Dan Rather on G. W. Bush report: ‘We reported a true story—that’s why I’m no longer with CBS News'

[marmar]

Dan Rather, former "CBS Evening News" host and current star of Mark Cuban's HDNet, has been out promoting his new book, "Rather Outspoken."

In an interview with Piers Morgan on Tuesday, Rather recalled the last conversation he had with George W. Bush after his controversial 2004 CBS News report on the former president's Air National Guard service record.

"I was at the White House for a briefing for reporters, and I asked him a couple of questions and he answered the questions," Rather said. "And then afterward he said to me, 'I hope you'll be happy retired in Austin.' That's my home. I had no intention of retiring in Austin. I have a passion for my work and I plunged myself back into doing work. But that's the only conversation I've had with him since."

Rather also defended the report that led to the end of his network news career.

"We reported a true story," he said. "That's why I'm no longer with CBS News." ...........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/dan-rather-george-w-bush-report-reported-true-143116444.html

[kenny blankenship]

1. Usually that's all it takes: the truth.

[1monster]

2. Rather has always had a reputation for integrity... I'd take his word over most

[CTyankee]

3. I read the book by the producer of that show, who was also fired.

She was very passionate and pointed out exactly what is being said now. The document he had was never proven a fake.

That poor guy and the producer were really screwed by CBS. It was a travesty.

[Bozita]

32. "Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power" by Mary Mapes

Excellent book!

[louis-t]

36. There was one sentence of testimony that brought Rather down.

"I cannot authenticate that document." Even though her testimony stated that it was Bush's commander's thinking at the time that he WAS being pressured to go easy on stupidface.

[ladjf]

44. Just another day in the criminal operation of big time politics. nt

[hughee99]

47. Unfortunately, if you're stuck with using the "my evidence has never been PROVEN a fake"

defense as a lawyer or journalist, your credibility is already in question.

[caseymoz]

69. The same crap analysis to claim it a fake

Last edited Thu May 3, 2012, 10:36 AM - Edit history (1)

. . . was later used to bolster Birtherism. It convinced every conservative amateur who had a blog that they could spot the liberal conspiracy by just looking at a document and finding all the mistakes. The faith, I guess, being that liberals always lie and they can't possibly be good forgers, either.

I have to say, Rove had a rapid, coordinated response in place. Just 8 hours after Rather's report, every conservative in the country was suddenly a pseudo-expert on fonts and 1960s vintage typewriters. I know this, because I was arguing with them online and I had no answers then. I actually said to someone, oh, and you're an expert on fonts? And his comeback, yes he was! He had run a layout and design business. (So he could recognize a typeface on sight and knew exactly when it was introduced? Knew that superscripts weren't available on a '60s vintage typewriter?) What could I say?

That coordinated misinformation simply could not have happened unless the Bush campaign was informed and aware the report was coming, and were prepared to release the blitz to every conservative outlet.

[Skittles]

4. of course it was true

but you're no longer with CBS because you fell for an easily anticipated Rove ugly trick

[malaise]

5. But all of M$Greedia covered up that story

BUsh was a costume pilot

[AlbertCat]

82. BUsh was a costume pilot

And a costume president
And a costume cowboy
And a costume business man
And a costume Ivy Leaguer


If it were't for the costumes, what would be left?

A coke spoon and a bottle?

[arcane1]

84. Indeed, his only valid costume was cheerleader

[sabrina 1]

6. I don't think it was ever in doubt. He is owed a huge public apology, but that would take integrity

and courage, both lacking in all those responsible. Shame on all of them.

[leveymg]

7. Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone bought CBS in 2000. He promptly destroyed CBS News.

Rather was just part of the carnage.

Redstone is a quintessential Neocon: a hardened corporate raider, a Right-wing Friend of the Bushes, clad in the flimsiest of "liberal" social views.

[NoMoreWarNow]

10. oh my god-- frightening!

[Rex]

13. I believe we had a Redstone that posted here.

Or maybe it was Redriver.

[leveymg]

17. Redstone.

I don't think it was that one.

Anyway, unlike the days of Joseph McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow, Network News Divisions no longer have any independence or much integrity to uphold. There are damn few real liberals or real journalists, anymore. The suits run the whole show.

[tledford]

35. *Edward* R. Murrow. eom

[leveymg]

38. Thx, my bad.

[Rex]

87. Oh yeah the M$M is a monster like the MIC

a hindrance to democracy imo.

