CBS newsman's $70m lawsuit likely to deal Bush legacy a new blow

[Bozita]

Source: Guardian (UK), The Observer

CBS newsman's $70m lawsuit likely to deal Bush legacy a new blow
Christopher Goodwin in Los Angeles
The Observer, Sunday 28 December 2008
Article history


As George W Bush prepares to leave the White House, at least one unpleasant episode from his unpopular presidency is threatening to follow him into retirement.

A $70m lawsuit filed by Dan Rather, the veteran former newsreader for CBS Evening News, against his old network is reopening the debate over alleged favourable treatment that Bush received when he served in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war. Bush had hoped that this controversy had been dealt with once and for all during the 2004 election.

Eight weeks before the 2004 presidential poll, Rather broadcast a story based on newly discovered documents which appeared to show that Bush, whose service in the Texas Air National Guard ensured that he did not have to fight in Vietnam, had barely turned up even for basic duty. After an outcry from the White House and conservative bloggers who claimed that the report had been based on falsified documents, CBS retracted the story, saying that the documents' authenticity could not be verified. Rather, who had been with CBS for decades and was one of the most familiar faces in American journalism, was fired by the network the day after the 2004 election.

He claims breach of contract against CBS. He has already spent $2m on his case, which is likely to go to court early next year. Rather contends not only that his report was true - "What the documents stated has never been denied, by the president or anyone around him," he says - but that CBS succumbed to political pressure from conservatives to get the report discredited and to have him fired. He also claims that a panel set up by CBS to investigate the story was packed with conservatives in an effort to placate the White House. Part of the reason for that, he suggests, was that Viacom, a sister company of CBS, knew that it would have important broadcasting regulatory issues to deal with during Bush's second term.

Among those CBS considered for the panel to investigate Rather's report were far-right broadcasters Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/28/dan-rather-cbs-lawsuit-bush

[Fridays Child]

1. Tell it, Dan Rather!

[azmesa207]

90. Go get them Dan

But don't get into any small private planes or you might end up like Paul Wellstone .

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

93. Dan you're the man, I never doubted the story

[seemslikeadream]

2. Sic 'em Dan

latch on to them like the Pit Bull you are, don't let go, don't let 'em shake you off. Crush 'em to the bone

[aquart]

20. Yes. I'm in favor of that.

[Lena inRI]

76. I second that!

Sic'em, Dan!

[seemslikeadream]

82. Love your sig line

but sometimes I think I know too damn much, I go to that fear thing quite a bit

[calimary]

123. Let those dogs be US.

Keep bush and his cohorts stranded up a tree. Maybe that way they can't hurt anybody else or do any further damage anywhere.

[jhrobbins]

104. Who are we wanting him to sic-CBS or GWBush et al? As much as I want the Bushies

to be exposed for the liars and obfuscaters they are, I really want CBS to have to pay til it hurts for being such weenies. Shame on them to abandon him like they did!!!!

[bjobotts]

118. god I hope he wins this and is vindicated

[JDPriestly]

3. I'd like to see him somehow call not only Bush but Meiers for depositions

regarding the documents, maybe some other GOPers. I suppose that is unlikely and not possible, but it sure would be nice.

[TheEuclideanOne]

48. I would like to see that just to see an example of

even one of these republican operatives showing up for a deposition. Any deposition will do.

[Peace Patriot]

52. Mike Connell showed up for a deposition--then his small plane went down in flames.

Ohio 2004 election fraud lawsuit, deposition this year, a day before the Nov 08 election; small plane crash, last week. Rove's chief IT guru--the guy who transferred Ohio election data to his private server in Tennessee during the hours in which Kerry's daylong lead was reversed; the guy who likely 'disappeared' 5,000 Karl Rove emails from this period. Big flaming crash, making Connell unavailable for further depositions and discovery, and as a witness in court. Not that the war profiteering corporate 'news' monopolies noticed at all. It still happened, though. Yup. Republican operative showing up for a deposition. And maybe this is why they often don't--because Bushwhack operatives are expendable.

[TheEuclideanOne]

99. Yes, that is called setting a standard

Very similar to Valerie Plame. You take down somebody in a very high profile way, it sets an example. After Valerie Plame was outed, it really kept the media quiet, didn't it? These approaches are almost as effective as they are unethical.

