View Full Version : Where are the Calls for Rather's Resignation
Roguish Lawyer
09-16-2004, 12:10
Don't you think CBS should force him to resign in shame? I'd like to see more people calling on CBS to fire him. Am I just missing it?
BadMuther
09-16-2004, 12:18
RL-Was there an update I missed? Can you clue the rest of us in?
Roguish Lawyer
09-16-2004, 12:25
RL-Was there an update I missed? Can you clue the rest of us in?
Not sure what your starting point is, but the guy relied on all of these forged documents in a story and still won't admit he screwed up despite overwhelming evidence of the forgery. He has been exposed as a left-wing hack with no principles and CBS should be ashamed.
BadMuther
09-16-2004, 12:30
Not sure what your starting point is, but the guy relied on all of these forged documents in a story and still won't admit he screwed up despite overwhelming evidence of the forgery. He has been exposed as a left-wing hack with no principles and CBS should be ashamed.
Gotcha.....I just thought maybe there was some new info (as in an admittance or something) that I missed. Thanks.
The Reaper
09-16-2004, 15:11
Don't you think CBS should force him to resign in shame? I'd like to see more people calling on CBS to fire him. Am I just missing it?
Concur.
If one of the talking heads (though none who would be biased in that direction occur to me) had taken a blatant hatchet job to Kerry with forged documents, he would have been lynched already and looking for work in a much smaller market.
Clear to me that Rather intended to hurt the POTUS and aid Kerry, and the producer of the piece (if not Rather himself) should have known the evidence and story was bogus. The story, and Barnes, were known to have been partisan and discredited. Now Rather is too.
TR
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=1&u=/ap/bush_guard_questions
I think he should resign, as he was HMFIC of the whole operation. Instead, he and his supporters have been trying to slough accountability off on the production staff. They'll probably can some college kids.
Bill Harsey
09-19-2004, 15:25
He has been exposed as a left-wing hack with no principles and CBS should be ashamed.
I thought that was a prerequisite for employment at CBS.
Sorry. I searched but didn't see Doc's post.
The Reaper
09-20-2004, 18:05
An old grifter I once knew told me that in order to sell the con, the buyer has to want to believe it.
I think CBS and Rather did.
Do you think they would, say, put up docs reputedly from Kerry's military records provided by operatives of the SBVFTT blasting Kerry without verifying them or the witnesses, thoroughly??
I don't think so.
Dan should be given the Luger and a single bullet, and left in a room alone to do the honorable thing.
CBS should hire Brit Hume or Tony Snow to replace him.
TR
Max Clelend has been silent lately.
His name was mentioned in the handling of these fraudulent documents.
He also has direct links to Kerry.
Doc
The Reaper
09-20-2004, 19:04
Excellent move!!
http://www.drudgereport.com/cbsd5.htm
TR
The Reaper
09-20-2004, 19:05
More breaking news.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040921/ap_on_el_pr/cbs_guard_kerry_1&printer=1
Drudge is the heat!
TR
Lockhart... These Clinton guys are really helping Kerry.
More breaking news.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040921/ap_on_el_pr/cbs_guard_kerry_1&printer=1
Drudge is the heat!
TR
This is getting air time, MSNBC Joe Scarborough is talking about this right now. (9 CST)
Excellent move!!
Agreed. Good tactical move, in asking Shieffer to recuse himself from the debate: if he agrees, he's as good as admitted that CBS is biased, and if he says no, he's going to be on his back foot trying to defend himself, which will end up looking just like ass-covering, and color everything he says during the debate.
The Reaper
09-20-2004, 20:53
Agreed. Good tactical move, in asking Shieffer to recuse himself from the debate: if he agrees, he's as good as admitted that CBS is biased, and if he says no, he's going to be on his back foot trying to defend himself, which will end up looking just like ass-covering, and color everything he says during the debate.
Exactly.
Any show of favoritism towards Kerry, or perceived slight of the POTUS, and the White House can claim CBS bias again.
TR
Roguish Lawyer
09-20-2004, 21:27
Drudge is the heat!
Yep. I'm sure it's no secret that I repost a lot of it here . . .
