#1 Iraq Beheading- OK fair enough

#2 Story on John Kerry (surprise surprise)

#3 Afghanistan (we're waiting)

#4 Hurricanes in Haiti

#5 Hurricane Ivan

#6 Finally!

"He [Burkett] did not come to us, we went to him and asked him for the documents"

hmmm- How did CBS know to ask for the documents? And let me get this right- They went to a guy who has a history of mental illness, who has been trying for years to discredit Bush and used him as anonymous source. THEN they have the unmitigated freaking gall to tell me that he was "unimpeachable."

You're done Dan.

"Burkett initially told CBS news he got the documents from a fellow guardsman, but when we interviewed Burkett this past weekend he changed his story and told he got the documents from a different source, one we can not verify." (see update 3)

But you are going to keep investigating... Right? Right? You do what to know who played you for a fool, broke both federal and Texas state law AND tried to steal an election. You are looking into that right Mr. Journalist man? I'm sorry I did not hear that answer...

Video of Burkett:

Rather: "Why did you mislead us?"

Burkett: (paraphrased) "You guys pressured me for a name. I made one up."

Rather: "Have you Forged anything?"

Burkett: "No Sir."

Rather: "Have you faked anything?"

Burkett: No Sir.

[snip]

End Video

Rather: "Burkett still insists the documents are real, but says he was in no position to verify them."

Video:

"I also insisted when I sat down with your staff in the first face to face session, before i gave up any documents, I wanted to know what you were going to do with them, and I INSISTED that they be authenticated."

End Video

Rather: "The failure of CBS news to do just that, to properly, fully scrutinize the documents AND they source led to our airing the documents when we should not have done so. It was a mistake. Blah Blah Blah I'm sorry Blah Blah Blah

An interview that was rumored to take 2.5 hours was cut down to 65 seconds. And a very self serving 65 seconds at that. They stressed the part where CBS asked him where he got the documents. A fact they obviously did not follow up on.

All things considered, he was much more in control than when he defended the first time. They dropped the "Fake but True" defense but showed no interest in who forged the documents.

Basically, Rather thinks he can sweep this under the rug. He can slander a sitting President then when he was caught say "My Bad" and expect all to be forgiven.

No apology to Bush, no nothing. Just an "Oops, we'll do better next time."

Nobody is going to happy with this performance.

Update: Transcript of the CBS Nightly News broadcast this evening [Link]. This is not the video used on the news broadcast, but it is a CBS News report associated with the Rather/Burkett interview. [Video]

Update 2: Allah and Spoons ask one of the same questions I did.

Update 3: Dan claimed in an interview with WCBS that the first person Burkett named was outside country and they could not find that person but that it was "believable" they had access to documents.