[Gormy Cuss]

85. Yes, we did. He died a few months back.

Redstone was a screen name, not his IRL name.

[Rex]

86. I thought it might be a last name.

Like for example, my screen name is my first name. Sorry to hear he passed away.

RIP Redstone.

[Gormy Cuss]

89. For the record,

my IRL first name isn't Gormy and my last name isn't Cuss.

[HiPointDem]

15. you'd think with his money he could afford a better dye job.

[countryjake]

23. But don't forget Dick Thornburgh...

who had been Shrub-daddy's Attorney General...who just happened to be the lawyer that CBS chose to lead it's "independent" investigation against Dan Rather and Mary Mapes!

I look forward to seeing what Rather says about both Redstone and Thornburgh, in his book.

[hughee99]

45. Jeez, as a Neocon and friend of the Bushes, you'd think he's throw a little more $$ to repukes

Or at least would have donated to * once or twice. He backed both McCain and Gore in the 2000 Primaries and Kerry in '04.

http://www.newsmeat.com/billionaire_political_donations/Sumner_Redstone.php

[Horse with no Name]

63. Is Donald Trump his lovechild? n/t

[mahina]

70. He looks like a Zombie

no offense to zombies.

[Gregorian]

8. The corporations were not pleased.

Only when those who hold power see that what they're doing is counterproductive to the progress of humanity will they consider altering their ways. Until then we wonder why the truth isn't heard. We wonder why Obama has not done some of the things we know he wants to do. We wonder if there really was a second gunman in the RFK assassination. We wonder what really happened to the twin towers.

The risk of the 1st Amendment is that when the truth is not told, the ability for the country to steer the country in a controlled manner is impaired. We end up navigating blind. Or worse: we end up navigating via the instructions of those who told the lies in the first place.

[NoMoreWarNow]

11. yep-- he ran into the "buzzsaw" all right

[freshwest]

24. +1

[Kolesar]

9. Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell

Nobody likes a goat.

[Patiod]

79. Mmmmm....cake (nt)

[Baitball Blogger]

12. I wonder what we could have done better to help that story come out in a timely fashion,

and with a more positive outcome for Mr. Rather and the rest of us?

I remember feeling helpless through the entire ordeal because we didn't seem to have the experts ready at hand to refute the other side's experts. Or maybe we didn't have the media's attention?

[Ninga]

16. I felt the same as you. I bet that if that took place today the outcome might be different.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. It does seem easier to refute Republicans these days, doesn't it?

I think many Republicans, in their hearts, realize that they got taken by their own party.

[Tom Poll Master]

65. I felt the same way but also feel like today

we are powerless against the disinformation machine run by the 1% .

[Baitball Blogger]

66. True. But we have come a long way.

They don't have the army of supporters they once had. Or, at least, they don't appear to be as organized as they use to be.

[October]

76. I feel the same. And with the NYPD and other police depts at the corporations' beck and call...

how do we get out of this mess?

[certainot]

80. the problem is not a whole lot better today- the dominance of RW talk radio in managing the

message, enabling and intimidating media, and deciding what is and isn't acceptable in media and politics.

this supreme court, bush, iraq, wall st deregulation, and much of the shit of the last 20 years are trophies along with rather on a giant wall in limbaugh's basement.

that coverup was sold largely on radio and anyone in the media who sided with rather was getting killed by the screaming RW radio dittoheads (recently renamed teabaggers), aside from the daily beating that CBS was taking. the same mechanism was used to sell the elections thefts, intimidate recount efforts, sell vote fraud fraud (ACORN etc), and swiftbopat gore and kerry- and now obama.

ignoring RW radio the last 20 years has been a monumental blunder by the left, and despite recent activity around limbaugh the rest of the RW radio machine is largely untouched as it continues to yell loud and coordinated enough to negate much of what progressive activists do.

it's a ridiculous state of affairs there is no large scale organized effort by the left to take on those 1000 plus coordinated think tank fed megaphones dominating politics in many parts of the US. mostly because much of the left would rather listen to music and have no clue why they've been getting their butts kicked on so many issues.

the few stop limbaugh activists out there need to be supported and that effort needs to be expanded to all RW radio.

especially those universities that continue to endorse RW radio by broadcasting sports on those stations
https://sites.google.com/site/universitiesforrushlimbaugh/

[Whiskeytide]

14. Help me out here, guys...

I always thought the docs were proven to be forgeries, and that Rather got pwned in the process. Did I miss some revelations? Links, maybe? Thanks.