[louis-t]

92. They would all come down with pre-emptive amnesia.

I don't recall, I don't recall, I don't recall....

[alfredo]

4. rush and coulter to investigate? Riiight.

[underpants]

6. Their keen insight and worldly experience was much needed

:sarcasm:

[alfredo]

15. that showed a lot of thought on CBS's part to put those two fine

legal minds on the case. :puke:

[Cha]

78. cbs needs to be held accountable

for their action as well as bush.

[xxqqqzme]

84. Yea, they have such amazing

investigative, journalistic credentials.

[diane in sf]

5. You go Dan!

[nankerphelge]

7. Dan Rather...

is the last, best anchor that was out there. Hope this suit goes well.

[blackbart99]

45. I always liked and trusted him...

I was sad to see him go like that. Book 'em Dan-o.....sorry for the pun.
:crazy:

[orleans]

8. good luck to dan. some of us haven't forgotten about this

or gotten over it.

i hope all the best of outcomes for dan rather. those pricks fucked him over royally, and fucked this country over as well.

[TheEuclideanOne]

50. To be honest, I have, but it

is nice to hear some of the details that were not made public earlier. Now that it is back in the public for most, it would be nice to see Bush having to pay the Piper. It would be extra nice if Bush had to hire an assistant specifically for the purpose of coordinating all of the lawsuits and trials that he should really be facing as he is being held accountable for all of his crimes. (one can dream, right?)

[riqster]

9. Rather was a good man who was unprepared for the RWSM

Nice to see him coming back at 'em.

[Mari333]

10. this will be fun to watch. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. You GO Dan, you GO!!

We are in your corner.

[Overseas]

12. K&R !! //nt

[Raksha]

13. K & R - Go get 'em, Dan!!!

:kick:

[digidigido]

14. I hope he doesn't fly in any small planes

[eringer]

16. Dan Rather Holds the Key to Discrediting GWB's Military Time

CBS threw Dan under the bus because of political pressure. BIG MISTAKE. Dan will prevail.
The White House set up Dan after what Bush thought was a possible derailment of his family's second "War with the Iraqi People." Here is the pic:

[Frank Booth]

17. Dan got screwed.

I hope he takes down the whole lot.

[Lindsey]

18. Go will ALL you have Dan! Limbaugh????????????? He doesn't

have a college degree so how in the hell could he even be considered to be analyzing fronm a legal standpoint????????????????? As we've all known, these people are more corrupt than the Mafia (NO QUESTION). They f'in sicken me.........

[colsohlibgal]

19. Way To Go Dan!

I can't wait to see the truth about Dubya and the National Guard come out.

[jazzjunkysue]

21. Good for Dan, but, honestly, it's pretty small peanuts compaired to rigging the election and

lying us into the war.

At this point, he's already known as a total failure, so, most people really don't care that he skipped out on the war and even his air guard duty.

But Dan deserves to sue for damages from the corrupt "news" agency.

Doubt it will teach anyone a lesson, though. The Bush crime family will always have the final say on the "news" aws long as it's owned by the same multi national business cabal that owns the energy and the war machine.

[Phredicles]

26. Think of it as being like getting Al Capone on tax evasion charges;

Of course, compared to our Cowboy Caligula, Capone was an amateur. But since it's pretty clear that our amoeba-like congress isn't going to do a damn thing, something like this may well have to do.

[GinaMaria]

34. given that * could screw up a peanut butter sandwich

It may be a good thing he skipped out on the war and the TANG. Not that it's fair, but just makes me think how he could have f'ed us up even more. He's failed at everything he has ever done.

[rucognizant]

41. Look at this!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/12/images/20081224-1_d-0123-3-515h.html
Way too many of them!

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[acmavm]

53. That picture needs a circle around it and a line through it! In real life.

[Peace Patriot]

57. CBS execs censoring a TRUE news story to keep Bush in power--"small peanuts"?

I don't agree. And I think Dan Rather is well aware of the connection between the false election "narrative" created by the corporate 'news' monopolies, and the stolen election. See "The Trouble With Touchscreens," by Dan Rather, at www.HD.net--one of the best and most shocking of the documentaries on our rigged election system, which he investigated and produced after leaving CBS.