WSJ wades in...
www.opinionjournal.com
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Modified Limited Hangout
The Rather story looks more and more like a partisan dirty trick.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 12:01 a.m.
The big news in yesterday's mea culpa by CBS News isn't that the network was "misled" about "documents whose authenticity is in doubt," as it was finally forced to concede. The story is the admission that the source Dan Rather trusted with CBS's reputation was none other than Bill Burkett, a noted antagonist of President Bush.
Journalists--including us--use all manner of sources, of course, and many of them are partisans of one kind or another. But as much as possible we owe readers an indication of where those sources are coming from. And if those sources turn out to be wrong, as they sometimes are, then our obligation is to own up to the error as soon as possible.
The problem in this case is that before yesterday CBS never gave its viewers even a hint that its entire controversial story hinged on the word of someone who has made it one of his main goals in life to defeat Mr. Bush. Even after the documents on Mr. Bush's National Guard service were called into question, CBS refused to let viewers in on the secret of its source's motives.
This is the real scandal here, and it makes us wonder if Mr. Burkett is the end of this story. It isn't as if Mr. Burkett's motives were hard to discover. On August 25, addressing Mr. Bush in the second person, Mr. Burkett wrote in a Web posting, "I know from your files that we have now reassembled, the fact that you did not fulfill your oath, taken when you were commissioned to 'obey the orders of the officers appointed over you.' "
More intriguing, in an August 21 posting, Mr. Burkett said he had spoken with Max Cleland, the former Georgia Senator and fierce John Kerry advocate, about how to respond to Republican campaign tactics. "I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. He said counterattack. So I gave them the information to do it with. But none of them have called me back."
This, believe it or not, is the source Mr. Rather described as "unimpeachable." The kindest interpretation is that the famous anchor and CBS were gullible. But perhaps they will forgive their audience for also now suspecting some partisan bias--especially in light of an interview with Mr. Rather that the trade publication Broadcasting & Cable published August 30.
Asked if the media were paying too much attention to the Swift Boat Veterans' criticisms of John Kerry, Mr. Rather replied: "In the end, what difference does it make what one candidate or the other did or didn't do during the Vietnam War? In some ways, that war is as distant as the Napoleonic campaigns." Yet nine days later Mr. Rather was reporting on Mr. Bush's National Guard service as if it were the story of a lifetime.
CBS said yesterday that Mr. Burkett admits giving "a false account of the documents' origins to protect a promise of confidentiality to the actual source." Mr. Burkett and CBS have not revealed that source, but we know he had contact with a Kerry surrogate, Mr. Cleland, who expressed a desire to "counterattack."
We also know that Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe was quick to offer his own theory--that Karl Rove had fabricated the documents. And we know that the day after Mr. Rather's report aired, the Democrats unveiled "Operation Fortunate Son," a campaign video about Mr. Bush's National Guard service that incorporated footage from "60 Minutes."
All of this raises the question of whether CBS was a vessel for, if not a willing participant in, a partisan dirty trick two months before a closely contested Presidential election. Last week Mr. Rather told the Washington Post that "if the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story." It was too late for that; Web writers and other news organizations had beaten him to it. But if CBS wants to restore the credibility it enjoyed back in the era of Edward R. Murrow, it will now get to the bottom of the story behind Mr. Rather's discredited story.
The Reaper
09-21-2004, 10:03
Boy, this just gets better and better.
Where is the media outrage? :rolleyes:
CBS arranged for meeting with Lockhart
By Kevin Johnson, Dave Moniz and Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — CBS arranged for a confidential source to talk with Joe Lockhart, a top aide to John Kerry, after the source provided the network with the now-disputed documents about President Bush's service in the Texas National Guard.
Lockhart, the former press secretary to President Clinton, said a producer talked to him about the 60 Minutes program a few days before it aired on Sept. 8. She gave Lockhart a telephone number and asked him to call Bill Burkett, a former Texas National Guard officer who gave CBS the documents. Lockhart couldn't recall the producer's name. But CBS said Monday night that it would examine the role of producer Mary Mapes in passing the name to Lockhart.
