Bush nails Kerry on taxes
"One of my opponent's key economic advisers is saying they won't give
the details on how they would raise spending and lower the deficit
until after the election," President Bush said. "Well, if they want to
hold back information until the people vote, you can bet it won't be
good news for the taxpayers," he said. "But America will reject the
hidden Kerry tax plan."
Bush focused the campaign on Sen. John Kerry’s penchant to raise taxes
and spend money. Kerry has proposed around 85 new programs and adding
up the cost of 48 of those new spending programs comes to nearly $2
trillion in spending a year. Kerry proposes to pay for the new
spending by repealing the Bush tax cut on incomes over $200,000 a
year.
"My opponent's tax increases would bring only about $650 billion in
revenue over the next 10 years," Bush said. "So, you do the math."
Veterans endorse Bush
While the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars do not endorse,
two of their past leaders have decided too.
Ed Banas, the immediate past national commander in chief of the VFW,
said he is endorsing Mr. Bush because he is a "principled leader."
But it was Mr. Kerry's activities in Vietnam Veterans Against the War
that clinched his decision.
"The thing that was probably most annoying to me and many, many people
who served our country is that Mr. Kerry renounced every one of his
comrades who served in Vietnam," Mr. Banas said. "I cannot find that
to be a forgivable instance."
John Brieden, past commander of the American Legion, said he has heard
Mr. Kerry speak — including a speech to his organization — and he has
a tendency to say "exactly what the group wanted to hear."
"In fact, his speech was right down our point papers, line by line,"
Mr. Brieden said in a conference call organized by the Bush campaign.
"I have to laugh because as I have heard people talk about his
flip-flop on positions, I feel all he's trying to do is tell every
group what they want to hear," he said. "That means a different
position for every group."
CBS internal investigation
Drudge.com has an exclusive story on the rapidly developing
Bush National Guard memos forgery scandal that’s rocking the media,
old and new:
CBS NEWS executives have launched an internal investigation into
whether its premiere news program 60 MINUTES aired fabricated
documents
relating to Bush's National Guard service, the DRUDGE REPORT
has learned.
"The reputation and integrity of the entire news division is at stake,
if we are in error, it will be corrected," a top CBS source explained
late Thursday.
The source, who asked not to be named, described CBSNEWS anchor and 60
MINUTES correspondent Dan Rather as being privately "shell-shocked" by
the
increasingly likelihood that the documents in question were
fraudulent.
Rather, who anchored
the segment presenting new information on the president's military
service, will personally correct the record on-air, if need
be, the source explained from New York.
click &
get this bumper sticker & more
Widow “livid’ about forged memos
The widow of Jerry Killian spoke out angrily on NightLine last night,
thoroughly discrediting the ‘newly discovered’ Bush National Guard
memos supposedly written by her deceased husband. Here is the
transcript of her conversation from NightLine:
Transcript:
I WAS ANGRY, BECAUSE HERE THEY ARE GOING BACK AND PULLING RECORDS OF A
MAN WHO IS DECEASED TWENTY YEARS, WHO IS NOT HERE TO EXPLAIN WHAT ANY
OF THESE DOCUMENTS SAID OR SUPPOSED TO HAVE SAID, AND I JUST FOUND IT
APPALLING. I WAS SICK THAT HERE WITHOUT WARNING HIS PICTURES ARE UP
THERE, HIS NAME IS BEING BATTLED BACK AND FORTH AND I, LIVID I GUESS
IS A BETTER WORD FOR IT."
"I THINK THERE WAS SO MUCH UNTRUTHS BEING SAID THAT THAT FRUSTRATED ME
AND THAT I KNEW THAT IF JERRY WERE ALIVE TODAY THAT HE WOULD JUST,
NUMBER ONE HE WOULD BE TURNING OVER IN HIS GRAVE TO KNOW THAT A
DOCUMENT SUCH AS THIS WOULD BE USED AGAINST A FELLOW GUARDSMAN."
"THAT IS WHAT AGGRAVATED ME SO MUCH, WAS THAT HE CAN NOT BE HERE TO
SAY AND YET THEY CAN DRAG HIS NAME ONTO TELEVISION, MAKING BAD
ACCUSATIONS ABOUT OUR PRESIDENT AND A MAN THAT HE RESPECTED AND I KNOW
FOR A FACT THAT HE THOUGHT THIS YOUNG MAN AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT OR
FIRST LIEUTENANT WAS AN EXCELLENT AVIATOR, AN EXCELLENT PERSON TO BE
IN THE GUARD AND WAS VERY HAPPY TO HAVE HIM BECOME A MEMBER OF THE
111TH F-I-S."
