WP: In Rush to Air, CBS Quashed Memo Worries

[kskiska]

By Howard Kurtz, Michael Dobbs and James V. Grimaldi
Sunday, September 19, 2004; Page A01

In the early-morning hours of Sept. 8, Dan Rather was preparing to fly to Washington for a crucial interview in the Old Executive Office Building, but torrential rain kept him in New York.

White House communications director Dan Bartlett had agreed to talk to "60 Minutes," but only on condition that the CBS program provide copies of what were being billed as newly unearthed memos indicating that President Bush had received preferential treatment in the National Guard. The papers were hand-delivered at 7:45 a.m. CBS correspondent John Roberts, filling in for Rather, sat down with Bartlett at 11:15.

Half an hour later, Roberts called "60 Minutes" producer Mary Mapes with word that Bartlett was not challenging the authenticity of the documents. Mapes told her bosses, who were so relieved that they cut from Rather's story an interview with a handwriting expert who had examined the memos.

At that point, said "60 Minutes" executive Josh Howard, "we completely abandoned the process of authenticating the documents. Obviously, looking back on it, that was a mistake. We stopped questioning ourselves. I suppose you could say we let our guard down."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31727-2004Sep18.html

[w4rma]

1. It's Kurtz again. His article has many omitions in it. And he twists facts

to support his theory that the memos are false.

He omits that the New Times Roman has been around since the 1930s, according to the company that invented it. He omits talking about the signitures on the memos which appear to be genuine. I'll never trust another article written by Kurtz ever again. That's what I've learned from all of this. Kurtz is blowing his own credibility with his writing.

I'm beginning to think that they thought they had all of Bush's records destroyed and thats why this story has got them so riled up.

[Raster]

12. Give that man a cigar!!! My two cents...

The $hrubco cleaning crew has spent YEARS, and I do mean YEARS, cleaning up after gee-dubya. And believe me, he has been on the "anointed" list since the 80's. There's been too much invested in gee-dubya. Any record or piece of information that was deemed to be of danger or not "on the message" has been altered, removed, burned, locked away, etc. Vital tracking information, like gee-dubya's original texas driver's license number has been sealed or erased.

So, Yes, they know the actual documents floating around right now may not be completely the real McCoy, but they're so close, it's frightening. I believe the documents are almost identical representations of the originals, only slightly modified to obscure the source(s).

The most amazing thing about this entire adventure is that the White House has yet to DENY ANYTHING! I think kkkarl rrrove and his band of shit heads are terrified that more of us will overlook the smokescreen and ask the real questions instead.

[featherman]

2. Howard Kurtz is a Karl Rove operative...has been for years

Common knowledge within the Beltway. He is really hammering this "get CBS" line for his boss.

[lanparty]

3. Very intersting authentication source ...

... so the secret is out. The source that Bob Novack wanted to know so desperately is in fact Dan Bartlett the president's spokesperson!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I wonder what exactly does Bartlett have

with Rove? Nah put down that tin foil

[yardwork]

17. Why didn't the White House challenge the documents?

Now we know why Rove let attorneys posing as freepers "discover" the questions about the memos, and why the WH has never declared them invalid.

Rove tricked Dan Rather by letting him think that the White House agreed that the documents were real, then sending operatives out to blogs that night to raise questions about the documents.

If the White House didn't think the documents were real, they should have told CBS not to run the story. They had more than eight hours notice.

[Vincardog]

4. Who gives a F about the memos?

The FACT is that W got preferential treatment to jump ahead of hundreds of other people who wanted to avoid Viet Nam. He was promoted to the first on the list the day he applied. That is a fact. When he got in to the TANG he was so busy shoving coke up his nose and whiskey down his throat daddy sent him out of state. The fact is that he couldn't pass his p test and refused a direct order to take it. He then went AWOL which after a year becomes DESERTER. That is a hanging offense. In spite of this he was granted a discharge from the TANG. If this does not sound like special treatment to you you are as deluded as the shrub. Why worry about the paper the memo is printed on? Worry about the FACTS outlined in the memo. Look at our so called leader and be very afraid at how many lemmings are following this deluded steady leadership.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. As frustrated as you and I are,

we are seeing TRULY how Rove works though

This is why we need to make Rove the story as well... Rovian tricks for the American people 101 and how you turn the focus of the story from desertion to paper.