The man was fired for insisting on broadcasting the truth--on both Bush's AWOL, and on Abu Ghraib. And he lost his job--one of the best paid and most powerful news people on earth--and nearly lost his career, for THE TRUTH.

"Small peanuts"? Or--my view--the very heart of the problem that we must address and solve, if we want our democracy back--the black holes, false narratives, propaganda, psyops and manipulation in the corpo/fascist news?

They can't steal elections without the help of the corporate 'news' monopolies.

That is not "small peanuts." That is the whole problem in a nutshell. Manipulated 'news.' Manipulated elections. Rather is on to them. Believe me.

When a phrase like "small peanuts" pops into your head, on a subject like this--an outraged member of the Establishment going after the Bush Cartel shills in the media--I think you need to ask yourself if you are too exposed to corpo/fascist 'news.' It can affect you in insidious ways, such as your prioritization of what is important and what isn't. That's what they DO with their 'news' monopoly power--try to set YOUR priorities, without you fully realizing it. And this particular story has very special perils for the fuckwad owners, CEO's and manipulators of the 'news.' They would like you to believe that it is "small peanuts." They would like you to put it in that category without even thinking--because it isn't "in the news." I don't know who you are, nor how much you analyze the news, nor how exposed you are to corpo/fascist 'news.' I'm just saying, be aware of corpo/fascist trend-setting and how it affects our judgment--mine and yours, and everyone's.

Lots of stories today about the kind of sandwich Obama had with his daughters in Hawaii. Tuna melt on 12-grain bread. Is Dan Rather's lawsuit more or less important than the ingredients in Obama's sandwich? You be the judge. Really. YOU be the judge--not them.

[MadMaddie]

95. Yes and No

It is big because it proves the media was in bed with the adminsistration to push the Repug propaganda message....

This is one of the key points of facism. This is as important as all of the other crimes committed by the adminstration. Think about it without a culpbable media to repetively push that Dan Rather was wrong the truth would have come out about *. Because it happened no other journalist wanted to venture into any truth telling about *.

[blm]

97. Media ignoring election theft is PART of this - they didn't WANT Kerry re-regulating their industry

... and they KNEW he would.

THIS is why Viacom and CBS and every other major network and news channel cooperated with whatever Bush and Rove needed from them:


06/02/2003
KERRY SEEKS TO REVERSE FCC’S “WRONGHEADED VOTE”

COMMISSION DECISION MAY VIOLATE LAWS PROTECTING SMALL BUSINESSES; KERRY TO FILE RESOLUTION OF DISAPPROVAL

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a “Resolution of Disapproval” as a means to overturn today’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.

Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America’s small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC’s decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today’s media marketplace.

In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC’s decision, Kerry said:

“Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today’s wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.

“Today’s vote is a complete dereliction of duty. The Commissioners are well aware that these rules greatly influence the competitive structure of the industry and protect the public’s access to multiple sources of information and media. It is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that the rules serve our national goals of diversity, competition, and localism in media. With today’s vote, they shirked that responsibility and have dismissed any serious discussion about the impact of media consolidation on our own democracy.”

[givemebackmycountry]

22. n/t

[deek]

23. too late to rec....

I stand by Dan

[beac]

24. Go Dan! You told the TRUTH about Bush and paid the price. Now it's THEIR turn!

Go, Dan, GO!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

25. About time somebody shows they have a big pair! nt

[kitty1]

28. Are you referring to shoes? Go long Dan.....n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

98. Yeah that's it. BIG shoes lol nt

[Loudmxr]

27. All Dan has to do is ask Chimpy "Did you complete your service?" under oath. HAHAHA

[Dinger]

40. And Then They Can Ask him WHY he Didn't Finish, And Then They Can Ask him

a host of questions that are connected to this story. HA HA!

[Binka]

Expose The Pissy Pants Coward Dan! Yes! Go Dan Go!

Expose the fraudulent little prick for what he is....a cowardly little frat boy warmonger afraid to fight for his country but ready to send 1000's to their deaths. And kill untold 100,000s as well. FUCK BUSH. FUCK him Dan. Go!

[jaysunb]

29. This will never come to trial.

Rather will take the money and apology...the facts will again be ignored, and the beat goes on...
:evilfrown:

[tbyg52]

80. I hope you're wrong about that, and I think you may be.

From what I've read, he's in it to get the truth out. The money is just a way to get their attention.

