Rather has interviewed Burkett Sludge Report

[TrueAmerican]

CBS Rather has interviewed retired lieutenant colonel Bill Burkett widely believed to have provided disputed National Guard documents. CBS plans to air interview in coming days, WASH POST reports Monday, sources tell DRUDGE. Rather was in Texas over the weekend for the interview with Burkett... Developing...

Sludge Report

[kentuck]

1. I think someone on DU already beat Sludge to this story??

Sludge reports the best (or worst)of DU?

[Doosh]

2. Rather hasn't backed down

in the face of a GOP shitstorm, god bless him for that.

[Newsjock]

3. Here's the Post story

off the wire; no link yet
CBS to Air Interview With Suspected Source of Bush Guard Memos
By Howard Kurtz
The Washington Post

CBS News anchor Dan Rather has interviewed the retired lieutenant
colonel widely believed to have helped provide ”60 Minutes” with the
disputed National Guard documents about President Bush that have
created a credibility crisis for the network, and CBS plans to air the
interview in the coming days.

The on-camera sit-down with Bill Burkett, who has urged Democratic
activists to wage “war” against Republican “dirty tricks,” could
help resolve whether CBS continues to stand by its story or concedes
the purported 30-year-old memos are forgeries, as numerous document
experts have contended.

Rather was in Texas over the weekend for the interview with
Burkett, a former National Guard official, who would not comment in an
e-mail to The Washington Post on whether he had been CBS’s
confidential source.

CBS News President Andrew Heyward, while declining to comment on
what interviews the network might be conducting, said Sunday: “We’ve
said we are trying very hard to get to the bottom of these
questions."

more

[AmerDem]

4. Don't be surprised if

Rather announces that Burkett WASN'T the source of the info but goes on to interview him anyway. Burkett had alot to say about shrub but Rove had him smeared off as having nervous breakdowns and holding a grudge against the National Guard.

[Cha]

5. And some people I saw

here were buying that "nervous breakdowns", smear.

I hadn't heard the "National Guard grudge" story.

[AmerDem]

8. yea, he was somehow injured

and filed a claim for compensation. I guess they shot him down on that.

[Pirate Smile]

19. Didn't he catch malaria or something while in Panama for the NG?

[AmerDem]

23. Apparently it was meningoencephalitis

as per this post...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x843158#843981

[gordianot]

14. I agree

There are a lot of people in Texas who had possible access to records. B*sh and Rove have obviously made enemies. Very early and currently Rather and CBS have remained firm.

What I don't like is this has side lined many real issues in this election so CBS can create some drama before they nail the sordid story of an emotionally abused, irresponsible, arrogant rich kid with a substance abuse problem. A pilot loosing flight status is drastic, I have a feeling we are in for a real ride.

I read that a well known grocery store tabloid based in Florida will have a story about W drug problems. That may end up having a bigger impact than CBS.

[AmerDem]

15. shrub's lack of service is being picked up alot more

This was the last thing Rove wanted but Kerry's new handlers knew it was a major issue to take apart shrub.

Here read this new article from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/politics/campaign/20bama.html?pagewanted=1

[gordianot]

18. Thanks

Excellent article. Have noticed the lack of Bush family history in the media until recently? Where ever you look it is rather sordid, a real glass house.

Sure we will hear more.

[girl gone mad]

6. So.. who here believes Burkett was the source?

I'm still leaning against Burkett being the source of the memos, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong.

[kentuck]

7. I think it was Burkett or someone he knows....

Perhaps a family member?

[PermanentRevolution]

9. If it was Burkett...

where did he get access to these? I know he saw memos from Bush's record in a trash can, but weren't these from Killian's personal CYA file? How would he have gotten access?

[girl gone mad]

12. That's the reason I'm leaning aginst Burkett as the source.

Burkett has said that the memos he saw in the trash can were performance reviews and pay records.

[SayitAintSo]

13. One Idea ... Dumpster Diving ....

Not the first time its been done ... the pukes are experts at it ....

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. He worked in the place where many of the records

were stored. He was around for more than just the day of the trash can dump. Apparently, there were multiple instances of well known people, such as Karen Hughes and Dan Bartlett, who showed up to take care of things.

[PermanentRevolution]

17. But those were Bush's records, right?

The CBS memos were supposed to be from Killian's files. Killian died in '84. His personal effects and papers would have been turned over to his family. Burkett's report about Bush's record being sanitized is from the '90's.

I'm not ruling out the possibility that someone discovered that Killian's CYA files existed, but that reinforces the Rove plant theory, at least to me. If Rove discovered there were potentially damaging documents out there somewhere, but he couldn't get the originals, what better way to pre-emptively discredit them than by planting forgeries claiming the exact information he was afraid would leak? It would get discredited and the meaning would be lost, exactly like what is happening now.

That's assuming that they're forgeries. I still have doubts, and I'm positive CBS has something else on this. They knew Killian was dead, so they couldn't corroborate the memos. They knew that the Bush camp would try and discredit the memos, so they HAD to have dug deeper and found something else to back up the documents or they wouldn't have run with it. And if they didn't have any other info, they would have conceded before now. They've got an ace in the hole, and they're waiting to get called.

[AlCzervik]

10. Rather also has a home in Texas.......

could he have been...dun dun dun!!! Going there?

[Spazito]

11. I don't think it is Burkett...

if he was the source and Rather had been working on the memos story for 6 weeks then he would already have exhaustively interviewed him privately. I think Rather is just drawing in the WH, making them wonder what the hell he has and is going to come out with. Interviewing Burkett is just another way of doing that.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

20. Burkett is EXTREMELY believable, will probably deny being the source

.

[AmerDem]

22. He did a great job on Harball

I think it was in February.

[blitzen]

21. Link to Burkett's website....It's damn good

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/what_do_you_say_032203.htm


"Lt. Col. Bill Burkett completed 28 years of decorated service and was medically retired from the US Army National Guard in 1998 after suffering meningoencephalitis on return from an assignment in Panama. From 1995 until his illness, Burkett served as State Plans Officer for the Texas Army National Guard and Governor George W. Bush. After refusing to follow direct orders involving falsifying readiness reports, Burkett sought "whistleblower" status for reports involving anti-Semitic activity; personnel fraud; readiness fraud and the alteration of the personal military file of Governor George W. Bush. Lt. Col. Burkett is currently the plaintiff in his appeal to the US Supreme Court in the case of Burkett v. Goodwin, Taliaferro, Meador, et al, in regard to the retaliation against him following breaking the Bush records issue. Lt. Col Burkett served as a War Plans Officer during Operation Desert Storm and functioned as a senior trainer in conducting simulations exercises for deploying troops."

[Bleacher Creature]

24. Why is Sludge reporting

that CBS is about to cave in on this??