Now lets change the message and INCLUDE ROVE, shall we?

[n2mark]

7. CBS

Debunk -- I want to hear from Dan Rather, no one else.

It is his ass on the line... no one else.

So Rove, go take a shower, developing....

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Then tune to CBS

but if you think Karl Rove is incapable of doing this, I have a bridge to sell you

Hell the man BUGGED his own office once...

[johnfunk]

9. The White House authenticated the memos...

... and the word of the President and his staff should be good enough for any patriotic American. After all, Mr. Bush was right about those WMDs in Iraq. He was right about the yellowcake from Niger. He was right when he declared our mission accomplished in Iraq...

... um, er, aaaah... I'm having a Pilager moment here...

[0007]

27. ....junior is just the right type of guy that is never wrong.

junior can't even think of any mistake he ever made and is more than pleased with the progress in Iraq.

Words speak louder than action or results, 'eh? ...er, um, a..a.. . .now, especially in time of war, 'tis okay to rob goods by force and plunder and to take spoils of war by force.

[funnymanpants]

10. documents forged but...

is Kurtz on the war path or what? Keep pursuing the story if you want--but let's not forget that CBS isn't up for re-election. Bush is. And other independent sources show he didn't fulfill his guard duty.

Oh, and by the way, did you forget that no WMDs have been found in Iraq?

[Raster]

13. I love it ..."CBS isn't up for re-election, Bush is."

[Protected]

11. Where this journalism when the Iraq war was being pushed so fiercely?

This is so sad. It's clear that the press will do anything to take down CBS and Dan Rather, but when it came to committing our country to war they accepted everything at face value without digging any deeper.

[Nordic]

19. no kidding. Do we need any more proof of their complicity?

Could they be any more obvious?

No. And most people are too stupid to realize.

[Voltaire99]

21. Exactly. And no tears for Rather here.

It is a race to determine which corporate news company earns the coveted spot as chief flatterer to power.

To be sure, the lunatic Rather has done his share of the very same over the years; I could care less about him.

But a democracy--this nation--needs an active press. We won't remain as even a ghost of a democracy without one.

[KoKo]

24. Dan Rather had an exclusive interview with Saddam before the start of

the Iraq War. Trying to put a human face on the guy. With what we know now about NO WMD...I think maybe we should rethink Saddam. We invaded Iraq for Bush's Poppy revenge and the Neoconmen's dream of glory.

Saddam was a Sovereign Leader of a country. Whether the US and it's Chalabi fed Congress, Press and Govt. liked him or not. We invaded his country and tried to kill him.

Rather interviewed him. No one else even tried.

[Catt03]

14. I am pretty sick of this

the Republicans have done just what we knew they wanted to do...back the public into a corner and have a national debate on bullshit.

WHAT about the damn war in Iraq?

What about the draft?

What about the economy and Medicare premiums and health care?

Do you all know that you will be paying more for your health premiums next year EVEN if your company carries your health insurance? Do you know that if you have a pension plan, they may be obsolete in a few years because of company trends of discontinuing them?

Are you aware of the very real possibility that the draft will be reinstated?

Yes...George Bush did not play honorably and left the guard and broke the law. Even ifs we put it in front of him and had Jesus Christ ask him for the truth, he would lie.