"NUMBER ONE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE TYPED BECAUSE HE DID NOT TYPE. NUMBER
TWO, THE WORDING IN THESE DOCUMENTS IS VERY SUSPECT TO ME. I JUST
DON'T BELIEVE THAT, IT LOOKS LIKE SOME THINGS MAY HAVE BEEN PICKED UP
OUT OF A DOCUMENT AND THEN OTHER THINGS JUST MADE FICTITIOUSLY TO FILL
IN THINGS, TO MAKE THEM FLOW. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HIS
WORDS, MY LATE HUSBAND'S WORDS."
"NOT A TYPIST, DEFINITELY NOT A TYPIST. WE HAD NO COMPUTERS AT HOME
BUT HE WASN'T A TYPIST, AND WHAT IS REMARKABLE TO ME IS THAT HE WAS A
PERSON WHO DID NOT TAKE OR MAKE COPIOUS NOTES. HE CARRIED EVERYTHING
IN HIS MIND AND HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO MAKE NOTES."
"I AM STILL PRESENTLY LOOKING FOR OTHER DOCUMENTS. I HAVE FOUND SOME
THAT SAY THE 147TH ON THEM AND THEY GO BACK TO 1970. I CAN NOT FIND
ANY AT THIS MOMENT THAT HAVE ANY 1972 INDICATIONS ON THEM OTHER THAN
A, AND I TOLD HER THAT, A FLIGHT SCHEDULE THAT HE HAD JUST SIGNED HIS
NAME TO."
"UNFORTUNATELY WHEN WE MOVED I PUT THINGS IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND I
JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS AT THIS MOMENT AND I WAS SEARCHING
FOR THEM AND I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS. I DO HAVE ALL
OF HIS FLIGHT RECORDS THOUGH AND THEY ARE IN MY HANDS."
"HE DISCUSSED WITH ME HOW PROUD HE WAS TO BE ABLE TO GO AND PIN THE
WINGS ON YOUNG GEORGE AND TO MEET THEN MR. BUSH, I'VE FORGOTTEN IF HE
WAS WITH THE CIA OR WHAT OFFICE HE HELD AT THAT TIME AND BARBARA
BUSH."
"HE LEFT THE 147TH, FLEW TO WHEREVER GEORGE GOT HIS WINGS AND JERRY
PINNED THEM ON HIM AND HE WAS, CAME HOME JUST, HE TOLD ME ABOUT THAT
AND HOW PROUD HE WAS TO HAVE MET THE FAMILY."
"HE WOULD JUST WRITE LITTLE NOTES ON THE BACK OF ANYTHING.
UNFORTUNATELY OR FORTUNATELY AS THE CASE MAY BE, IF HE NEEDED TO JOT
SOMETHING DOWN HE WOULD JOT IT ON ANY PAPER THAT HE COULD FIND, ON A
CARD, LIKE A CALLING CARD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE, OR JUST LITTLE BITS OF
PAPER. HE ALWAYS KNEW WHERE EVERYTHING WAS, AND IF HE NEEDED TO PULL
IT OUT OF HIS WALLET ON A LITTLE NOTE OR SOMETHING, BUT HE JUST DIDN'T
TAKE MANY NOTES."
Ben Barnes’ daughter:
My dad is lying about Bush & the National Guard
NewsMax.com has a barnburner story that’s sure to pour oil on
the fire already raging on Dan Rather and CBS (about President Bush’s
‘newly’ discovered National Guard memos, which are proving to be
forgeries).
What’s the new ruckus? The CBS/Sixty Minutes interview of Ben Barnes
by Dan Rather. Barnes is the former Texas Lt. Governor who claims he
used his influence to get young George W. Bush into the National Guard
and out of the reach of the draft for Vietnam.
The following is the transcript of the conversation with Barnes’
daughter:
A woman purporting to be Amy Barnes, daughter of former Texas
Lieutenant Gov. Ben Barnes, said Thursday that her father had
fabricated claims that he used his influence to get President Bush
into the Texas Air National Guard 36 years ago.
In a phone call to WBAP's Mark Davis radio show in Dallas, Texas, Ms.
Barnes told guest host Monica Crowley that her father was an
"opportunist" who had lied about Bush's Guard record during a "60
Minutes II" broadcast Tuesday night.
BARNES: I love my father very much but he's doing this for purely
political reasons. He is a big Kerry fundraiser and he is writing a
book also. And [the Bush story] is what he's leading the book off with
. . . He denied this to me in 2000 that he did get Bush out [of
Vietnam service]. Now he's saying he did.
