Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Worst Case Scenario

Thanks for the Memory to my best friend Brian F.

In the midst of all the controversy surrounding Memogate, one of the options being bandied about, especially on the left, is that the memos are plants by the right -- and of course, top of the suspect list is Karl "Kayzer Soze" Rove. The thought is that the documents were intentionally forged poorly so that CBS and the left would bite, use them to attack the president, then get caught in a political rope-a-dope when they were revealed as forgeries.

Let's address this theory for a moment. Let's ignore the fact that today's latest stories indicate it might have originated elsewhere (personally, I haven't seen enough evidence to trust the rumors regarding the specific source). Let's ignore the fact that once such a plot was uncovered, it would backfire and make the Bush campaign look as evil as the left claims it is, and that Karl Rove is an evil genius, not an idiot. Let's ignore the fact that in order to work, such a plot would rely on an incredible level of gullibility on the part of CBS (ok, let's not ignore that fact, let's just set it aside to pick up again in a moment). Let's play "What If?" What if this theory is true? What if they did originate somewhere in the smoky back rooms of the GOP?

So what?

If the intent was to discredit the media, and specifically CBS, it worked, regardless of who originated it. Yes, it would also completely derail the Bush campaign, who would be viewed as playing just way too dirty. But the one assumption we made above to even consider this option that HAS proven true is an incredible level of gullibility on the part of CBS. As poorly forged as these documents probably are, as much other information as is coming out today, it required an incredible level of willingness by CBS to believe the unbelievable simply because they wanted it to be true in order for this story to proceed. Whether the documents were forged by the left, the right, the Grey Aliens, or the ghost of Howard Hughes, CBS fell for them, and now they have to live with the consequences.

Or die by them.

Betrayed by the Truth

Thanks for the Memories to Ace of
Spades HQ
for TWO pertinent articles.

More on MemoGate. and no, I don't blog in my PJ's. I only have access to the internet at work, and that sort of attire will get me fired even in liberal Eugene.

Moving past the whole issue of type and fonts and scripts, another issue that has been plaguing CBS, Dan Rather, and the MSM regarding the memo issue has been the fact that before the story broke, they intentionally ignored warnings from Killian's son that the memos didn't sound like his father, and failed to follow up with several references that Killian the Younger gave them who could give a different perspective on the story. Both Killian's son and widow have claimed this memo doesn't sound like the Colonel, and deny that Killian held the views expressed in the memos.

Well, it gets worse. Even those supposedly on CBS' side are betraying them by telling the truth. Now Killian's secretary is denying she typed the memos.

By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News

HOUSTON – The former secretary for the Texas Air National Guard colonel who supposedly authored memos critical of President Bush’s Guard service said Tuesday that the documents are fake, but that they reflect real documents that once existed.

Marian Carr Knox, who worked from 1956 to 1979 at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, said she prided herself on meticulous typing, and the memos first disclosed by CBS News last week were not her work.

“These are not real,” she told The Dallas Morning News after examining copies of the disputed memos for the first time. “They’re not what I typed, and I would have typed them for him.”

Mrs. Knox, 86, who spoke with precise recollection about dates, people and events, said she is not a supporter of Mr. Bush, who she deemed “unfit for office” and “selected, not elected.”

“I remember very vividly when Bush was there and all the yak-yak that was going on about it,” she said.


So this lady who doesn't like the President, still refutes CBS' assertion that the memos are genuine. Not good, Danny.

That's not the whole article. Thanks to Ace, we also get this:

"She also said the memos may have been constructed from memory by someone who had seen Lt. Col. Killian's private file but were not transcriptions because the language and terminology did not match what he would have used."

So she claims they reflect the truth of Killian's opinion, even if they aren't authentic themselves. This despite the claims of Killian's family to the effect that he never expressed such an opinion. Sounds like she's trying to mitigate the damage she herself has just done to the left.

It gets worse still. In an interview with ABC (remember the cannibalism reference I made?), the experts cited by CBS claim they expressed concerns about the documents that were ignored.

Furthermore, the Guard officer quoted in the CBS story feels he was misled, because CBS told him the memos were handwritten, not typed (Killian didn't type).

And now, Dan Rather is defending himself by attacking Laura Bush:

"Laura Bush became the first White House insider to doubt the authenticity of the documents. But she offered no evidence to back up her claim."

How much lower can Dan Rather sink? And how long until he faces the truth and turns himself in to the court of public opinion?

Free Rope With Which to Hang Them

Thanks for the Memory to Michelle Malkin.

Apparently the ever-vigilant folks over at CBS News want to help us expose scams.

What do you think? Can we help them find one to expose?

More From the Rumor Mills

And if you think I mean blogs, you haven't been paying attention.

According to NewsMax, Kitty Kelley has admitted on the Today Show that she failed to record the alleged Cocaine Conversation. Immediately after her interview, Sharon Bush, the president's ex-sister-in-law, scorned woman with no love for the Bush family, denied that she ever made the allegations to Kelley.

Right after the RNc, whhen the Democrats were screaming that they were going for blood and they would find dirt on the president, my response was to mock the idea that they could find anything that hasn't already been tried and shot down at least once before in the last 5 years, and that if they haven't found anyhting damning to pin on the president already, there isn't anyhting TO be found.

If this is the best they can do -- a set of forged documents on 60 minutes and a trash book by the National Enquirer of biographers, well, my theory has only been reinforced.