regret it."

[Killarney]

2. I think probably one of two things happened.

Either:
1) Rove planted them. This would explain how that freeper GOP lawyer knew how to discredit them so quickly--he was given the info and told to blog it and start the ball rolling. This would also explain why the White House would just accept them and pass them out--they knew this was coming.

or

2) Burkett lost his mind and decided to take it to the next level. If this is the case, I'm freaking pissed because we had Bush even without the memos and now all the focus is on the memos and people will think that none of it is true when in actuality, it's all true, it's just that these particular memos aren't. But it will change the focus now.

I'm hoping it's Rove and not Burkett.

[punpirate]

5. There's always a third possibility....

That they're accurate, truthful, came from Killian's files, and CBS executives are taking heat from the White House and Bush-supporting advertisers and are going to sacrifice, once again, the unprofitable news division.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Buckhead (aka The Freeper) knew within 20 mins...

of CBS posting the documents. And his post read like: "20 steps North, 5 steps towards the Big Oak, and then dig like mad."

The man had a map.

And that's how I knew from Day One that the documents were a plant. And it was only confirmed when the RW press JUMPED all over the story. They KNEW that a critical examination would reveal the documents were phony.

[Paradise]

8. Read and reread this reply by Junkdrawer!

It is "NOT" :tinfoilhat: !

[Killarney]

11. I think you're right.

This guy knew too quickly. He was told ahead of time and told what to say. The more I think about it, the more I think they were Rove plants.

Just like when Rove planted a bug in his own office in that Texas race and blamed it on the Dems.

[deutsey]

15. I think Rove used Burkett the same way he used JH Hatfield

and got the same result.

Burkett has had an ax to grind against Bush at least since the late '90s when he said Bush staff destroyed National Gaurd doc.

Hatfield, you probably remember, claimed that Rove was the source of his info on W's cocaine use. Taking him at his word, critics allege that Rove gave him the information knowing that Hatfield's past could be used to descredit him (and the coke story) after the book was published.

Here's the scenario with CBS: Burkett receives documents (from an anonymous source) that prove what he's been claiming all along is true. He sends them on to CBS, which, considering the source (Burkett) believes them to be legit. The White House also (interestingly) does not challenge the authenticity of the documents when CBS sends them for their review.

CBS goes forward with the story, Rove gives Buckhead (a Far-Right activist) information that challenges their authenticity and, now CBS is forced to concede that the docs are fake.

Not only does this descredit "the Liberal Media" :eyes: and their attempt to bring down Our Fearless Leader, but it also calls into question Burkett's credibility and obfuscates the real story about Bush's military service (or lack thereof). Throw in suspicions (unfounded as they are) that the Democrats played a role in this, and, voila, Bush hits the trifecta yet again:

CBS--humiliated
Burkett--discredited
Kerry/Democrats--smeared in the minds of rightwing sheep as playing a role

And the grandprize: Bush's dirty military record gets buried.

What a wonderful day. :evilfrown:

[Junkdrawer]

17. Who would have had the REAL memos...

Killian's former secretary, Marian Carr Knox, said the memos contents were mostly accurate. And that means that someone retyped the things and added the sig line using real documents.

Now, these were Killian's private memos. Wouldn't Killian's wife have had possession after her husband's death? And Killian's wife has come out as a Bush supporter.

Here's what I think: Rove went to everyone involved in the story and did a document round up. Killian's wife gave Rove the documents. Rove retypes them and then sends them out to anti-Bush vets knowing they will make their way to the press in an election year.

Where did Rove get the idea for the sting? Perhaps there are similar flaws in the documents he constructed. :shrug:

[geek tragedy]

19. Exactly--Rove played Rather for a fool.

However, let's not lose sight of the fact that CBS is in this pickle because they fucked up royally and disregarded the advice of their own experts.

[deutsey]

20. Oh, CBS is completely responsible for being too greedy

in its desire to scoop the competition on this. If they went forward with this story with the reservations they had, these reservations should have been part of the story. How difficult would it have been for Rather to say,

"Although we received these documents from what we consider to be an impeccable source, and although the White House has not challenged the authenticity of them, questions have been raised about..." and then go on to point out what some experts were saying.

Jeesh. And they get paid how much? And I get paid how much? I've worked as a reporter and I always tried to include questions or concerns from all sides in a story I wrote. Shoddy work by CBS and Rather. Shoddy.

[Stew225]

3. I will forego my post in deference to that

all-important theme/meme of positivity. It also enables me to still exercise at least a portion of the illusion of free speech on these boards. Have a great day!

[abrock]

4. Why even post that?

[briemann]

7. This is impossible!

What about Buckhead? He knew! Someone else MUST be outraged!

[Paradise]

9. OBVIOUS and BODACIOUS! n/t

[newyawker99]

18. Hi briemann!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[seabeyond]

10. certainly odd with hours all across web forgies

but another thought is by that night or early morning alll the news channel were reporting fraud. they didnt set back and wait for confirmation. they didnt have to "find" the story like they have to with so many other stories. they were all united in forgies and attack of cbs. had to all be organized and set up and ready to go

[Hubert Flottz]

12. Why would Karl and friends wish to discredit Dan Rather?

Because the GOPers knew that, if Dan Rather asked the tough questions during any of the prime time presidential debates coming up, that Bush would be toast! The Bushcos are wanting Wolf, Tim and Chris to give Bush a chance to keep on lying and selling his line of pure bullshit! Ask yourself, about the amount of time it's taking Bush to agree to the terms of the debates? The chickenhawks are chickening out, on letting Dangerous Dan loose on their show chimp on prime time TV!

[Killarney]

13. Revenge for 41.

Rather and Bush 41 had a beef.

[WilliamPitt]

14. Good. Let's talk about Iraq/Plame/Chalabi/WMDs

[John_H]

16. Team Kerry's wimps say "duhhhhh." They had the chance to turn it around.

just by saying from the begininning, "we don't know if these are real or fake. But we do know funny things happen when Karl Rove is invilved with campaigns." Rove would have then attacked us for saying it, and there would have been stories on the bull shit he pulls in every election.