Burkett told USA TODAY that he had agreed to turn over the documents to CBS if the network would arrange a conversation with the Kerry campaign.
The network's effort to place Burkett in contact with a top Democratic official raises ethical questions about CBS' handling of material potentially damaging to the Republican president in the midst of an election. This "poses a real danger to the potential credibility ... of a news organization," said Aly Colón, a news ethicist at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
"At Burkett's request, we gave his (telephone) number to the campaign," said Betsy West, senior CBS News vice president.
CBS would not discuss the propriety of the network serving as a conduit between Burkett and the Kerry campaign. "It was not part of any deal" to obtain the documents, West said, declining to elaborate.
But Burkett said Monday that his contact with Lockhart was indeed part of an "understanding" with CBS. Burkett said his interest in contacting the campaign was to offer advice in responding to Republican criticisms about Kerry's Vietnam service. It had nothing to do with the documents, he said.
"My interest was to get the attention of the national (campaign) to defend against the ... attacks," Burkett said, adding that he also talked to former Georgia senator Max Cleland and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean during the past 45 days. "Neither the Democratic Party or the Kerry campaign had anything to do with the documents," he said.
Lockhart said he phoned Burkett at the number provided by CBS. Lockhart also said that the documents never came up in his conversation with Burkett. Lockhart said the conversation lasted just a few minutes. "It's possible that the producer said they had documents" before his conversation with Burkett, he said.
At the end of the conversation, Lockhart said he thanked Burkett for his interest, and there was no further contact with him. Asked why he called Burkett, Lockhart said he talks to "a lot of people."
"I called you, didn't I?"
The White House said CBS' contact with Lockhart was inappropriate. "The fact that CBS News would coordinate with the most senior levels of Sen. Kerry's campaign to attack the president is a stunning and deeply troubling revelation," said Dan Bartlett, White House communications director.
Contributing: Judy Keen
The Reaper
09-21-2004, 16:16
Counter accusation time.
What is next, the definition of what the word "is" is?
TR
DNC Headlines
Sep 21, 2004
McAuliffe: Will GOP Answer If They Know Whether Stone, Others Had Involvement With CBS Documents?
Washington, D.C. - In response to false Republican accusations regarding the CBS documents, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued this statement:
“In today’s New York Post, Roger Stone, who became associated with political ‘dirty tricks’ while working for Nixon, refused to deny that he was the source the CBS documents.
“Will Ed Gillespie or the White House admit today what they know about Mr. Stone’s relationship with these forged documents? Will they unequivocally rule out Mr. Stone’s involvement? Or for that matter, others with a known history of dirty tricks, such as Karl Rove or Ralph Reed?”
CBS took another hit today;
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040922/ap_on_en_tv/fcc_cbs
Doc
Bill Harsey
09-22-2004, 17:07
Good one Doc, if Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction, Dan Rather had an orifice malfunction.
Bill Harsey
09-23-2004, 08:07
Put another way, Janet Jacksons Wardrobe Malfunction has CBS being fined for just over half a million dollars, what do you folks think Dan Rathers Audible Malfunction will cost them in the long run? Thinking about these folks makes me want to go have a Beer Malfunction.
BMT (RIP)
09-23-2004, 08:35
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/9/23/103046.shtml
Dan ain't happy!!!
BMT
Bill Harsey
09-23-2004, 09:02
BMT! Great link, did you see the Safire article (link at bottom) there too?
The Reaper
09-23-2004, 10:10
Put another way, Janet Jacksons Wardrobe Malfunction has CBS being fined for just over half a million dollars, what do you folks think Dan Rathers Audible Malfunction will cost them in the long run? Thinking about these folks makes me want to go have a Beer Malfunction.
Sometimes when I am inspecting my beer collection (I keep them in the fridge so they don't spoil), the pull tabs get caught on my fingernail and the can starts leaking. It is a long way to the sink from my fridge, so I have to pour the beer in my mouth to avoid making a mess. Sometimes this happens several times in a row.
