Two and a half hours ago...

[Yonivore]

...CBS was going to clarify the memos debate by issuing a statement within the hour. 45 minutes ago, they were going to issue the statement at 2:30 Central Time.

::::whistling at 2:45::::

[Yonivore]

NOW, it 4:00 o'clock.

[SpursWoman]

4:00?

[Yonivore]

They moved the announcement to 4:00 central (5:00 eastern)

[1369]

Can you imagine how many times the buck has been passed around the CBS news office to see who is going to go on the air with this retraction?

[Yonivore]

My sources say that CBS is going to admit the documents are fake but that the content is accurate...

They'd better be able to support that claim with more than the memory of an 86 year old woman or this ain't gonna be enough to stop the bleeding.

People are still going to demand to know where the fake memos came from.

And, now, I want to know why the DNC and John Kerry aren't demanding that their names be cleared by CBS by similarly demanding to know where the fake memos came from.

[Tommy Duncan]

CBS has been unable to escape the wrath of other mainstream media outlets but could you imagine what would be going on right now if it was Fox News instead of CBS?

[Yonivore]

Well, for one, I don't think Fox is that partisan that it would completely throw their integrity out the window for a political advantage to their "chosen" candidate.

So, no, I can't imagine...

[Tommy Duncan]

I concur with Yoni and raise with the notion that CBS will try to paint its critics as being partisans and it will cherry pick a few bloggers and experts who happen to be Republicans as proof.

[Nbadan]

I predict that CBS will cover their legal asses, and all this speculation about fake documents will have served is take away from the real issue that W. skirted his guard duties.

[bigzak25]

that's a real issue to you huh dan? :lol

[Tommy Duncan]

I predict that CBS will cover their legal asses, and all this speculation about fake documents will have served is take away from the real issue that W. skirted his guard duties.

...which was based upon the fake documents.

[Yonivore]

"I predict that CBS will cover their legal asses, and all this speculation about fake documents will have served is take away from the real issue that W. skirted his guard duties."
Except that the issue that "W. skirted his guard duties," was nowhere without the forgeries. By all accounts and with supporting Official, non-forged, military records, President Bush fulfilled his Air National Guard Committment in October of 1973 and was honorably discharged.

Without the forgeries, anything to the contrary is partisan, rumor-mongering, nonsense.

[Joe Chalupa]

What still gets me is how not one person has come forward to validate Bush's time in the NG.

Is is it possible that all the pilots were so shit-faced they can't remember 1972-73 either?

Hell, I still keep in contact with quite of few of my Marine Corps friends.

Just saying.

[Nbadan]

Without the forgeries, anything to the contrary is partisan, rumor-mongering, nonsense.

Yeah, never mind that W. didn't show up for a mandatory physical, didn't report for duty when he was ordered to do so in June and July of 1973, and was no where in sight in Alabama, as long as Daddy can fix the records no one can prove anything right? Well, besides that W. is guilty of moral cowardice.

[Samurai Jane]

Why would they do that, Joe? Then they'd be accused of cronyism. Dems, leftists, etc. won't accept what official documents have already covered, why would they take the word of a few of his buddies from back then?

[Spurminator]

The forgeries are a much bigger deal than whether or not Bush was an adequate National Guardsman.

This is truly disturbing. I don't buy into the Liberal Media Bias Theories as much as some others (I prefer the Sensationalist News Bias Theory), but this has certainly been a damning week for CBS... and all mainstream news outlets to some degree.

[Joe Chalupa]

Because they are men of honor.

[DeSPURado]

I am going to repost this from the other thread, since the scratary remembers typing something like this. Isn't it a real possibility that these documents were transcribed during the "accidental" document destruction in 1997?

[Spurminator]

Sure... But who did it and why haven't we heard from them?

[Yonivore]

4:00 o'clock has come and gone...

::::whistling::::

[Joe Chalupa]

Those bastards!

[Tommy Duncan]

Then that means they came from Burkett. Still doesn't explain the material inconsistencies in the text and form. Also, Burkett's cred is pretty much shot at this point.

CBS is probably better off if it is not revealed that Burkett is the source.

[CrazyOne]

Anybody want to play the theme music from "Final Jeopardy"

And Mr. Rather, don't phrase your answer in the form of a question...

[Yonivore]

So, now we have their excuse. Let me see if I get it:

"The documents we relied on to support the allegation that President George W. Bush received preferential treatment in the Air National Guard and that he did not fulfill his obligation to the Guard, are forgeries. However, we believe the allegations to be true based on stuff we know that we're not going to tell you. Trust us."

"Oh yeah, one other thing, we're never going to tell you who gave us the forged documents that allowed us the pretense to have an actual story to air. Nope, not gonna do it."

Is that about right?

I smell Hitlary Clinton...

[Yonivore]

First paragraph in the CBS release:

"The CBS News report was based on a preponderance of evidence: many interviews, both on- and off-camera, with individuals with direct and indirect knowledge of the situation, atmosphere and events of the period in question, as well as the procedures, character and thinking of Lt. Col. Killian, Lt. Bush's squadron commander in the Guard, at the time."
A preponderance of the evidence...many interviews...

Yet, they chose to go to air with 4 forged documents and a liar. Wow!