CROWLEY: Did he tell you, Amy - and I'm glad I have you on the line
with me - did your father tell you that he was prepared to do this on
behalf of John Kerry - go after President Bush like this?
BARNES: He told me he was going to do it. In fact I talked to him a
couple of months ago. He told me he was writing the book. He told me
that he was going to be talking about this. And he knows that I - we
have very diverse political opinions. He knows my opinions and we get
into this debate every time I see him. But, you know, he said that he
was going to be talking about it.
CROWLEY: Now you're saying, Amy, that he has had two separate stories
on President Bush's Guard duty during the Vietnam era?
BARNES: Yes, yes. This came out in 2000 and I asked him then, at the
time, if he [helped get Bush into the Guard]. He said, "No, absolutely
not. I did not do that."
CROWLEY: So, I hate to put you in this position but I will ask you, do
you think your father, Ben Barnes - who was on "60 Minutes II" with
Dan Rather last night - do you believe that he lied on the air to the
American people last night about President Bush?
BARNES; Yes, I do. I absolutely do. And I think he's doing he's doing
it for purely political, opportunistic reasons - trying to get John
Kerry elected and trying to make Bush look like the bad person. . . .
Like I said, he's going to be trying to promote his book that he's got
coming out. [End of Excerpt]
Crowley's colleague, WABC Radio's Mark Levin, aired a tape of the
exchange in New York after confirming that Barnes' does indeed have a
daughter named Amy.
Kerry voted for Medicare cost increases
Sen. John Kerry blamed President Bush for the increase in Medicare
insurance costs. Kerry invoked his new favorite saying about "W,"
"That's 'W,' " said Kerry, "That's wrong — wrong choice, wrong
direction, wrong leadership for America."
Medicare recipients are facing a 17 percent increase in their monthly
premiums. What Kerry didn’t tell the crowd was that he voted for those
increases.
"As John Kerry talks about Medicare premiums, it is important to
remember that the Medicare premiums are mandated by a formula that
John Kerry voted for," said Steve Schmidt spokesman for the Bush's
re-election campaign. "This formula is set in law and based on the
cost of health care. That is why the president is focused on reducing
the underlying costs of our health care system."
Kerry once again promised to implement national health care, "When I
am president, America will stop being the only advanced nation in the
world which fails to understand that health care is not a privilege
for the wealthy, the connected and the elected," he said. "It is a
right for all Americans."
Attack dog Harkin barking up wrong tree... again
Sen. Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, became the Kerry attack dog on the
issue of President Bush’s National Guard service. Harkin recently went
over the top by calling Vice President Dick Cheney a "coward." Harkin
also referenced his own service in Vietnam while bringing the charge.
Washington Post columnist David Broder took on Harkin and pointed out
that Harkin was not in Vietnam but rather ferried planes to the
Phillipines.
Now, in reference to the ‘newly discovered’ Bush National Guard memos,
Harkin is calling President Bush a liar.
"We want a president who will be truthful and honest and level with
the American people," Harkin said at a news conference in Washington.
"If the president will lie about this, will he lie about how we got
into Iraq?"
Senator Harkin needs to read the numerous accounts in the national
media of these Bush National Guard memos being FORGED...
CBS hunkers down
CBS has posted on their news website that they are standing by the
authenticity of the memos that their prize anchor, Dan Rather, used to
discredit President Bush’s National Guard service during Vietnam. [LINK]
CBS states: "The network defended the authenticity of the memos,
saying its experts who examined the memos concluded they were
authentic documents produced by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian."
In a statement, CBS News said it stands by its story:
"This report was not based solely on recovered documents, but rather
on a preponderance of evidence, including documents that were provided
by unimpeachable sources, interviews with former Texas National Guard
officials and individuals who worked closely back in the early 1970s
with Colonel Jerry Killian and were well acquainted with his
procedures, his character and his thinking," the statement read.
"In addition, the documents are backed up not only by independent
handwriting and forensic document experts but by sources familiar with
their content," the statement continued. "Contrary to some rumors, no
internal investigation is underway at CBS News nor is one planned."
The
Drudge Report has this interesting exchange with a CNN
reporter and Dan Rather today:
DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: I know that this story is true. I believe
that the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We wouldn't have
gone to air if they would not have been. There isn't going to be --
there's no -- what you're saying apology?
QUESTION: Apology or any kind of retraction or...