I also have noticed that when inspecting my bottle caps for tightness with my Harsey Titanium cap tension gauge, that the caps which are improperly installed to the proper 65 in./lbs. standard will also become dislodged, again forcing me to have to dispose of the contents of the defective beer bottle. I frequently find that as many as 24 bottles in a case are defective in this manner.
I did note that while Chris, Bill, and AM were visiting, that as good guests, they volunteered to help me clean out the defective bottles and cans as well. Occasionally, one would malfunction while they were inspecting it, and they would use my method of disposal to save me from the trouble of cleaning it up.
What excellent friends and guests to help out like that!
TR
Team Sergeant
09-23-2004, 14:28
I'm guessing dan will not have to resign, he's going to be fired!
From the Drudge Report:
Redstone Vows 'Appropriate' Consequences For CBS News
Stewart Pinkerton, 09.23.04, 2:45 AM ET
HONG KONG - Here's one breaking story that Dan Rather will be watching closely.
Reacting to the document scandal at CBS News, Sumner M. Redstone, chairman and chief executive of Viacom (nyse: VIAb - news - people ), CBS' parent, vowed that the results of a recently announced probe would be "appropriate--and the consequences will be appropriate."
http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/23/cz_sp_0923cbs_print.html
BMT (RIP)
09-23-2004, 17:06
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040923/D859KVVG0.html
This is starting to hit CBS' checkbook! :munchin
BMT
BMT,
I tried finding the link to send an email to CBS to register my discontent but could not find one.
Does anyone have a link to call Dan out?
Doc
Doc the best I could find so far was this link. Scroll down to the end then find the "contact us" hyperlink at the bottom of the page. They don't show any email addresses.
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml
The Reaper
09-23-2004, 18:08
BMT,
I tried finding the link to send an email to CBS to register my discontent but could not find one.
Does anyone have a link to call Dan out?
Doc
I don't think they want you to contact them, because they don't care what you think.
If they wanted you to think something, they would tell you what it was.
TR
Gypsy,
Thanks, no joy.
TR,
That may well be, but like my co-workers tell me, Doc you leave an impression with folks that they don't soon forget.
Ever know a SF NCO that wasn't like that?
P.S.
I only wanted to tell Dan not to quit. :rolleyes:
Sorry Doc, when I tried I got a pop up email box. You could try the old fashioned way. :D CBSNews, 524 W. 57th St., New York, NY, 10019
Bravo1-3
09-24-2004, 00:34
So the DNC/Kerry Campaign start "Operation Fortunate Son" to put forth the notion the POTUS got special treatment.
-That day, "The Media Fund" releases the most vile race-baiting ad I've EVER heard, which tangents into "His daddy got him into the guard" etc...
-Twelve hours before the Rather Report, Terry McAullif is giving a speech using terms from the memos in question. Not just "Sugar Coating", but following the structure of the "memos".
-The producer of the story turns out to be a partisan hack from waaaaaay back.
-The Board of Directors at CBS has TWO former democrat PResidential Cabinet members sitting on it (William Cohen and Joe Califano).
-Turns out that the stated source was put into contact with Joe Lockhart -- who says that he talked with Burkett, but not about the memos (oh yeah, I believe him :rolleyes: )
Turns out that Rather gave a speech at Louis Boccardi's retirement party talkig about their long friendship etc...
And they want to tell us that there's no coordination here... I'll never ceased to be amazed at how stupid they think people are! I'm simply amazed.
BMT,
I tried finding the link to send an email to CBS to register my discontent but could not find one.
Does anyone have a link to call Dan out?
DocThis is from "Local CBS-TV affiliate feels the backlash," at http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/23/loc_bronson23.html
And don't blame Sehring and WKRC. He urges viewers to complain directly to CBS bosses in New York via e-mail at: audsvcs@cbs.com or 60II@cbsnews.com
"CBS is a great network, and I'm proud to defend it,'' he said. "But it's hard to defend this.''
Ird,
Thank you for the link.
My simple SF NCO message.
"Can Dan."
Doc
Ird,
Thank you for the link.
My simple SF NCO message.
"Can Dan."
Doc
No problem.
That would make a great bumper sticker. :D