One can hope.....

[Divine Discontent]

30. #50 for Dan & for the truth - take 'em down Dan! eom

[DailyGrind51]

31. Rather called out Nixon, and then Bush, why journalism can't produce more like him?

[royable]

32. Yes, Bush's Natl. Guard service should be investigated. Yes, Rather was badly treated by CBS, but...

Rather made a very big mistake, one that seems to get virtually no mention. The documents were obviously forged, and anyone with basic awareness of typewriter, computer, and computer printer technology would have seen it in an instant. I know I did, and I am very, very surprised that Rather didn't.

The documents used a proportionally spaced font rather than a mono-spaced font. Typewriters type in a mono-spaced font. Typeset documents, or documents prepared on desktop computers can be laid out in either mono-spaced or proportionally spaced fonts, as the person setting up the print job chooses. It's highly unlikely that the routine paperwork represented in these documents would have been sent out for typesetting by someone in a National Guard office, and desktop computers didn't exist at the time. It's highly likely that this routine paperwork would have been typed on a typewriter. Therefore, if it's in a proportionally spaced font, it's fake.

What I find double surprising is that someone went to a whole lot of work to produce fake documents appropriate to the era and the National Guard culture, and didn't have the sense to lay them out in a mono-spaced font as a typewriter would have done. The forger's choice of proportionally spaced font screams "FAKE!!"

Again, lest anyone mistake whose side I'm on, I do indeed believe that "what the documents stated has never been denied," and Dan Rather received completely unfair treatment from his employer.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

35. The forger was not a pro and was clearly ideologically motivated

That lead to the fairly amateurish mistake. People see what they want to see, and clearly Rather wanted to get the story out. There were proportional font document systems out back then but it has never been shown that they could produce the documents as formatted or that it was available to the squadron.

The real issue here is what was in Rather's contract. All the rest is superfluous in terms of the governing law. If he was fundamentally "at will", he has no case. If he had some protections or termination clauses, the network will pay big. Political pressure, accuracy of the documents etc are not relevant. Either way he is out to pasture at this point. The good news is that leaves him free to investigate and report as he see fit, not being limited by network hacks.

[Peace Patriot]

63. I agree that how the possibly re-typed paper got in among the other documents

is not the critical legal question in this lawsuit. That was a matter for serious investigation at the time--which CBS failed to back Rather in conducting. There is a possibility of deliberate sabotage of the news story (--a re-typed doc planted among the others, and Freepers alerted to jump right on it). And there remains the possibility that the TNG squadron DID have a proportional spacing typewriter (or someone who was trying to preserve the document's contents had access to one, and had to use it for some reason). (For instance, say someone was ordered to destroy the doc. He/she didn't want to disobey orders, but wanted the history preserved--and, for some reason, couldn't use a photocopier or camera.) And, of course, the squadron secretary strongly corroborated the content of that controversial piece of paper--which has always, to my mind--and I imagine, to Dan Rather's and his team's--made the re-typing something of a moot point (--except for: who would have motive to try to sully and confuse the story with a "re-typing" controversy?).

This was the matter at issue between Dan Rather and CBS execs. Rather's contract apparently said that they have to back him up on matters like this, and they sabotaged him instead. I haven't read that part of the lawsuit, but I believe that is the point at issue now--his contract, and what CBS was obligated to do, or not do, regarding Rather's control of a news story. Rather had, I don't know, 20-30 years experience as a reporter and investigator, and a full team of top-notch investigators working for him. He was no grub reporter. He was an 'Establishment' all unto himself. And his contract apparently contained non-interference-by-management provisions.

That will be the matter at issue in court. But in the course of laying out the case against CBS execs on Rather's contract, Bush's AWOL and related documentation (which went way beyond the one controversial piece of paper), and possibly also CBS's suppression of the Abu Ghraib torture story, will likely be laid out. CBS will likely argue that they had the right to suppress the AWOL story because of the possibly re-typed document; Rather will argue that they did not, or, in any case, that they were obliged to back a real investigation of how the possibly re-typed document got in among the others. I obviously don't know the fine print of the contract, so I don't know if CBS has any leg to stand on. The Abu Ghraib story, however, reinforces Rather's contention that he was being censored for political/profit reasons, because there was no doubt at all about the documentation.