RATHER: Not even discussed, nor should it be. I want to make clear to
you, I want to make clear to you if I have not made clear to you, that
this story is true, and that more important questions than how we got
the story, which is where those who don't like the story like to put
the emphasis, the more important question is what are the answers to
the questions raised in the story, which I just gave you earlier.
Rather defends story on CBS News,
NationalReviewOnline rips it apart
Here is the transcript of the Dan Rather defense of the supposed new
Bush National Guard memos, from the NationalReviewOnline/TheKerrySpot:
[LINK]
Transcript:
There were attacks today on the CBS News "60 Minutes" report this week
raising new questions about President Bush's Vietnam-era time in the
Texas Air National Guard.
The questions raised by our report include:
[TAKE: GRAPHICS]
— Did a wealthy Texas oilman-friend of the Bush family use his
influence with the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives .. to
get George W. Bush a coveted slot in the National Guard .. keeping him
out of the draft and any probable service IN Vietnam?
[TAKE: BULLET]
— Did Lieutenant Bush refuse a direct order from his commanding
officer?
[TAKE: BULLET]
— Was Lieutenant. Bush suspended for failure to perform up to
standards?
[TAKE: BULLET]
— Did Lieutenant Bush ever take a physical he was required and ordered
to take? If not, why not?
[TAKE: BULLET]
— And did Lieutenant Bush, in fact, complete his commitment to the
Guard?
[TAKE: OC]
These questions grew out of new witnesses and new evidence — including
documents written by Lieutenant Bush's squadron commander.
Today, on the internet and elsewhere, some people — including many who
are partisan political operatives — concentrated not on the key
questions the overall story raised but on the documents that were part
of the support of the story.
They alleged the documents are FAKE.
(TRACK UP)
[TAKE: RATHER VTR]
< DOCUMENTS>
EVENING NEWS/RATHER
9-10-04
TRACK: MANY OF THOSE RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CBS DOCUMENTS HAVE
FOCUSED ON SOMETHING CALLED SUPERSCRIPT...
A KEY THAT AUTOMATICALLY TYPES A RAISED "TH". CRITICS CLAIM
TYPEWRITERS DIDN'T HAVE THAT ABILITY IN THE 70S.
BUT SOME MODELS DID....
IN FACT, OTHER BUSH MILITARY RECORDS ALREADY RELEASED BY THE WHITE
HOUSE ITSELF SHOW THE SAME SUPERSCRIPT.
HERE'S ONE..... FROM 1968.
SOME ANALYSTS OUTSIDE CBS SAY THEY BELIEVE THE TYPEFACE ON THESE MEMOS
IS NEW TIMES ROMAN.... WHICH THEY CLAIM WAS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE
1970S.
BUT THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY THAT DISTRIBUTES THIS TYPING STYLE....
SAYS IT HAS BEEN AVAILABE SINCE 1931.
DOCUMENT AND HANDWRITING EXAMINER MARCEL MATLEY ANALYZED THE DOCUMENTS
FOR CBS NEWS.
HE SAYS HE BELIEVES THEY ARE REAL...BUT IS CONCERNED ABOUT EXACTLY
WHAT IS BEING EXAMINED BY SOME OF THE PEOPLE QUESTIONING THE
DOCUMENTS....
BECAUSE DETIORATION OCCURS EACH TIME A DOCUMENT IS REPRODUCED.....
AND THE DOCUMENTS BEING ANALYZED OUTSIDE OF CBS HAVE
BEEN PHOTOCOPIED, FAXED, SCANNED AND DOWNLOADED.... AND ARE FAR
REMOVED FROM THE DOCUMENTS CBS STARTED WITH.
DOCUMENT AND HANDWRITING EXAMINER MARCEL MATLEY DID THIS INTERVIEW
WITH US PRIOR TO THE 60 MINUTES BROADCAST.
HE LOOKED AT THE DOCUMENTS AND THE SIGNATURES OF COLONEL JERRY
KILLIAN.... COMPARING KNOWN DOCUMENTS WITH THE COLONEL'S SIGNATURE ON
THE NEWSLY DISCOVERED ONES.
1:01:08
SOT/MATLEY "WE LOOK BASICALLY AT WHAT'S CALLED SIGNIFICANT OR
INSIGNIFICANT FEATURES TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S THE SAME PERSON OR
NOT..../// I HAVE NO PROBLEM IDENTIFYING THEM. ///
I WOULD SAY BASED ON OUR AVAILABLE HANDWRITING EVIDENCE, YES. THIS IS
THE SAME PERSON."
