Burkett: "Dan Rather ruined me in front of 70 million people"

[Freddie Stubbs]

Burkett denies working for Kerry campaign

Key figure in document controversy says "CBS duped me"

By Jack Douglas Jr.

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


The man at the center of a controversy over a CBS report on President Bush's military service denied Thursday that he was working in conjunction with the presidential campaign for Democrat John Kerry.

Bill Burkett, a former commander in the Texas Air National Guard and a critic of Bush's past service in the Guard, told the Star-Telegram in an interview that he still believes that memos he gave to CBS are authentic.


But he said that he had warned the television network to independently verify the reports before it aired them.


The memos, which are purportedly from a Guard commander who wrote that Bush was failing military requirements and that another commander was trying to "sugar coat" Bush's performance, are now widely believed to be forged.

more: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9741236.htm

[cheshire]

1. He sounds like * blaming it all on someone else. Think he's a shill.

[Clinton Crusader]

2. Im getting pretty fed up with Burkett

HE faxed the shit to CBS, now he blames CBS? How the f**k did THEY dupe HIM? Is there something really obvious Im not seeing here? He changes his story so much, who can believe him?
:kick:

[gratuitous]

3. Who's Lucy Ramirez, Bill?

You could go a long way toward restoring whatever image you had, as well as give your credibility a greatly needed boost if you could produce her.

Too bad you burned the originals of the documents you were handed at that livestock show. You certainly didn't do much to safeguard your own interests, did you?

[frylock]

4. get a clue, dude..

you brought this on yourself with your State Fair cloak and dagger hijinx. You got had by Roveco, and may have managed to take down the last true journo on the planet. Fuck Burkett.

[tinanator]

33. the last true journo?

maybe the last true ranching partner of Rumsfeld.
You guys all act like what you see on the news is supposed to be true.
How naive. How gullible. How wrong.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Cry Me A River, Burkett,

And paddle a swift boat up it so you can get back to Karl Rove and collect your paycheck.

:mad:

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. I am glad Burkett came out and made this statement

Both Rove and CBS screwed this man.

Now let's watch the freepers go ballastic on him. It's so much fun to watch people who scream, support our troops, bashing a career military vet.

However, it makes me sick to see DUers (see the above posts) joining in on the bashing.

edit: remove profanity

[dolstein]

9. Want to know why liberals are marginalized today? Read the above post

Sorry, but people are fed up with liberals constantly making excuses for people who make bad choices. This guy KNEW he was lying to CBS. That was HIS decision. He DELIBERATELY misled CBS regarding the source of the documents. It's his OWN FAULT. CBS certainly deserves plenty of criticism too -- no responsible news organization would have relied so heavily on someone who is so obviously a crackpot. But that in no way excuses Burkett, as you suggest. If he's a victim, he's one of his own making.

[blondeatlast]

14. Yup, that's it in a nutshell.

Burkett's a nut job, and needs to work it out privately.

If he didn't know he was being used, he's too stupid for my time.

[atreides1]

15. Burkett Screwed Himself

First he gets a mysterious call from a woman that he doesn't even know, and when it comes time to get these documents, a man delivers them. With instructions to burn the originals after he copies them,
which by the way he follows seemingly without question. Then once the shit hits the fan, he claims he told CBS to verify the documents first. And now he can't or won't identify the man who gave him the documents

Knowing that he burned the originals, how the hell did he think CBS was going to be able to verify the authenticity of the documents.

And since when did the lack of brains, given anyone protection from criticism. Being a carrer military veteran doesn't give him immunity from being questioned about his integrity.

Colonel Burkett was one of two things, he was either a part of a plan to discredit CBS, which has become a annoyance to this White House gang, and to have a finger pointed at the Kerry campaign, by his call
to Joe Lockhart. Or he's the most stupidest man in the world next to Bush.

[jayfish]

32. Can You Provide A Link...

to the burning documents claim? It's not that I don't believe you, I just have to see it for myself. How could anyone be so, well ...dumb?

Jay

[dolstein]

7. You lied to CBS. Period. End of story.

Sorry, but urging CBS to independently verify the authenticity of the documents was not an adequate substitute for telling them the truth about your source for the documents. What happened is YOUR fault. And the fact that CBS's reporting was shoddy does not in any way excuse your own actions.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Nice to see everyone bashing Burkett

Rove wins again.

This is exactly what he wants people to do and you guys have bought into his crap, hook line and sinker. What a bunch of suckers.

[trumad]

11. OK

Then defend him.... What exactly did we buy in to? Why can't Burkett come clean with the rest of the story... If he's so righteous then he needs to come clean with everything.

[Clinton Crusader]

19. Yes, why doesnt he spill ALL the beans...

instead of these cryptic cloak and daggar tales of mysterious women he doesnt know, a more mysterious guy handing him papers and disappearing into the crowd, then he BURNS the originals.

The natural conclusion, of course, is BLAME CBS!

Please! He's either insane, had a total mental detachment or is covering for someone who's got him by the shorthairs.
:kick:

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. What did he lie about?

The only lie I've heard him tell, was when he was under pressure to admit who gave him the documents?

Very soon after that, he admitted that he lied and put out the Ramirez story.

Now, tell me under similar circumstances, would you perform better under such pressure? Have you ever had the Rove Attack Machine unleashed on you? Do you know what that feels like, especially if you are an elderly person who is not in the best of health?

For whatever reason Burkett paniced, and blurted out the first name that came to his mind. His old friend, who in the past had collaborated his story and then later denied it. Even in the denial, Conn (?) said Buckett was a good and honest man.

