{"id":3074,"date":"2004-09-24T02:38:57","date_gmt":"2004-09-24T09:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/proteinwisdom.com\/?p=3074"},"modified":"2004-09-24T02:38:57","modified_gmt":"2004-09-24T09:38:57","slug":"if-you-rearrange-the-letters-in-cbs-you-get-game-over-monsier-kerry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proteinwisdom.com\/?p=3074","title":{"rendered":"If you rearrange the letters in CBS, you get “Game Over, Monsier Kerry”"},"content":{"rendered":"

During their single phone call, Joe Lockhart tried to persuade Bill Burkett to pass CBS the forged¹ TxANG documents, Mr Burkett tells the Mercury News <\/a>(registration required).<\/p>\n

\n

In the interview Thursday, Burkett, a West Texas rancher and known critic of Bush, denied that his work with CBS was done at the behest of Democrat John Kerry’s presidential campaign.\n<\/p>\n

\nHe said, however, that during the meeting in which he gave the memos to CBS, he was also told by a producer that his phone number would be passed on to Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart.\n<\/p>\n

\n“I was absolutely and clearly told that that was as far as anyone could go without crossing the line of (journalistic) ethics,” Burkett said.\n<\/p>\n

\nDuring a single phone conversation with Lockhart, Burkett said he suggested a “couple of concepts on what I thought (Kerry) had to do” to beat Bush. In return, he said, Lockhart tried to “convince me as to why I should give them the documents<\/b>” [my emphasis]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWhat this means, so far as I can tell (it’s hard to think when your nipples are stiff as petrified Hershey’s Kisses) is that CBS and the DNC were in fact colluding <\/i>on the TxANG document story—which cuts against the grain of some of the more charitable commentary depicting CBS News as overzealous—but not intentionally partisan—in its rush to bring the story to air. \n<\/p>\n

\nHowever, it now appears that Lockhart was actually able to secure the documents for CBS, and that CBS News used connections inside the DNC to net the props for its controversial worldwide exclusive.  If the “well-regarded Texan”<\/a> is to be believed, that is.\n<\/p>\n

\nSymbiotic, I think the word is.\n<\/p>\n

\nNow if you’ll excuse me, my nipples and I are going to enjoy a Guinness and some mixed nuts.\n<\/p>\n

\n****
\n
\n¹ Dan Rather replies, “Those document weren’t forged.  In fact, they’re quite genuine.  But until Rick Deckard is able to hunt down and kill Roy Batty, scientists in the know refuse to speak openly about the technology available to prove it.  It’s an existential dilemma, ultimately.  And unfortunatly CBS is caught in the middle of it right now.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsee also INDC<\/a>; and Drudge <\/a>has it, but no link yet.\n<\/p>\n

\n****
\n
\nupdate<\/i><\/b>:  Commenting at INDC, Captain Ed <\/a>writes,<\/p>\n

\n

Interesting, but I’ll just say this: Any story based on the credibility of Bill Burkett is bound to collapse eventually. The man is probably a pathological liar. I think that in this case, I have to give Lockhart the benefit of the doubt.\n<\/p>\n

\n“If I’m Lockhart and I know that Burkett could give these documents to CBS and that they’re likely to run with them, why would I want to dirty my hands with the whole thing? Having CBS take care of the smear is perfect—plausible deniability, plus all the credibility of the Tiffany Network. Lockhart would have been begging Burkett to go the other route.\n<\/p>\n

\n“I think Burkett’s still off his meds …<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWell, perhaps. But I’m going to offer as a counter assertion my wildly speculative pet theory.  To wit:\n<\/p>\n

\nBased on some identical content found in both the CBS docs and a few postings on Kerry’s website dating back to April (among them, a potentially misused AFM number), I suspect that someone in the DNC either 1) got hold of 2) took a peek at, or 3) themselves created the documents that eventually made their way to Bill Burkett and CBS News.  I’m no longer convinced Burkett was the forger.  He (like Mary Mapes) is simply an overzealous ideologue and patsy.\n<\/p>\n

\nLet’s backtrack.  Bill Burkett, you’ll recall, had been peddling his story of a TxANG document dump since at least February, but his own internet postings suggest he doesn’t have the documents in his possession until sometime near the end of August \/ early September.  So.  Is it possible the Dems orchestrated this entire document caper to ensure that the phony documents wound up with a receptive Bill Burkett (via “Lucy Ramirez”)?  And if so, is it further possible that someone within the Democratic party then tipped CBS to Burkett and the documents? \n<\/p>\n

\nMax Cleland, we know, had contact with Burkett, but the real wildcard here (in my opinion) is Ben Barnes, who has already been interviewed by CBS at around the time Burkett claims he received the documents (this, even though CBS tells the WaPo that the interview happened later, on September 7<\/a>). \n<\/p>\n

\nNow, CBS is on record as saying that they went to Burkett<\/i> for the documents.  Okay, fine.  But the question then becomes, who told CBS about Burkett<\/i>?  Max Cleland, having had that brief conversation with Mr Burkett, is a possibility.  But Ben Barnes is a big shot Texas Democrat with ties to the Kerry campaign, and he would almost certainly <\/i>be in a position to know all about Bill Burkett and his obsession with Bush and the TxANG.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe reason I suspect Barnes, then, is that Barnes meets with Dan Rather at around the same time Burkett gets the documents.  He could easily have tipped CBS to Burkett, and his Texas ties would be reason enough for them to take his word.  From the DNC’s perspective, if the story flies, fantastic. And if not, who makes a better patsy than Burkett—a known Bush-obsessed loon?\n<\/p>\n

\nUltimately, though, the whole plan hinges on Burkett getting the documents to a credulous media source, because it gives the DNC deniability.  Deniability, that is, unless it comes out that somebody in the DNC tried to convince Burkett to give the docs to CBS…\n<\/p>\n

\nAnyway, wild speculation.  So take it with a grain of salt.  Could be the whole tale begins and ends with Burkett and Mapes.\n<\/p>\n

\n****
\n
\nupdate 2<\/i><\/b>: Reader Hank Racette notes, “You said:<\/p>\n

\n

…Joe Lockhart tried to persuade Bill Burkett to pass CBS the forged¹ TxANG documents…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nBut the snip from the Mercury News suggests that Lockhart spoke to Burkett after<\/b> Burkett passed the docs to CBS, and the them<\/i> in <\/p>\n

\n

Lockhart tried to “convince me as to why I should give them the documents”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nrefers to the DNC, not CBS. You’ve been had by an ambiguous pronoun. (Was it good?)”\n<\/p>\n

\nYes, as a matter of fact it was.  If by “good” you mean “like having raw sewage forced deep into your ear canal with a tampon.”\n<\/p>\n

\nOh well.  Looks like I allowed my zealotry to get the better of me.  In my defense, however, it should be noted that John Kerry fought in Vietnam.  So stop questioning my patriotism.\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During their single phone call, Joe Lockhart tried to persuade Bill Burkett to pass CBS the forged¹ TxANG documents, Mr Burkett tells the Mercury News (registration required). In the interview Thursday, Burkett, a West Texas rancher and known critic of Bush, denied that his work with CBS was done at the behest of Democrat John Kerry’s presidential campaign. He said, however, that during the meeting in which he gave the<\/p>\n

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