by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright September 26, 2004
All Rights Reserved.

linging to his job as CBS news director, embattled evening anchor Dan Rather displayed dogged stubbornness, admitting he could not corroborate the authenticity of documents used Sept. 8 by “60 Minutes II,” indicting President George W. Bush's service in the Texas National Guard. Rather, and members of the hierarchy at CBS, still haven't admitted that the documents—represented as Bush's actual military records—were in fact forgeries, outright fakes. To this date, Rather claims that he and his savvy CBS news team were duped—something pushing “plausible deniability” to the breaking point. Appointing an investigative panel headed by former U.S. Atty. Gen. Richard Thornburgh and former Associated Press President and CEO Louis Boccardi buys Rather more time, while CBS scrambles to find a replacement, bolsters ratings and contains growing credibility crisis.

      Rather's decision to run the bogus story, ignoring unambiguous warnings by CBS' own document experts, represents the most egregious abuse of the First Amendment witnessed in broadcast journalism. No news organization responsible for safeguarding the public trust should collude with a political party. Almost single-handedly, Rather allowed the Bush-bashers and Democratic operatives to exploit the prestige of CBS News, mortally wounding the network's credibility. It defies all logic, common sense and the facts to believe CBS was duped. While there's nothing wrong with opening an investigation, CBS executives should have immediately called for Rather's suspension, pending the outcome. Rather's face on the evening news continues to harm the network's image, more concerned about ratings—and ad dollars—than doing what's right.

      Rather cut his teeth reporting in the rice paddies of Vietnam, eventually becoming former President Richard M. Nixon's nemesis during Watergate. He earned a reputation as a tough-minded, sharp-tongued, straight-shooting journalist, staking his credibility on getting out the truth. Now the subject of his own news story—and investigation—Rather hasn't come clean, preferring to spin his way out of the current mess, using the same smokescreens he exposed over his distinguished career. “I'm of the school, my name is on it. I'm responsible,” Rather told the Los Angeles Times, immediately after Web bloggers challenged CBS for using forgeries on “60 Minutes II.” More recently, Rather said CBS “made a mistake in judgment,” no longer accepting personal responsibility, diverting blame to his subordinates. Rather's lapses aren't really mistakes but careful calculations.

      When CBS senior producer Mary Mapes obtained forged memos from well-known Bush-basher, 54-year-old former Texas Gurardsman Bill Burkett, Rather—and the entire CBS News crew—knew that the memos were fakes, before subjecting them to document experts. Immediately after CBS ran the story, the Kerry campaign denied “any” involvement. Yet Kerry's chief strategist Joe Lockhart admitted to speaking with Burkett shortly before the “60 Minutes II” broadcast. Lockhart denied talking to Burkett about the forged memos, insisting “it's baseless of say the Kerry campaign had anything to do with this,” proving, if nothing else, that “when in doubt, use denial.” While Lockhart admits CBS contacted him about talking to Burkett, CBS hasn't yet admitted they were handed the story by Kerry campaign. Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland—a close Kerry friend and campaign advisor—confirmed he was contacted by Burkett.

      Connecting the dots, it's not rocket science to figure out that Burkett probably contacted Cleland with a fresh story to counteract “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's” relentless attack on Kerry's credibility. Kerry was sinking in the polls and in need of urgent CPR. Cleland probably told Burkett to contact Joe Lockhart, one of Kerry's chief strategists. Lockhart probably told Cleland to contact CBS' senior producer Mary Mapes, who obtained the documents from Burkett. Chomping at the bit, Mapes went to Rather, who, with sagging Nielsens, hoped to one-up his competitors. Ignoring doubts of document experts, Rather aired “60 Minutes II,” figuring, in the worst case scenario, he could claim he was duped. “If I knew then what I know now, I would not have gone ahead with story as it was aired and I certainly would not have used the documents,” said Rather, executing his plan.

      No rational person can possibly believe that Dan Rather and all of CBS News were duped by amateurish forgeries. Without checking out the contents, a cursory look at computer-generated “superscripts” told CBS that the memos were counterfeits. CBS' investigation must get to the bottom of how one of America's most prestigious news organizations was exploited by a presidential campaign. “I wish Dan Rather was half the man that George Bush is,” said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), outraged by CBS' cheap political shot. “What he [Rather] did showed real criminal negligence,” said King, believing that Rather and CBS' news conspired with the Kerry campaign to go after Bush. Instead of wasting more time and making excuses, CBS should find a replacement and give Rather the boot. Whatever the investigation, Rather must be still held accountable and step down.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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