TRACK: MATLEY FINDS THE SIGNAT'URES TO BE SOME OF THE MOST COMPELLING
EVIDENCE...
WE TALKED TO HIM TODAY BY SATELLITE.
14:32:58
SOT/MATLEY "SINCE IT IS REPRESENTED THAT SOME OF THEM ARE DEFINITELY
HIS... THEN WE CAN CONCLUDE THEY ARE HIS SIGNATURES."
14:33:30
SOT/DAN "ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT QUESTIONS COME ABOUT THESE. WE'RE NOT,
BUT I WAS WONDERING IF YOU'RE SURPRISED."
SOT/MATLEY "I KNEW GOING IN THAT THIS WAS DYNAMITE ONE WAY OR THE
OTHER AND I KNEW THAT POTENTIALLY IT COULD DO FAR MORE POTENTIAL
DAMAGE TO ME PROFESSIONALLY THAN BENEFIT ME. AND I KNEW THAT. BUT WE
SEEK THE TRUTH. THAT'S WHAT WE DO. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PUT YOURSELF
OUT. TO SEEK THE TRUTH AND TAKE WHAT COMES FROM IT."
TRACK: ROBERT STRONG WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FOR THE TEXAS AIR
NATIONAL GUARD DURING THE VIETNAM YEARS.
HE KNEW JERRY KILLIAN, THE MAN CREDITED WITH WRITING THE DOCUMENTS....
AND PAPER WORK... LIKE THESE DOCUMENTS...WAS HIS SPECIALTY.
HE IS STANDING BY HIS JUDGEMENT THAT THE DOCUMENTS ARE REAL.
1:23:47
SOT/DAN "WHEN YOU READ THROUGH THESE DOCUMENTS, IS THERE ANY DOUBT IN
YOUR MIND THAT THESE ARE GENUINE/"
SOT/STRONG "WELL,, THEY ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE WAY BUSINESS WAS DONE
AT THAT TIME. THEY ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE MAN I REMEMBER JERRY
KILLIAN BEING. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT'S DISCORDANT
WITH WHAT WERE THE TIMES, THE SITUATION OR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED."
TRACK: STRONG SAYS THE HIGHLY CHARGED POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE OF THE
GUARD AT THE TIME... WAS PERFECTLY REPRESENTED IN THE NEW DOCUMENT.S
2:10:53
SOT/STRONG "IT VERGED ON OUTRIGHT CORRUPTION IN TERMS OF THE FAVORS
THAT WERE DONE, THE POWER THAT WAS TRADED. AND IT WAS
UNCONSCIONABLE. FROM A MORAL AND ETHICAL STANDPOINT. IT WAS
UNCONSCIONABLE."
TRACK: IT IS THE INFORMATION IN THE NEW DOCUMENTS THAT IS MOST
COMPELLING FOR PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH PRESIDENT BUSH'S RECORD IN THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
13:29:28
SOT/DAN "YOU'VE STUDIED PRESIDENT BUSH'S RECORDS FOR 10 YEARS.. ARE
THESE DOCUMENTS CONSISTENT WITH TE RECORD AS YOU KNOW IT."
13:29:38
SOT/MOORE "THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CONSISTENT WITH THE RECORDS AS I KNOW
IT."
13:38:26
SOT/DAN "PUT IT IN CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVE FOR US ... THE STORY AND
WHAT WE CALL THE COUNTERATTACK ON THE STORY. WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW?
13:38:38
SOT/MOORE "I THINK WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS SOME INCRIMINATING DOCUMENTS
HAVE COME OUT. THE WHITE HOUSE, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER, HAS NOT
DISCREDITED THE DOCUMENTS. THEY'RE RELYING ON THE BLOGOSPHERE AND
OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THAT. BECAUSE THE WHITE HOUSE PROBABLY KNOWS THESE
DOCUMENTS ARE IN FACT REAL."
The National Review columnist Jim Geraghty went on to say this about
CBS and Dan Rather’s argument:
BAD MOVE, CBS [09/10
06:59 PM]
This was a weak defense. It clearly picked one or two areas where CBS
thought they could muddy the waters, and ignored the other points.
Nothing about kerning. Nothing about the paper size. Nothing about the
stationary. Nothing about the widow or the son. Nothing about
proportional spacing. Nothing about the difference in tone and writing
style from other memos by this author. Nothing about the anachronistic
language.
They changed the story from coming from his personal files, to
admitting that CBS only had a photocopy to work from. The said some
typewriters had superscript. Yes, but how common were they? Would they
have one of those typewriters in an Air National Guard office?