[KoKo]

15. So, Kurtz is getting info "stovepiped" to him. And, trashing Mapes becaus

she broke the Abu Ghraib story..making this whole thing sound like a breathless minute by minute account with Kurtz being the "fly on the wall" as the events transpired. He's sickening. He and his Repug Op wife Sheri Annis. But, the fact that someone at CBS is leaking to him is even more upsetting.. I don't know why CBS didn't use a font expert. If WaPo could find some, there must be others that CBS could find. Our own DU'er Tahiti Nut posted his military records from '69' with proportional font that looked exactly like MS word document. I think relying on WaPo's experts alone as to whether it was typewritten or not is not good. But, sounds like CBS has back off. Maybe they don't have money to hire anyone else.

here's a snip of Kurtz' blow by blow account:

Rather was already at the studio, recording the audio track. At 11 a.m., Howard, West, Murphy and Kartiganer gathered to watch another piece in the screening room, where they were joined by two CBS lawyers as they began discussing the Guard story. Howard had a backup segment planned -- "60 Minutes" was still in rerun season -- in case he decided to hold the Rather story. Mapes left the meeting to take John Roberts's call from the White House.

-------------SNIP and moving along--------
Howard said "60 Minutes" had planned to call Bartlett for an interview when the Texas-born Bush aide contacted CBS first on Tuesday evening. Back in his Manhattan apartment that night, at 11 o'clock, Howard got an e-mailed version of the script from Mapes. He sent it back with suggestions. The next morning -- which loomed as deadline day -- he got up at 6 to look at a revised version.

The dispute over memos of President Bush's National Guard record centers on the technology available in the early '70s, when the documents would have been typed. (George Bush Presidential Library Via AP)

[Protected]

16. If this story is to believed

then it sounds like one strong reason why CBS brought this story to air was because the White House (i.e. Dan Bartlett) didn't question the authenticity or content of the memos.

Howard was struck by the fact that Bartlett, in his interview, kept referring to the Killian memos to support his argument that the president had fulfilled his military obligations.

"This gave us such a sense of security at that moment that we had the story," Howard said. "We gave the documents to the White House to say, 'Wave us off this if we're wrong.' " But Bartlett said CBS never asked him to verify the memos and that he had neither the time nor the resources to do so.

[glitch]

18. "Wave us off this if we're wrong." Reminds me of CBS telling Palast

there was no story on the FL vote fraud - why, cause they called Jeb and he denied it.

Stenographers.

[fearnobush]

20. So the White house gives CBS it's blessings - CBS goes with blessing

while all along it was a con job by the Rove and the White House hurt CBS - 60 minutes and the last refuge of true news source press. I feared this was the case after watching 60 minutes that night.

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. No, the documents weren't forged

but the WH took a shit when they found out the Rather had the balls to go with the story.

That's why they got their buddy MacDougald to push the typewriter story. They had to discredit the memos as quickly as possible. Now they are doing everything they can to discredit Dan Rather. It's a shame to see so many people buy into Rove's crap.

Now, for Rove's next trick he is going to turn a Career Military Vet into a wacko that the freepers are going to rip from limb to limb. Too bad so many DUers are going to fall for Rove's bs again too.

But never fear Dan knows what's coming at him and I sure he has prepared his whole life for this moment. Hang on, things are going to get real interesting.

[librechik]

22. Hmm--Bartlett let them think they were authentic...

More and more I'm beginning to see this as a Rove trick. AND they bring down Rather too! Looks like it will do the job, even though the accusations are true! And we know that Bush will love it, since he has no honor and is ready to win however he has to cheat.


sorry, sorry people.

[depakid]

25. Oh boy a Howard Kurtz story

not even worth reading. I wish you hadn't posted it. Kurtz has about as much credibility as Drudge.

[JDPriestly]

26. TV doesn't spend enough money on news reporting.

Their reporting is superficial and sensational -- meant to stir the emotions, not the thought. That's why I don't watch it any more. I get better information on the internet -- especially here at DU.

Reporters are going to have to learn to do their homework if they want to compete with internet bloggers.