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CBS Cleans House In Wake of Erroneous Story
An independent review panel gave CBS News a scathing rebuke for its story last fall about President Bush's national guard service. The report noted that in a story that was neither fair nor accurate, and did a "disservice" to the American public, the CBS News staff had a "myopic zeal" to get the story first and gave a "rigid and blind defense" after it aired. The story's producer, Mary Mapes, was fired. Three other executives were asked to resign. The network, noting that he was scheduled for retirement from CBS Evening News in a couple of months, recommended no action be taken against Dan Rather.
I am for this type of action, and I do support targeting Kennedy first. But for the love of all that is praiseworthy and of good report let's not target someone because of their political affiliations. Both sides have politicans that need to be ousted.
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Technically, probably. But realistically, not really. Like Cecil says, he was just a pampered rich kid who took advantage. It wasn't AWOL so much as his immediate superiors not caring if he did things that were technically against the rules. AWOL implies a situation that wasn't present here, he didn't desert. It seems like his immediate superiors said "sure, go" but his paperwork was denied and no one on either base really cared because they already told him to go.
The greatest problems with career politicians is the power they gain and the corruption that follows.
Google Keating Five and Mary Jo Kopechne if you have any further questions.
"The panel did not conclude the documents were forgeries."
But their document expert concluded, categorically, that the documents were produced on a computer after the 1970s. That's pretty close to saying "forgery". The only reservations against declaring them a forgery, that I can think of, is that they were copies, that time travel could be at play here, or the remote possibility that they were indeed TANG documents about ANOTHER Lt. Bush from the 1990s misdated to the 1970s.
"We didn't find any actual [political] bias."
To do that Mapes & Co would have to admit it, or submit to polygraphs or whatever. But Mapes' emails show how she was trying to get the documents from Bill Burkett by connecting him with the DNC, and by getting him a book deal. Something about affecting the momentum of the campaign.
But is bias onlyt a clearly stated policy of working for one of the candidates, which she came pretty close to doing, or is bias also letting yourself be affected by wishing that the story is true?
Something rather unimportant to our world today turned into quite farce. But aren't anybody going to look at WHO actually made the documents? It's illegal to forge military documents, and some states have laws against trying to influence elections with false documents.
Irene KHAAAAAAN!
The CJR article has been as throroughly debunked as the original memos were. I really like you highlight his attacks on the bloggers but not any actual *evidence* that his charges were true.
Clear, Dark Skies
It seems that there is always some uninformed person who posts comments to stories like this who doesn't realize that both U.S. President George W. Bush and U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney were both active alcoholics. So, here are some of their arrest records:
Bush and Cheney are the most arrested U.S. president and vice-president in history. George W. Bush was arrested once for the crime of DUI and Dick Cheney twice:
George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest
George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest
George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting.
Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest
Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest
Nothing Fox News has done has come anywhere near this. There's a difference between being biased in reporting (which both arguably are) and using obviously false sources as primary sources.
Bill O'Reilly routinely uses false sources, such as when he quoted the 'Paris Review' (he made it up -- it doesn't exist). In fact long lists of his fabrications are listed on numerous websites.
The conservatives keep shouting 'Where is the outrage!??'.
Well, I'm hearing the outrage in the media loud and clear, but I'm not hearing any outrage about the adimistration's lies about WMD, NCLB, tax cuts, social security. Where is the patriotic outrage about Bush cutting money to veteran's benefits, hospitals etc? These guys are pathetically hypocritical, and they are milking this for all it's worth, ignoring all the non-memo evidence that still persuasively indicates Bush being AWOL.