Yes, Burkett screwed up. Yes, Burkett is not sophisticated in handling the media. But CBS, went after him. He did not call them, nor had he tried to pass the documents onto anyone else. How did Burkett get these documents? How did CBS know he had them? It's a classic Rove/Stone dirty trick. They have done this a 100 times before. They are pros at this sort of thing.

Burkett is a poor sucker caught in the middle. Yes he told one lie. He's admitted that. Should we continue to crucify him or get to the bottom of this thing and find out who set him up?

If you wish to continue to play into Rove's hands go right ahead. I am sick and tired of American bashing American. Vet bashing Vet. Red vs Blue. It time to tell Rove to go fuck himself, and stop buying into his crap.

Now, we all have free will, and if you wish to continue bashing a fellow American, who was a career military vet, who served his country honorably go right ahead. But we will never beat them if we do.

PBWY
DYEW

[dolstein]

12. Bullshit

Burkett did something that was indefensible. He deliberately lied to CBS about the source of the documents. Nobody in their right mind would defend that kind of behavior. He has nobody to blame but himself.

[Lucille]

36. Yes, Burkett lied to CBS. Then the WH corroborated his lie.

The WH never challenged the documents, and even Bartlett made the lame assertion that the memos helped to make Bush's case that he was working out arrangements with the TANG to complete his service. Bartlett never challenged the memos authenticity or the content of the memos. Bartlett gave the interview while CBS was still deliberating whether or not to go with the story. It was because Bartlett accepted the memos authenticity that CBS decided the memos must be authentic. Did CBS ever ask the direct question: "Do you believe the memos are authentic?"

Burkett may be a fool. He is, by his own admission, a liar. He has ruined his own reputation. As for CBS verifying the memos, since they had only the copies, verification would always be an inexact science. That BS about the typography is just that--BS.

CBS, on the other hand, took the word of one unproven source (Burkett) and one utterly disreputable source (the WH). CBS was utterly derelict.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blondeatlast]

10. Cry on Karl Rove's shoulder.

We have an election to win, loser.

And keep your emotional messes with your 2 bit therapist, too.

[candy331]

13. 70 million audience I'd say CBS is enjoying a healthy audience if

that is the case, no wonder they are a target.

[bush equals idiot]

20. This is not over by no means.

This could easily be a Rolex in a bad wrapper. There are THOUSANDS of reporters digging into Bush's records now. They never would have before. There's a Pulitzer prize waiting for the one who finds another document that corroborates Burkett's... or worse. Someone may step forward now or someone will uncover something that will make the White House wish they never heard the name Rather.

You watch. Other news correspondents know Rather and how many sensational stories he broke and what a legend he's been in They would love to avenge his bad publicity. And you haven't seen a centimeter of the iceberg yet.

[bobbyboucher]

21. Welcome and it does seem too wrapped up like a gift for Shrub.

There has to bo more to this.

[hippiegranny]

25. ooo, I hope you're right!

nice first post... welcome!

[blondeatlast]

27. Yeah, the same way they've investigated him all along.

Not to mention that they love eviscerating Rather, since it takes the spotlight off of what they AREN'T doing.

Love your cockeyed optimism, though.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. Burkett may have gotten those fiigures from

Lucy Ramirez.

[Sparkle]

16. I must be dense or something.

I keep hearing that CBS showed the memos to the White House before they reported on it and CBS returned the memos with no comment. Why isn't the media questioning the White House asking why they didn't see they weren't 'authentic'--(the memos)?

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. It wasn't just a simple no comment

Dan Bartlett told CBS that he had no problem with the documents. They looked okay to him. That was why CBS ran with the story. In the old days, if someone in the WH had told you the docs were okay, you knew they were okay. Of course, Rather should have known better than to trust people who would lie about going to war. Lying about documents is a piece of cake.

[geek tragedy]

26. The WH set CBS up

They knew the docs were forgeries when they got them (either because they created them or because it was pretty obvious) and then sent marching orders to Buckhead et al.

A complete sucker punch.

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. The only thing the WH was upset about

was that it wasn't the Kerry Campaign that was coming forward with the documents. That would have fit their plans perfectly.

[starroute]

17. "Widely believed to be forgeries"

Yah, way to take journalistic responsibility.

First the wingnuts make unsubstantiated claims that the documents could have been produced with MS Word (which they couldn't.) Their claims are widely reported in the media without it ever being pointed out that they haven't been proven. A lot of people believe that because they heard it on tv, it must be true. And now the journalists can say with a straight face, "widely believed to be forgeries" -- without adding, "by people who know nothing about the matter."

When even The Daily Show is taking it for granted that the things were forged, you know it's going to be a long, hard slog to ever get back to the truth.

[brook]

30. The 'forgery' bit...

bothers me as well. I would be happier if the papers were described as "reproductions" - or even "questionable reproductions" - particularly since it appears the content was accurate.

[Rolling Titanic]

35. That's the key right there.

Killian's secretary has said on camera that she recalls typing memos that said the very same thing. If you kill the evidence supporting the content you kill the content. What has been said to shoot down the secretary?

[TheWebHead]

24. Burkett, take a lie detector test

otherwise, STFU...

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. That may not do any good

This guy has a history of mental health problems. If he actually believes that he is telling the truth, he will pass, regardless of his answers' correspondence with reality.

[Snivi Yllom]

34. Fuck you Burkett. You took a great story.....

and turned it into radioactive dogshit. It's untouchable and unusable and redirected scrutiny towards the Kerry campaign when they had a great issue. Single handedly you insulated * while you also hogged 2 weeks of nightly news.

Fuck you and your lame excuses now. You lied to CBS and now you look like a psycho chump. You let yourself be used by media whores and you don't like the result?

Deal with it. You ruined yourself psycho.