(Edited to change "forgery" to "forgeries&quot

[mbuch64]

18. Seems I recall

similar stories about the documents sent to Mr. Rather. I also recall stories concerning the location from whence the documents were faxed to CBS news. If I remember correctly, they were faxed from Dallas, TX. From a Republican office associated with Karl Rove. Wiki mentions this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents_controversy

[leveymg]

19. No. The evidence is inconclusive about whether they were originals or copies.

In any event, CBS corporate refused to turn this into what it was: an illustration of Rovian dirty-tricks operation and how Bush family cleansed Pentagon files.

[YvonneCa]

22. If you google Rather...

...Bush document memo forgery there are many links that make the case both for and against the docs being forgeries. It seems many pro-forgery links are to RW sites, and many anti-forgery links are not.

I did not see a link to a purely objective source. If someone finds one, I hope they will post it here...

[grok]

25. Forgery was never proven

However plausibility was diminished.

Setting aside for the moment the likelihood that Bush shirked his responsibilities and just look at the facts.

This document was created in a typeset and letter spacing that became far far far more common 20 years later in the personal computer age than then. While true that typewriters existed at the time that could do other than mono-space, they were rare and more conducive to existing in a precision graphics typesetting environment than an ordinary office. Not to mention broke down far too much to be very practical. As far as I know, nobody has come close to duplicating the faxed document with equipment available then. And believe me, people have tried REALLY REALLY hard.

On the other-hand it takes only a few minutes using only Microsoft Word to eerily match the faxed document.

Here was the smoking gun from wiki..




Wiki discussion....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents_controversy

Of course if we had the original, which we don't, it would be a different case. The original alone would prove it.

[Gregorian]

29. I remember the typeset threads. But that gif you posted seems far from conclusive.

As someone who knows nothing about typesets, but is observant, I see what looks like two of the same.

I think we were bamboozled on this one. Three card monty. Look over here while we steal your wallet.

[grok]

37. well then you yourself have just admitted

the MS Word(from the 1990's onward) example looks very much like the alleged document that Rather received.

Might not be conclusive to you but its definitely close enough for "government work"

But from the other side of the argument? NOTHING NADA ZILCH. Lots of theories, reasonable arguments of course, but nothing on paper to compare.

Hard to convict someone on something that can''t even be reproduced.

If someone has another example I'd love to see it. Link please?

I am in agreement with most that Bush probably got out some serious duty, and that it wasn't fair. I'd even go as far as to say the witnesses that were there at the time likely got it right.

But this "document" is not very good proof.

[philly_bob]

26. Clever right-wing disinformation campaign, as I recall.

They fed Rather questionable documents, then primed their media to debunk him. Then, in the ensuing storm, an enemy (Rather) was destroyed and the question of whether Bush Jr. pulled strings to get light service during Vietnam was buried.

However, discussion below on whether or not documents were forgeries confuses me.

Anyway, nostalgia buffs: remember how discussion centered around type characteristics of the spinning ball on IBM Selectrics?

[yardwork]

39. That was my impression at the time. I was on DU the night the 60 Minutes story aired.

There were immediate posts by newbies here on DU with "proof" that the documents were forgeries. It seemed to me that Rather was duped by a clever disinformation campaign that was designed to obscure legitimate questions about Bush's service. In other words, the story was true, the documents were probably fake and supplied by the Rove machine.

I remember reading that 60 Minutes had planned to run a story on Abu Ghraib that night but went with the Bush story because somebody sent them the documents. I wonder if it would have made a difference in the election. I think maybe so.

[deutsey]

71. That's how I remember it n/t

[Skittles]

28. just because those documents were forgeries

Last edited Wed May 2, 2012, 06:56 PM - Edit history (1)

does not mean he was not reporting the TRUTH about Duby's so-called "service"

Rather was duped by Rove dirty tricks

here; EDUCATE YOURSELF

http://www.texasmonthly.com/cms/printthis.php?file=feature.php&issue=2012-05-01

[Greybnk48]

21. it was my experience, from the 70's on, if Dan Rather said it was true, it was true.

I knew this story was true despite the manipulations by the greasy rat-fink Rove.