They said the font Times Roman had been around for many years before
the memo. Yes, but could you do it on a typewriter?
Rather said a lot about the criticism of the story is coming from
“partisan political operatives.” Like all the forensic experts cited
by ABC News and the Washington Post?
Marcel Matley, the expert who CBS cited, seemed to be a lot more
focused on the signature (that others have said doesn’t match other
documents) than the points cited by others.
Moore, the author who had written two books critical of Bush, said the
fact that the White House has not called the documents fake is
probably because they know they are true.
Also, oddly, Rather sounded very hoarse.
I'm
shaking my head right now. Of all the ways to make a defense, this was
about the weakest.
Rush reports: Bush memos trail...
DNC to Kerry Campaign to CBS/Dan Rather
[NOTE: the following is the Rush Limbaugh report from today]
All right, the big story that's out there, and you just have to keep
this in perspective, my friends. The big story that's out there is
"forged documents" utilized by CBS' 60 Minutes Wednesday night in the
fifth or sixth regurgitation of the George Bush National Guard story.
CBS is standing by their story. Dan Rather was on CNN mere moments ago
standing by the story solidly, but what's he going to do, say, "Yeah,
I screwed up. Give me a mulligan"? Not likely. Probably the best
summary of this story can be found at the American Spectator.
(Anatomy of a Forgery) The only problem is their
website is down. I guess they've been inundated with hits and
their server system is either overloaded or they've got a tech
problem. But that's okay, because I have here in my formerly
nicotine-stained fingers (rustling paper) a copy of the story because
it cleared at 12:09 this morning when I was diligently working at this
story while watching ABC's special Thursday night edition of Monday
Night Football, the New England Patriots again lucking out over the
(laughing.) Just kidding, it was a great game. I'll tell you, is there
any better illustration of how meaningless the preseason is, than last
night's game?
(news)
Anyway, the story from the Spectator, and stick with me on this; we're
going to tie this all together with some analysis and commentary after
the facts are presented to you. This story from the Prowler at the
American Spectator: "More than six weeks ago, an opposition research
staffer for the Democratic National Committee received documents
purportedly written by President George W. Bush's Texas Air National
Guard squadron commander, the late Colonel Jerry Killian. The
opposition researcher claimed the source was a 'retired military
officer.' According to a DNC staffer, the documents were seen by both
senior staff members at the Democrat National Committee as well as at
the Kerry campaign. 'More than a couple people have heard about these
papers,' says the DNC staffer. 'I've heard that they ended up at the
Kerry campaign for them to decide how to proceed and presumably the
Kerry campaign handed the papers over to 60 Minutes which used them on
Wednesday night, but I know this much: When there was discussion here,
there were doubts raised about their authenticity.'" That's a quote
from a DNC staffer.
So from the outset, somebody at the DNC is already in a CYA mode.
Somebody there knows what went on; they passed them on to the Kerry
campaign. The Kerry campaign is so excited they finally had something.
See, I have a theory about this. I was just feverishly on the phone
and on the Internet and the e-mail with people last night. We're
running theories by each other, and you know, some people say, "Kerry
couldn't be this stupid. This would be too stupid. What if it goes
wrong? They wouldn't possibly do this!" That happened to be, by the
way, the take of Nightline. Nightline did a whole thing last night,
Ted Koppel and Chris Leheinous, and the whole purpose of which was to
protect the Kerry campaign in this, and Chris Leheinous said last
night, (doing impression) "Ba-da, ba-da, ba-da, Kerry wouldn't be
stupid enough to do this. The risk is too great at getting caught.
What if it backfired?" Whoa! It didn't stop them blaming Nixon for
Watergate, did it? Nixon was stupid he was up in the polls, he took
the risk, but Kerry is too smart. Kerry wouldn't possibly. No, it has
to be Rove. "Rove is an excellent forger." Rove set them up! I hope
they run with that.
I hope somebody at the Kerry campaign or the DNC actually starts
whining and says (crying), "Karl Rove..." (crying) Yeah, if you knew
they were forgeries before you gave them to the Kerry campaign, if you
knew that at the DNC, and if you suspected that Rove was behind it? I
mean, I love this. They're in a bind. There's no way out of this.
They've got forged documents; they passed them to 60 minutes. Their
best defense is to say that Karl Rove set them up? (Laughing.) That's
it? Anyway, "The concerns at the DNC about the forged documents arose
from the sourcing. 'It wasn't clear,'" this is DNC spokesman again,
talking to the American Spectator. "'It wasn't clear that our source
for the documents would have had access to them. Our person couldn't
confirm from what file, from what original source they came from.' The
documents that CBS News used were not documents from any of Bush's
personnel files from his time in the National Guard. That's why the
military couldn't release them," and that's why the White House
couldn't release them, because they were not part of the Bush's
personnel files. They were personal files from Colonel Killian at his
home, is the way the story goes.
