CBS' Forged National Guard Memos
I really dislike both "Vietnam Era" mud campaigns. I wish they'd both go away permanently.
What really ticks me off about the forged document issue right now is that it is yet another blatant and glaring example of the extreme bias of the broadcast media.
They have been absolutely caught red handed and they lack the integrity to admit their error.
Here is a good summary of what happened:
Quote:
Dan Rather took to the air early last week with new documents that were supposed to prove that Bush was a complete slacker toward the end of his National Guard duty. These documents were supposedly from the private files of Bush's National Guard commander Lt. Col. J.B. Killian. Among other things, these memos were supposed to represent Killian's concern over being pressured by his superior, Col. Walter Staudt, to "sugarcoat" reports of Bush's effectiveness as a National Guard officer. The papers were also supposed to show that Bush was ordered to take a flight physical, but refused or failed to do so.
Virtually within hours of Rather's reports the questions began. The type on those documents simply couldn't have been produced by any typewriter likely to be in the possession of Col. Killian in 1973, the date on the memos. The issue was quickly picked up by talk radio ... and it was on.
CBS, of course, immediately went on the defense. They trusted their source. They trusted the man they had authenticate the documents. The documents were genuine, and that was that.
Well ... things seem to be falling apart for poor, poor pitiful CBS. Let's just look at the high points.
1. Col. Walter Staudt was pressuring Lt. Col. J.B. Killian to "sugarcoat" Bush's proficiency reports. There's just one problem here. Staudt had retired from the National Guard by the time these memos were written. He no longer had any command authority over Killian. Would Killian be writing memos about pressure he was receiving from a National Guard commander who had retired some time before? Or .. did whoever made up these documents fail to check some important dates, like retirement dates. Oh well.
2. CBS had the documents "authenticated" before Dan Rather brought his story to the air. By who? Retired National Guard Maj. General Bobby Hodges, that's who. Rather said that Hodges was "familiar with the documents" and that it took great courage for him to come forward as he did and authenticate him. Well, General Hodges has a different story to tell. Hodges says that yes, CBS did talk to him. According to Hodges a CBS reporter read him extracts from the documents that Killian was supposed to have written. Hodges did tell CBS that he had some conversations with Killian about Bush, but that he never confirmed the authenticity of the documents. What is CBS's response? CBS says that they believed Hodges the first time they talked to him. In other words, he was telling CBS the truth then, but that he is lying now. In other words, when Hodges provides information that hurts Bush, he's telling the truth. When he provides information that might help Bush, he's lying. Hodges, the man CBS referred to as their "trump card," now says that the documents are forgeries.
3. Both J.B. Killian's widow and his son say that the documents obtained by CBS are fakes. But what do they know .... they only knew this man better than anyone else alive.
Now, the latest. All CBS had to do to make the case that these documents were real was to come up with a typewriter capable of producing these documents in 1973. Oh ... and it has to be a typewriter that one could reasonably expect a National Guard Lt. Colonel who doesn't type might have available for his use. So, Saturday night CBS did just that. They came out with a report that the IBM Selectric Composer could produce the type and the effects that were found on Killian's memos. The Boston Globe also reported Saturday that their document expert said that the documents could have been composed on an IBM Selectric Composer which was available at the time the documents were written. U.S. News & World Report is getting in on the action by referring to an "IBM Selectric Composer typewriter which [was] commonly used in 1972.z'
Not so fast. Even though CBS referred to the IBM Selectric Composer as a "typewriter," that's like referring to a Mont Blanc as a "ballpoint." Just do a little Googling with the words "IBM Selectric Composer" and you'll find that it isn't just a "typewriter," it's a typesetting machine. It was used to produce justified camera-ready copy for publications. The price for this machine in the early 1970's was from $3,500 to $4,500 dollars. In 2004 dollars that would be from $16,000 to $22,000. If you want to believe that a National Guard Lt. Col. typed memos in 1973 on a "typewriter" with an equivalent cost of $20,000, you go ahead. You should know, however, that the Air National Guard, then and now, generally receives much of its equipment as hand-me-downs from the Air Force.
Source of Summary: Neal Boortz (libertarian who has called George Bush's administration one of the most corrupt of modern time- obviously not a Bush lover)