[cprise]

27. A petition about the CBS pro-torture issue:

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2162/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10338

I just signed and added that they should disclose, in addition to it "embedded" military activities, that it stands to profit also from the spread of this Rodriguez pro-torture book being published by a CBS division. Details here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002628970#post14

[Gregorian]

30. There was going to be a lawsuit over this.

Whatever happened with that? I seem to recall that it was simply dropped.

What a sick and sad period of American history. I wish I had never witnessed it.

[countryjake]

40. Yeah, it was dismissed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents_controversy

Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS/Viacom

On September 19, 2007, Dan Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS and its former corporate parent, Viacom, claiming they had made him a "scapegoat" over the controversy caused by the 2004 "60 Minutes Wednesday" report that featured the Killian documents.[116] The suit names as defendants: CBS and its CEO, Leslie Moonves; Viacom, Sumner Redstone, chairman of both Viacom and CBS Corporation; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News.[117]

In January, 2008, the legal teams for Dan Rather and CBS reached an agreement to produce for Rather's attorneys "virtually all of the materials" related to the case, including the findings of Erik T. Rigler's report to CBS about the documents and the story.[118]

On September 29, 2009 New York State Appeals Court dismissed Dan Rather's lawsuit and stated that the lower court should have honored CBS's request to throw out the entire lawsuit instead of just throwing out parts.[119]


And this, from Mary Mapes:

Dan Rather's New Courage: A Hefty Lawsuit Against CBS
http://www.alternet.org/media/63269/dan_rather's_new_courage%3A_a_hefty_lawsuit_against_cbs/?page=1


Mapes had her career as a journalist virtually destroyed by this...I just tried googling to find an article she wrote back when the case was dismissed, but I only got like four pages (and counting) of hits from right wing-nut sites, condemning her. Sigh.

[Gregorian]

60. Thanks for that.

I really appreciate your trouble to find that.

Maddening.

[southernyankeebelle]

31. Rather and Cronkite were the only 2 reporters that spoke to the truth. You could put your

dollar on it.

[Greybnk48]

73. Yes, exactly.

[harun]

33. Just because you have heard both sides to a story, doesn't mean you have heard the truth.

[grasswire]

34. Texas Monthly recently revisited the AWOL story and the Rather memos

http://www.texasmonthly.com/cms/printthis.php?file=feature.php&issue=2012-05-01


It's all there, and it's deeper and more dastardly than we even knew, with a timeline dating back to 1988.

I urge everyone to read this story and bookmark it.

[emulatorloo]

41. Thanks a million for that link.

Fascinating article.

[Ineeda]

48. Excellent article. Only one line may not be true:

At the end of the article: "But his time flying planes in Texas during the height of the Vietnam War remains a defining part of his political biography nonetheless, a chapter he proudly referenced in 2003, when he landed in a jet plane on the deck of an aircraft carrier to declare the end of major combat operations in Iraq—right before the country sank into a bloody, years-long war that would divide the United States and claim tens of thousands of Iraqi and American lives."

Is there actual proof that he was the one flying that jet? I never believed it. Everything about that stupid day, including pretending that the carrier was at sea, when it was extremely close to the San Diego shore, seemed a lie. This presidency, from beginning to end, will infuriate and enrage me until the day I die.

[Fuddnik]

52. It says he landed IN a jet plane, which is true.

He was in it as a passenger.

I doubt he ever attempted a carrier landing in his life. Air National Guard don't do that.

[naaman fletcher]

68. he didn't land the plane

that is for sure.. he was not a Navy pilot, and never would have been able to do that. I believe that at some point during the flight he took the controls for a few minutes.

[Javaman]

81. That was a fantastic article. I read it last week...

Aside from the AWOL, why no one went after moron* for the whole lottery thing is beyond me. Harriot Miers should rot in hell.

thick as theives.

[mfcorey1]

42. Amen! Amen! Amen!

[Doctor_J]

43. Considering the way others who took on the Bush family have ended up,

Rather's lucky. Many of them are dead.

[Cleita]

46. Bush family also had it out for him.

He nailed Poppy Bush live during the news in January 25, 1988 about Iran-Contra. The elder Bush got all huffy stating that he hadn't agreed to an interview to talk about that.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/752-1

[spiderpig]

51. Not to mention his famous comeback to Richard Nixon during a presser

Nixon (after Rather's critical question): "Heh heh - are you running for something?"

Rather (without missing a beat): "No sir - are you?"

