TANG docs produce circular firing squad for Bush camp

[Must_B_Free]

Follow this - it has gone beautifully. Like they say, it's not the crime, its the coverup.

First the 60 Minutes segment airs (or attempts to air)
- random stations reschedule episode out of lineup
- DirecTV deliberately interferes with the segment

Then the Freeps set about discrediting the documents, not being mindful that the Whitehouse had released the docs as authentic.

Now Drudge takes the bait and blares the Freep findings that the documents may be forged. He is put the wind in the sails of this story. It's now red meat for major media.

However the huge problem created for the Bush campaign is "How can the documents both be forgeries and passed on by the Whitehouse as authentic?"

One of the defense tactics will have to die - they can't both mutually exist. Now the Whitehouse is in a dilemma:

Will they go for the greater victory offered by the "forgeries" story? This means they have to come up with an excuse for why they would have passed them as real. Clearly Bush should have known that these weren't real, as they would not have conformed to his recollections. To me, this is a hard bargain to sell.

Will the whitehouse take the safer road and take their blows by saying, yes the documents are real? This eliminates their credibility problem from passing on the documents as authentic, but still confirms the contents of the documents, which Drudge has now confirmed as Red Meat.

Either way, they have stepped in it, and are now tracking it around the whitehouse!

Thanks Bush, Thanks Freepers, Thanks Drudge - will you be needing any more rope? :)

[wtmusic]

1. No way out

they will try to "backburner" it, downplay importance, etc.

Oh, and scare us some more.

[hlthe2b]

2. WH released copies of the two docs that CBS provided them

as per http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ (Kevin Drum):



KILLIAN MEMO CORRECTION....Based on news reports, I wrote last night that the White House had released its own copies of the Killian memos that first appeared on 60 Minutes. "Obviously they've had these sitting around for a while," I said.

However, I now have copies of the memos the White House released, and they are just versions that CBS faxed to the White House the day before the 60 Minutes segment aired. There's no indication that the White House had its own copies of these memos and had been sitting on them.

Apologies all around.
—Kevin Drum 1:43 PM Permalink | TrackBack (2) | Comments (80)

[Maple]

3. Obviously the WH

didn't question their authenticity, and they otta know.

[Must_B_Free]

5. Releasing = Authenticating

by releasing the documents they authenticated them.

Now they either have to kill the Freeper fantasy or the story raises new questions.

[hlthe2b]

6. I agree, but we have to be cautious about giving the RW an erroneous,

yet tangential issue to seize on. That's their favorite distracting tactic...We could turn ovr 5000 pages of air-tight evidence in what we term a "red" folder and they will have the discussion revolving around the folder actually being "burnt orange--" a fact that surely discredits us!

[Junkdrawer]

4. I hope it's not a Rove dirty trick (remember Hatfield)...

Rove fed Hatfield the "Cocaine arrest" story, then "killed the messenger (literally???)" once the book was published. Thus "Bush used cocaine" = "lies by ex-murderer".

[Qanisqineq]

7. how did DirecTV interfere?

I have DirecTV and I watched it just fine.

[Cronus Protagonist]

8. Two words for you

"Terror Alert"

Anyone want to bet me?

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