Bush is questioning the authenticity now.

sooner or later the real source will come out and admit the docs were phony.. as soon as they get scared enough to realize they forged US Military documents...

Actually, Wasp, it won't be because they realize they did something wrong, it'll be because they realize they're about to be tracked down and caught.

The idea that CBS News couldn't figure out for themselves that these documents are phony as a wooden nickel and had to wait for the White House to confirm or deny them strikes me as ludicrous.

Then again, the idea that they would run them on he air, then not retract the story for a week and a half — if ever — is also ludicrous. So who the hell knows any more.

All I know for sure is that I will no more get my news from CBS than I get it from the Daily Show.

As far as Bush questioning the authenticity of the documents, exactly what did the president say in the interview with the Union Leader:

He said there were questions about the documents. He did not label them as fake. If thye are a damn lie, why doesn't he come out and say "It's all a damn lie."

He said he got permission to go to Alabama. I have never heard anyone dispute that.

He didn't deny getting help getting into the guard.
He didn't deny missing the physical or explain why he missed it.
He didn't make any statement about actually showing up to do his time in Alabama.
He didn't make any statement regarding the sugar coating of his record.

If you read the original article in the Union Leader, he didn't say much of anything at all.

Why are so many News Sources cutting Rather so much slack?He clearly would go to ANY length to denigrate G.W. Bush.This man(Dan) has unfairly and obviously opposed anything and everything about the President.
Ms.Mapes should be canned immediately,followed by Rather and any one else involved.

Why does everyone seem to think that Bush would have any idea of whether the documents are fake or real? Why do they assume he would even know if someone "helped" him get in the National Guard or not. Why do they think he would know what memos his superior officers might have written amongst themselves or for their personal files? Do any of these people live in the real world? Do you know what memos your boss has written about you? All Bush can know is what he did and I think he has answered those questions.

I found out a few years ago that just before I was to go on active duty with the Air Force in 1973 the Air Force contacted my family doctor for some kind of medical report and he had contacted my mother to determine if I wanted to go on active duty or not. Apparently he could have nixed my activation based on what he did or said. If my mother was of the mind she could have gotten me out my committment without my ever knowing. My point being that if someone helped Bush behind the scenes and it was not something he sought or knew about . . . . is he somehow responsible for it?

Do any of these people live in the real world?

Here's my answer.

I think CBS got the docs right around the same time as the Kerry campaign, August 20th, and they got them from the Kerry campaign. But with their last shred of journalistic integrity, refused to go with those docs until they tracked down the original (non-partisan) source of the docs on September 2. I've got more here.

"On Sept. 4, shortly before CBS News broadcast its report, Mr. Burkett told the Democratic e-mail list he had a hunch that more material might soon emerge to embarrass the president. "No proof, just gut instinct," Mr. Burkett added."

He likes to show off, doesn't he.

The past two weeks has shown that no one should ever believe CBS about anything, particularly if they have an interest.

I've been pushing the few CBS folks I know, but nobody's budging. Apparently, they want to keep their jobs or something.

Wimps.

This will probably go down in political history as The Big Sting. The old axiom comes to mind: Give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves. Dan Rather thought he was f*cking the President and he ended up getting f*cked. Let him try to prove that the White House snookered him by saying the documents looked okay.

Here's why I think Rather was an active participant in working on the story with the Texas Democrats: Rather joined the US Marines and after only 44 days in boot camp he washed out. In his biography he claims he's a former Marine, but he's not in reality. He couldn't hack basic training. Someone like him looks at a real soldier or Marine and he's reminded of his own shortcomings. So what does he do? During the Vietnam War he slams our guys in combat. He tries to make them look like war criminals or inept. CBS reporter, Liz Trotta, who actually went into the fields of Nam with the soldiers in combat talks about Rather in her book "Fighting for Air". The jerk never left his hotel in Saigon. He would take credit for other people's hard work -- people who actually covered the troops in battle. The gist of Trotta's story is that guys like Rather were a pack of cowards.

BTW, I know it's not PC to say anything negative about the handicapped, but I've suspected Max Cleland has been sitting on his brains in his wheelchair for quite some time. You know, his own military history isn't squeaky clean either. For instance, we continuously here about his injuries on the field of battle. Well, he was injured in Vietnam, but he wasn't on the battlefield. According to Ann Coulter, he was a bit tipsy with his comrades in arms and he picked up a grenade that was laying on the ground and there was a mishap. Exactly how the pin on the grenade was pulled is still unclear. It seems Dems are always getting purple hearts for self-inflicted wounds.

The idea that John Roberts or Josh Howard could actually expect to get anything useful or helpful from the White House just boggles the mind. President Bush has already said that he doesn't regard the media or media relations as anything useful, and he has good reasons for that. Given that CBS has been ragging the Bush Administration with no mercy, and little regard for either fact or politeness, the whole time they've been in office, why would anybody at the DNC PR department expect to get anything at all from anyone close to Bush?

Without even seeing the actual messages involved, I'd bet what was sent could be accurately paraphrased as "No, that's OK, we don't mind if you go public with this." The "Buuuuuuwahahaha!" probably didn't get included in the fax.

Regards,
Ric Locke

Like Jim Kouri (^^), I had one of those Max Clelland flashback ponderings earlier this evening. Clelland showing up in Texas with all that urgency not so long ago, Burkett showing up soon after with urgency at the Abilene Kinko's (he has AN ACCOUNT there, something I find interesting)...then reading on DRUDGE today that Burkett contacted Cleland recently. Well, just saying, it's the stuff that flashback moments are made of.

Because, both these guys are certainly embittered about Bush for strange, even irrational reasons. Just gotta hand that document to Bush after all those miles, can't leave it at his doorstep with a helper, gotta just go home with the undelivered document instead, all the way back to Georgia...

Anyone who would suggest or think that the DNC is NOT involved in the Fraudgate thing, that Dan Rather isn't, well, I've got a document to sell ya' right here.

I just love Jim Kouri's line "It seems Dems are always getting purple hearts for self-inflicted wounds." I can just hear it now - a new Country Song!

I GOT MY PURPLE -
I GOT MY PURPLE HEART
BY SELF-INFLICTED.... OEE OH OH
SELF-INFLIIIIC-TED WOOOOOOUUUNDS
OEE, OHHHH, OOOE
WOUUUUUNDS!

I think the entire American Left deserves Purple Hearts for the way they've been behaving.