This would explain why the White House nor the Pentagon had never
before released or even seen them because they were never in their
position according to the story. Now, "According to a Kerry campaign
source there was little gossip about the supposedly hot documents
inside the office of the campaign on MacPherson Square. The staffer,
Kerry campaign staffer said, 'Those documents were not something
anybody was talking about or trying to generate buzz on. It wasn't
like there were small groups of people talking about this as a
bombshell. I think people here weren't sure what to make of it because
provenance of these documents was uncertain.'" Now, CBS producer who
initially tipped off the American Spectator about the 60 Minutes story
says that "despite seeking professional assurances that the documents
were legit, there was uncertainty even among the group of producers
and researchers working on the story." This is a source from CBS
saying that even CBS wasn't sure of this, but they still the hell ran
with it. They weren't sure of it.
The source at CBS, the producer, said, "'The problem was that we had
one set of documents from Bush's file that had Killian calling Bush an
exceptionally fine young officer and pilot, and someone who Killian
said performed in an outstanding manner. Then you have these new
documents and the tone and content are so different.' The CBS producer
said that some alarm bells went off last week when the signatures and
the initials of Killian on the documents in hand did not match up with
other documents available in a public record, but CBS producers chose
to move ahead with the story anyway." They are not "victims" in this.
This is a little editorial comment of mine. I don't know how all this
is going to shake out and I don't know where it's going to end up, but
CBS, obviously a lot of people are going to try to find out who did
this, and blame it all on them. But the fact is, CBS had doubts and
ran with the story anyway. They wanted this story to be true. CBS has
been shilling for the Kerry campaign all spring, all winter and
spring. It's been CBS that gave us four versions of Bush, anti-Bush
stories on 60 Minutes.
It has been CBS publishing anti-Bush books with their Viacom
publishing arm, whatever that is. Knopf. It has been 60 Minutes that
has been in the tank of the TV networks. 60 Minutes most in the tank
for John Kerry. They wanted this story to be true. This Ben Barnes guy
-- and I'll get into this in greater detail; I've got to take a break
here pretty soon. This Ben Barnes guy that Rather interviewed last
night. There are two things here. There are actually three components
to this story yesterday, which I will explain in due course. But this
Ben Barnes guy that Rather interviewed happens to be a huge Democratic
Party leader in the county where Rather's daughter is also a ranking
Democrat. This happens to be the county that Rather's daughter asked
him to go
do a fund-raiser in and for. Remember this some years ago?
And Ben Barnes was the head honcho at the time when Rather goes down
there to do this fund-raiser for his daughter, for the Democratic
Party. This is nothing more than Jayson Blair at the New York Times.
Talk about conflicts? They're all over the place! So Rather has to
know when he's talking to Ben Barnes last night who Ben Barnes is and
what Ben Barnes' perhaps motivations are. So for CBS to try to place
themselves or pass themselves off as a victim in all this isn't going
to wash. They may have been victimized, and I think they have been,
and I think it's the Democrats and the Kerry campaign that have done
it, but again more on that in due course, but they don't get any pass
from me on this because they wanted this story to be true. They looked
at both sides of the evidence. Some said "forgery," but they were
overwhelmed with the possibility it might be true, and they
were unable to restrain themselves.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
The producer, CBS producer quoted -- well, not quoted; well, yeah,
referenced and sourced -- in the American Spectator today, says that,
"There is growing concern inside the building on 57th Street that they
may have been suckered by the Kerry campaign." This is a quote from
the CBS producer, "There is a school of thought here that the Kerry
people dumped this in our laps, figuring we'd do the heavy lifting on
the story. That maybe they had doubts about these documents but hoped
we'd get more information. If that's the case, then we're bigger fools
than we already appear to be judging by all the chatter about how
these documents could be forgeries." There was a huge powwow at Black
Rock at five o'clock yesterday afternoon, an emergency room meeting
where they pledged an internal investigation. "ABC News' political
unit held a conference call at 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening to discuss
the memo and its potential ramifications should the documents turn out
to be a forgery. That meeting took place around the time that the
deceased Killian's son made public statements questioning the
documents' authenticity. According to one ABC News employee, some
reporters believe that the Kerry campaign as well as the DNC were
parties in duping CBS, but a smaller segment believe that both the DNC
and the Kerry campaign were duped by Karl Rove, who would have
engineered the flap to embarrass the opposition." Here's Dan Rather on
the street in New York. It was on CNN about a half hour ago, and he is
defending his story.