And that is the heart of the matter--the corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies suppressing news and manipulating news for political and private gain. Rather has a transcript of CBS execs stating that Bush/Cheney's re-election "is in our interest"!

I really don't think Rather is pursuing this matter for the money. He has already spent $2 million of his own on this lawsuit (I read somewhere, recently). After I watched his recent documentary, "The Trouble With Touchscreens" (www.HD.net), I think Rather has exited our national political establishment and has become a radical and a truth-teller. He is PISSED OFF. What they did to him changed him. And he is out to expose the whole game--from 2000 thru 2004. ("Touchscreens" is partly about FLA-2000). He is in the same spot that Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson found themselves in--fucked over by the very Establishment they were loyal to. But I think Rather is even more devoted to exposure of the Bushwhack game than they are (or can be--she's CIA and pledged to a lifetime of keeping secrets). He is on fire. He is out for blood. Take a gander at his "Touchscreens" documentary, and tell me this isn't true. He is very angry--like someone who has the scales fall from their eyes, all at once--and he is going back over the last eight years, digging out the details of how fuckwad electronic voting corporations, and fuckwad corporate 'news' monopolies, aided and abetted this fascist junta.

Really, I have particularly good knowledge of election fraud, and he dug out stuff I hadn't even heard of--for instance, that ES&S voting machines are manufactured in dreadful sweatshop conditions in the Philippines, and that soggy punchcard paper was deliberately supplied to certain Florida precincts, to guarantee 'hanging chads.'

Hot. The man is hot. His lawsuit is not about recovering money or even his big time career. That's my feeling. It is about THE TRUTH.

[TankLV]

75. WRONG!

Your claims about the proportional IBM Selectric typewriters have been shot down MANY TIMES over...

Most specifically by myself, among others...SINCE I USED THEM!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

81. How so?

I also pointed out to the prior poster (#32) that there indeed were proportional font systems available in that time frame. Bear in mind that at this point, not even Rather, is claiming that it is authentic.

Its really a contracts issue. Post #63 has a great deal of details on that.

Regardless of outcome, Rather is now free to investigate and report on his own without interference from management. A very good thing.

[islandmkl]

43. ??...see response #2@:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x411448

[royable]

91. Thank you, islandmkl, for the pointer to truedelphi's posting...

...about the IBM Mag Card typewriter. I'd never heard of it before.

"A combination of three of IBM's most significant technological achievements was added to the OPD product line in April, 1972, with the announcement of the IBM Mag Card "Executive" Typewriter. Designed to fill the needs of typing stations where appearance of the typed document is a prime consideration, this machine combined the quality of proportional lettering, the convenience of single element typing, and the efficiency of magnetic media."

So, forget I said anything in my original posting. I've learned something here. Thank you.

[JDPriestly]

110. I personally recall typing on an IBM Executive Typewriter, but

I do not remember exactly what year it was.

I picked out the electric typewriter for my company's office in London in 1972 and recall looking at a lot of machines. I finally chose an Olivetti. I tried a lot of machines before picking the Olivetti.

[NewJeffCT]

72. Didn't Michael Moore also state

that he was offered the documents as well, but turned them down because they weren't verifiable?

[TankLV]

73. The documents WERE NOT "obviously forged"!!! Stop repeating the bullshit.

I used such "golfball" machines with proportional spacing then - I liked certain fonts because the way they looked on Architectural Documents.

And my mom used such IBM Selectric typewriters as part of her daily use - they were COMMON then, all over the place...

You and your repuke friends spew to the contrary has been PROVEN WRONG many times over...

"enjoy" your "short stay" here...

[royable]

86. TankLV, watch your manners and your assumptions, and calm down..

I am not a repuke, and I don't associate with them unless I can't help it. I'm a newbie here, and your welcome was highly unwelcome. My wife and I donated many hundreds of dollars to the Obama campaign. I've voted democratic all my adult life, and I'm over 50. I thought I'd put a toe into the bathwater, and this is what I get.

I've never heard of proportional spacing typewriters. Let this be a learning experience for me rather than a negative one.

[grasswire]

87. don't you see?

The obvious FAKE was the setup. The FAKE was the reason the story could be attacked. It was PLANTED. ENGINEERED.

So far, the ruse has worked.

