WH threatens media with "we can find more Bush missing docs!"

[papau]

The Washington Post ominously says: "In a related development, White House press secretary Scott McClellan hinted that more documents regarding Bush's National Guard service may soon be released. Asked whether officials in the White House have seen unreleased documents, McClellan called that 'a very real possibility.' Other officials with knowledge of the situation said more documents had indeed been uncovered and would be released in the coming days."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24635-2004Sep15.html

CBS Guard Documents Traced to Tex. Kinko's
Records Reportedly Faxed From Abilene

By Michael Dobbs
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 16, 2004; Page A06

Documents allegedly written by a deceased officer that raised questions about President Bush's service with the Texas Air National Guard bore markings showing they had been faxed to CBS News from a Kinko's copy shop in Abilene, Tex., according to another former Guard officer who was shown the records by the network.

The markings provide one piece of evidence suggesting a source for the documents, whose authenticity has been hotly disputed since CBS aired them in a "60 Minutes" broadcast Sept. 8. The network has declined to name the person who provided them, saying the source was confidential, or to explain how the documents came to light after more than three decades.

There is only one Kinko's in Abilene, and it is 21 miles from the Baird, Tex., home of retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, who has been named by several news outlets as a possible source for the documents.

Robert Strong, who was one of three people interviewed by "60 Minutes," said he was shown copies of the documents by CBS anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes on Sept. 5, three days before the broadcast. He said at least one of the documents bore the faxed header "Kinko's Abilene."<snip>

[dumpster_baby]

1. They are afraid Burkett has and may release more Bush docs

They think Burkett took a bunch of docs from the trash that day, and the White House did not release all the docs as they said they did. Those docs are probably not favorable towards Bush and so the White House is going to beat Burkett to the punch, so as to minimize the impact, should Burkett release more docs, or rather more COPIES of docs, as he did to CBS.

I think what Burkett did was get some legal advice, which told him that releasing the docs "as is" would get him in legal trouble. So he recreated them. It is still possible that Killian did have them typed up later.

THe good thing about this is that it brought to light Marian Carr Knox, who is someone who can really hurt Bush--IF she does more interviews.

[hlthe2b]

4. that's also my assessment at this point....

[papau]

2. CBS Backs Away From Authenticity of Documents (will probe question)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guard16sep16.story

CBS Backs Away From Authenticity of Documents
Network says it's continuing to probe whether National Guard memos are fakes.
By Elizabeth Jensen and Maria L. La Ganga
Times Staff Writers

September 16, 2004

NEW YORK — Faced with numerous reports that controversial documents about President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service were forgeries, CBS News officials stopped asserting Wednesday that the papers the network had obtained were real, and said they would "redouble" their efforts to resolve the contradictions.

CBS News President Andrew Heyward wouldn't comment when asked if he still believed that the documents, purportedly from the early 1970s, were genuine, as he had insisted a day earlier.

"I have great confidence in our sources and reporting, but obviously there are unanswered questions," he said in an interview.

Heyward said Wednesday night that the network's new efforts were not an investigation but simply "an extension of the reporting we said we'd do."

"There are significant questions swirling around the documents," he said. "We said all along we would continue to report all aspects of the story, and this is an aspect well worth looking into."<snip>

[Ganja Ninja]

3. Bring 'em on but make sure you can prove they're genuine.

They're forgeries unless proven otherwise. That's the standard for the CBS doc's.

[Ducks In A Row]

5. But... but... but... They've said they released ALL the documents already!

Why doesn't the media report THAT!

Oh wait.... the media... report?... sorry...

for a moment I thought I was in a free nation.

[zbdent]

6. Well, wait a minute, W said he released all the documents

Didn't he claim that???

[MichaelHarris]

7. George Bush to media: Hey Rocky, watch me pull a memo outta my

ass