...big gasp from fellow journalists...

I've loved him ever since.

His new book goes on sale today.

[Cleita]

57. I really miss him on the news.

Since as long as I can remember the CBS evening news was part of my daily routine. When Dan left and was replaced by Katie Couric, I stopped watching. I try to go back every now and then but I don't care for the pablum. I don't watch any evening news anymore but I really miss it, that is real news like Dan, Walter (Cronkite) and Ed (Murrow) delivered in the past. It's like a part of my day has been missing since he left CBS.

[lostnote12]

49. Didn't the Secretary that typed the memo in question

...state that the memo was accurate however she was not certain as to whether or not the memo in question was the original copy that she typed...oh well

[Peace Patriot]

54. Yes, she said it was accurate. nt

[caraher]

55. I'm not sure

but I do remember that at no point was the substance of the story seriously questioned, merely the authenticity of the copy of the memo Rather et al had access to.

I hate thinking about 2004 - between the Swift Boat BS and giving a pass to * for his AWOL ANG career; the contrast could not have been starker regarding their service records and guess who got the heat in the media about Vietnam?

[Canuckistanian]

59. YES!

I remember that. She verified every detail. Can't remember her name.

The facts were correct and the letter actually existed, but the FAKED letter is what Rather and Mapes received.

Nobody involved ever denied the facts of the letter. Only that THIS COPY was a fake.
The reasoning was, if the letter was fake, so was the text of the letter. Uh-uh. The text was true.

I thought this whole scheme had Rove's fingerpirints all over it.

[Marr]

50. The whole thing was ludicrous. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Jr.

got preferential treatment. He was stateside, flying obsolete planes with a collection of other well-connected young men. I figured anyone with half a brain had long since assumed that his daddy got him a cushy, safe spot.

[KansDem]

53. It was a setup...

Several threads on this from 2004--

This one is particularly significant. The "Rather'sGate" website appeared before the "story" broke.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2400623&mesg_id=2401257

[Harry Monroe]

56. This is what Journalism has become...

Sad, very sad that the truth is no longer reported or even seen as viable journalism. We, as a people and a country, should be ashamed.

[Nye Bevan]

58. When this story broke, out of curiosity I opened MS Word,

typed in the "1973 memo" using all the default settings, and printed it out. It printed out absolutely identical to the Rather document. Anyone who claims that a 1973 typewriter did that is an idiot, and Dan deserved everything he got.

The sad part is, of course, that all this distracted from the very true fact that W was indeed a draft-dodging chickenhawk. Which was probably the intention.

[jwirr]

61. K&R

[kitt6]

62. I don't remember.

Sounds familiar.

[kitt6]

64. Old Egotism

and Greed will be the end soon.

[kitt6]

67. What's so dangerous these days

is that old, wealthy republicans know that their days are numbered; natural process; inevitable. It's not so much the President's race. It's his youth and potential forward policies with popularity. (New new deal) Now there are real dumb Psycho racist Rush Limbaugh's and his ilk and following out there. But Old White Politicians and their old pimps; another story. I have no dislike for the elderly, kind as they should be but I pray that racist white people can see for a change. It's in their best interest!

[Egalitarian Thug]

72. "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." K&R n/t

[libtodeath]

74. He dared to tell the truth and paid the price.

[Namvet67]

75. George W. Nugent

[myrna minx]

77. K&R n/t

[Brainstormy]

78. There's a lot of dirt in this story

I read the whole, very long story, of the reporter's investigation, which is now behind a paywall at the Texas Monthly, but this link alludes to many aspects of the cover-up.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/25/1085393/-Dan-Rather-got-it-right-George-W-Bush-DID-go-AWOL.



Rather was hung out to dry.

[grasswire]

83. no paywal at the link I have

http://www.texasmonthly.com/cms/printthis.php?file=feature.php&issue=2012-05-01


Is that the same story you mean?

[Rex]

88. Silencing reporters for telling the truth

is something I expect from Russia NOT America. We all knew he told the truth and got fired for it. GWB was a soft porn dictator, he even said so. STRANGE...you can be a RWing tool and give troop positions away, and GET away with it. YET you cannot tell the truth on national TV, even if you are a well respected journalist with decades of experience.

SO RWing tool = get away with traitorous activity in a warzone. Honest Journalist = gets fired for telling the truth behind an anchor desk on national TVEE.