[JDPriestly]

108. As I recall, the person who would have typed the original document

stated that the substance of what was said sounded right to her, but that the document itself was not familiar. It would be a mistake to assume that the document was "forged," a word that suggests creation for some illicit purpose or for monetary gain without knowing whether perhaps an original existed at some point and was retyped for some reason.

An anachronistic font suggests either that the document is or was a forgery or that it is a recent retyping of an earlier document. Perhaps the original of a document with identical text was, at one time, available only in some form such of microfiche, and a person who was not permitted to have an actual copy of the document made an illegal copy and then typed a new document based on that illegal copy in order to prevent tracing.

Another possible explanation for a document with an anachronistic font, i.e., a document recently typed from an older document would be cleaning a file and retyping documents for the purpose of taking them home with the thought of writing a memoir. If the document was an official document, and an employee somehow wanted to be able to keep the memory of the document for personal use, the person would retype it.

Yet another possible explanation for a retyped document would have been updating files in an office. This may sound unlikely, but someone could have retyped a document in order to store it on a computer more effectively -- in the days before scanners.

So, the question here is not just whether the document was the original but whether the facts as presented in the document are true. The text may have been the original text although the document is not the original document.

[Shipwack]

121. My explanation is a bit simpler...

The reason the secretary never typed the letter was because the CO typed it himself.

When you are going to criticize the son of a man who not only has wealth and political power but is also the US Ambassador to China, you play things close to the chest.

[JDPriestly]

109. What makes me curious is that, in 2004, some media reported that Kerry

had an affair. The story was completely false. No one was fired for that heinous lie.

Again and again, we see terrible lies in the news. No one is fired. Why was Rather fired? Because CBS wanted to pander to the right-wingers including the Bush crew.

Remember all the lies about Kerry's medals? That was far worse than this memo re Bush. Kerry really was a hero. He actually went to war. All the men who join and honorably served and win purple hearts are heroes. Yet no heads rolled in the media that reported on the Swiftboating stories without question. Shameful. Partisan witch-hunt against Rather. And so this story will destroy any hope that Bush has about his legacy. This story and the Plame outing.

I say this will destroy Bush's legacy because I believe that more than anything Rather wants to out the truth about the pressure placed on the media during the Bush years. It was incredible. In my life, I have never seen the American press so bow before a president and print just about any unwarranted claim made by the president without critique. If it had not been for the internet, the public would never have learned the truth about Bush.

God bless American, and God bless the internet.

[Shipwack]

119. Incorrect.

There was never any proof that the documents were forged. Everytime a right wing assertion was proved wrong, they moved the goal post "Oh, well, none could make a 'th' symbol", then moving on when -that- was disproven....

"The documents used a proportionally spaced font rather than a mono-spaced font. Typewriters type in a mono-spaced font"
In general, true, but there were typewriters in that time period that typed proportionally. For instance, the IBM Selectric could do this, and came out in 1961.

The Daily KOS has an excellent point-by-point analysis of the claims of forgery.

[royable]

120. Thank you for the link, Shipwack. I stand corrected.

Very interesting Daily Kos article. Thank you.

[Shipwack]

122. You're welcome...

And welcome to DU!

:hi:

[ClayZ]

33. Yay! K and R

[shellgame26]

36. Go git 'em Dan

It's never too late. Don't let these neo-con pricks re-write history. SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT!

[democrank]

37. Go Dan!

http://www.awolbush.com/

[SpiralHawk]

38. "But I am going to pardon MYSELF for lying about going AWOL. Smirk." - Commander AWOL (R)

[Dinger]

39. I Hope Dan Wins And CBS Hires Him Back

with their fucking tail between their legs. GO DAN GO!

[DemoTex]

42. George W. Bush's Bright, Shining Lies

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/02/21_lies.html

[glitch]

54. The USA should generously return Bush to service with the rank he went AWOL -- straight to Iraq.

No special treatment.

[jmowreader]

56. WHY?

Do you really want a 60-year-old incompetent like Bush leading America's finest young men and women?

I would much prefer they send him to Iraq as a PFC and assign him to unload litters from medevac Blackhawks at a medical clearing station, so he gets to see, up close and personal, the effects of his actions.

[marshall]

44. If he can prove that document is authentic he's got it made!

His source needs to step forward and give the story of how the document was retrieved and saved for history.