CBS NEWSMAN / DEMOCRAT FUND-RAISER DAN RATHER: I know that this story
is true. I believe the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We
wouldn't have gone to air had they not been. There isn't going to be
-- there's no, what did you say, an apology?
VOICE: Apology or any kind of retraction?
RATHER: Not even discussed, nor should it be. I want to make clear to
you, I want to make clear to you if I have not made clear to you, that
this story is true, and that more important questions than how we got
the story, which is where those who don't like the story would like
the emphasis, more important question is, what are the answers to the
questions raised in the story.
RUSH: So Rather is out there trying to -- what else is he going to do?
What is he going to do? He's out there saying, "Why won't Bush answer
the questions in the story?" Meanwhile, here's Rather on the street of
New York about a half hour ago making the statement you just heard.
Terry McAuliffe was on the ABC Radio news network at the top of the
hour claiming that this is a Republican setup. So you've got McAuliffe
already conceding, it appears, that the documents are fakes, that
they're forgeries. Rather, at the same time, is defending his story
and his documents. At about the same time, a little bit earlier than
that on the Fox News Channel, good old Pat Caddell, Jimmy Carter's
pollster is out trying to save his party. Here's a quote. "I don't
understand how they got involved in this," meaning his party. "They're
so involved in this, they've gotten themselves so involved in this
issue the last 24 hours, that somebody's going to, if these documents
are not authentic, they're going to be blamed for it, the Democrats
are. It's incredible to me that they've gotten in this." And Jane
Skinner says, "We don't know yet what's going on."
Caddell says, "I'm trying to save my party by telling the truth here.
If these people in my party are involved in this, it's over. The race
is over and we've got bigger problems than that." Now, they had just
finished at Fox discussing how Kerry is so far down in the polls, and
Caddell says he's been there. He's seen that. He knows what this
means. He can't believe they got involved in this story. Now, folks,
if it turns out -- and it appears this is going to be the case -- if
it turns out that the Texas Air National Guard documents used by 60
Minutes are indeed forgeries, what we have here is a huge blow to the
partisan media. It will be huge, because it will demonstrate just how
in the tank they are and how out of touch they are, and how untrust --
where will be the investigation? How many more
Jayson Blairs and
Janet Cookes do we need? How many more CNN,
Peter Arnett, phony stories about nerve gas in Vietnam do
we need? Where is the investigation into how the press is
doing its job?
You know what we need? If CBS is going to coordinate dirty tricks with
the Democrat National Committee and the Kerry campaign, we need a
single coordinator to make sure these mistakes don't happen and they
get it done right, just like we're searching here to find a central
intelligence czar for the United States to protect us against
terrorism. It's time that the mainstream press get together with their
dirty tricks operators at the Democrat National Committee and come up
with one guy to make sure this kind of mistake does not happen again,
because their credibility is at greater risk than ever. What we have
here, in my estimation, is the shattering of a foundational building
block. We know that there is an alliance between what we call the
mainstream establishment, elitist partisan press, whatever, and the
Democrat Party, and the liberal intelligentsia and establishment of
this country. Now, what has happened here, if these documents are
indeed forgeries, what has happened here is that CBS's own friends
have set them up.
CBS's own friends have used them. The Democrats, the Kerry campaign,
have used CBS, have used Dan Rather in an effort to smear George W.
Bush with lies, with forgeries. The question is: Who did this? And if
they want to try to make the case that Karl Rove set 'em up, do so. If
they are stupid enough to be set up this way by Karl Rove, then they
are telling us at the same time, we can't trust them to deal with even
our friends that are allies around the world, much less our enemies.
If Karl Rove can set them up this way, that means, folks, they know
they have no foundation of positive issue, stories, whatever, to run
their campaign on. They've got nothing but this kind of dirty trick:
forged documents, trying to pass it off on Karl Rove? You know this is
the kind of -- and Pat Caddell is right. But it's not just his party
that is at risk here, but it is the ongoing reputation of the press.
You know, they're not watching but they are losing. They're losing
respect. They are losing credibility. They are losing audience. They
are losing impact. They are losing influence, and it is precisely --
you know who caught these? The blogosphere! The Internet caught these
guys. The Internet caught CBS. Their days are over, and if they don't
start realizing this and understand that the customer does come first,
they're soon to be nonexistent.
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