[ExPatLeftist]

46. GO DAN!

Give 'em hell.

[graywarrior]

47. Take him DOWN!, Dan!

[sasquuatch55]

49. K&R

[Kittycat]

55. I'm really looking forward to Dan's Comeback Night on TV.

Once the truth comes out, and news industries are forced to restore his credibility - I have no doubt he'll have his own show again.

[L0oniX]

59. He has his own news show on HDNET and it's a great show.

[judesedit]

58. Woohoo! Don't let them stop you, Dan

Please don't take the same transportation, or go in the same direction, twice. I love it when the truth comes out. I can't wait until the truth about 9/11 is told. And the perpetrators are held accountable.

[jmowreader]

60. I know who the first two witnesses need to be

First, read http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210662/posts--this is the infamous Rathergate thread.

The FIRST man on the witness stand needs to be Harry MacDougald, freeper nickname Buckhead. He's the freeper who turned this thing from "was Bush really AWOL?" to "did the Texas National Guard have a typewriter that could have written the memo?"

I want to know how MacDougald got the memo. I think you'll find Karl Rove's greasy little fingerprints all over this--he may even have typed it. He's done shit like that before.

On edit: the second man on the stand needs to be freeper nickname Rome2000. Read the thread and you'll see why.

[kmac3]

61. Rather Justice

"At this point, he's already known as a total failure, so, most people really don't care that he skipped out on the war and even his air guard duty."

WRONG

It's a matter of principal ... Truth is a necessary element to accurately record history. The fact he was a young, wild, rich kid constantly protected by Daddy and his money is part of his legacy, like it or not.
He enjoyed the dance... now pay the piper!

[bobd0]

62. Even a story on American MSM caving in still has to be done by a UK publication. nt

[Joanne98]

67. Natch!

[lavenderdiva]

74. my thoughts exactly, bobd0

Again we see the American MSM failing to even report news, much less investigate. Thank God the UK publications still have the balls to do so.

[poppysgal]

64. I Rather like that

The first amendment is worth fighting for and I applaud Dan Rather for sticking to his guns. It is time for credible journalism to make a comeback.

[kestrel91316]

65. Dan Rather: STILL a pit bull. YAY!!!!!!!!

[Joanne98]

66. Right here

Part of the reason for that, he suggests, was that Viacom, a sister company of CBS, knew that it would have important broadcasting regulatory issues to deal with during Bush's second term.
>>>>>>

And boy did they get paid! 70 billion bucks worth!

>>>>>>>>>>
Outfits like the Consumers Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights have gotten government contracts to spread the word on the digital changeover. But virtually none of the public interest and civil rights players have anything to say about the most important question revolving around the move to digital TV: How Washington gave away $70 billion of the public's broadcast spectrum - for nothing!

"The public gets absolutely nothing from the deal, except crisper pictures of the same old programming."

Without benefit of meaningful public hearings, the corporate-controlled Federal Communications Commission allowed existing TV channel license holders - all of them - to operate three or more additional channels. That's like getting three or four TV station licenses for free, and without having to demonstrate that you will operate those channels in the public interest. The Great Digital Giveaway is the biggest squandering of public broadcast resources in the history of the United States - a conspiracy involving both political parties for the benefit of filthy-rich broadcast monopolies. The public gets absolutely nothing from the deal, except crisper pictures of the same old programming, broadcast on three or four times as many channels.

When the digital breakthrough occured, TV corporations weren't even interested in an expanded universe of channels. As far as they were concerned, more channels meant spending more money creating programs to fill up the additional air time, for the same audiences. But once digital technology made the huge increase in channels possible, commercial broadcasters made sure that nobody else would get access to the larger television universe. What could have been the dawning of a new day for truly diversified programming, serving the needs of the many ethnic, language, age and economic groups that make up America, will wind up as a dud, on February 18, a day like any other broadcast television day, with lots more channels but nothing new or worthwhile to watch. For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=945&Itemid=1

[lovuian]

68. the Truth will set you free and make you rich

all these networks who supported this regime are going DOWN
its like a Poison that seeped through the system all that came in contact were sickened

[Lorien]

69. K & R nt

[Myrina]

70. Nice for history's sake but too late for the country ...

... the shit that's been perpetrated can't be undone.

Those complicit media and corporate entities should be charged as accomplices in war crimes, murder, embezzlement, treason, voter fraud and a thousand other crimes and misdemeanors that we and the rest of the world have suffered during that fool's illegitimate watch.

[davidwparker]

71. With 75% of the American people glad to see * go, now they may be open to

hear facts about the chimp in chief.

[Cha]

77. Glad The Guardian is reporting on this..

pickled bush says "history will judge ol' george w" ..well, here it comes history. The shit will never stop from what the bushits tried to get away with during the fascist years.

[happygoluckytoyou]

79. HOW TO HELP DAN---> GET THE SPOTLIGHT ON THIS STORY---> copy and send to NEWS AGENCIES

ask them WHY this is not being covered..... sending and spreading a story such as this will ASSURE bush his proper place in history ! ! !
ALL IT TAKES IS 30 MINUTES A WEEK OF YOUR TIME.... and we can assure BUSH will be remembered as the coward he is and was

[No Elephants]

83. I hope Rather wins, but it's too late to discredit Bush. Bush's military record was his greatest

weakness (before he got into office, that is). In discrediting the story, CBS helped whitewash Bush. That, in turn, paved the way for the Swiftboaters. Eight years later, the country's in the biggest mess it's even been in, with the possible exception of the Civil War. So, a Rather victory would be, at best, a pyrrhic moral victory for America. I still hope he nails CBS to a wall. Maybe it will deter networks in the future. I also hope he sued for punitive damages, too. If I were on the jury, I'd award a couple of billion in punitives.

[ooglymoogly]

85. One more rec for this important story. Criminal how it is not

being covered by our own intrepid accomplices.

[Claire Beth]

88. You go get 'em Dan! n/t

[grasswire]

89. the criminal complaint is available online

http://www.scribd.com/doc/310967/Dan-Rather-v-CBSViacom-Criminal-Complaint

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

94. Wait a minute--- can the Bush legacy get any worse?

[Turbineguy]

96. This document came up much earlier. Like 2000

I understood that the original document vanished (removed from the file) and this one was typed up by the same Secretary to the best of her memory. It was never passed off as genuine by the author, but as something like "similar".

[proud patriot]

100. Wheeeee!

:woohoo:

[Phred42]

101. Go for the Jugular Dan!

:toast:

[Greybnk48]

102. Good man Dan. The right has been trying to make him appear

foolish for years, because he is a purveyor of truth. He will be vindicated in this case as always.

[quiet.american]

103. Glad to see Rather is determined to have the truth known about this. nt

[dipsydoodle]

105. Good to see that

in our UK press.

[d_b]

106. I hope he gets every penny

and then some.


WAR RATHER!

[Zorra]

107. In a perfect world, Bu*h's legacy would be failed rich boy professional cheerleader. n/t

[Initech]

111. Get 'em, Dano!!!!

[clarkgabe]

112. What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

I smelled dirty tricks from the Bush Administration and the ultra right wing when he got fired during the 2004 election season. It has always smelled really bad. Go get 'em Dan!

[47of74]

113. Go get those back ends of horses Dan

[BrklynLiberal]

114. GREAT news! I hope the "legacy" goes down in flames...

[pilsner]

115. Dan knuckled under when it really counted

according to Greg Palast:

http://www.gregpalast.com/dan-rather-tased-and-confused/

[BrklynLiberal]

116. Sad.

[Wang111]

117. George W. Bush’s murders will also be bad for Bush’s legacy

George W. Bush’s murders will also be bad for Bush’s legacy.

Please see my blog for information about numerous people who were murdered by George W. Bush:

Mark Lombardi (former Bush biographer)

Gary Webb (former Bush biographer)

Danny Casolaro (former Bush biographer)

Jim Hatfield (former Bush biographer)

Bob Stevens (former photo editor at The National Enquirer)

Mel Carnahan (former governor of Missouri)

Paul Wellstone (Jewish former U.S. Senator)

Mike Connell (the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush’s 2000 and 2004 elections; he planned to tell all)

Margie Schoedinger (African-American woman who had accused Bush of rape and torture and sought action against Bush prior to her death)

Just type any of the names above into the “SEARCH BLOG” function at my blog, and hit “Enter” to find the relevant information (online research).

Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993

“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG

http://andrewyu-jenwang.blogspot.com/