Cuz We Said So: A little late on the Apology

September 20, 2004

A little late on the Apology

According to AP, today both CBS and Dan Rather apologized for using the questionable documents that were key to the 60 Minutes II story questioning Bush's Viet-Nam era Guard's service. Documents that they have repeatedly refused to back down on.

What finally changed their minds? Plummetting ratings, credability scores, and public opinion? It sure wasn't the experts they hired telling them they were nuts to trust the documents, or they would have changed the story right away.

Now they have brought forward a scapegoat in the form of former Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett. Wonder what he was paid to step up to the plate and "admit" that he deliberately misled CBS. Because of course CBS trusted him over the opinions of their experts, though will only say that the documents were "likely" forged.

I'm not hearing anything to really help with the credibility here.

Posted by Tonto in Current Affairs & Politics at September 20, 2004 04:03 PM

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Comments

The fact that Rather is maintaining that he believes the memos are real--despite the volumes of evidence refuting that idea, the dearth of supporting evidence--doesn't help. You'll notice he didn't concede that in his "apology".

Starting yesterday morning, I started seeing signs that from CBS' perspective, the "fall gal" will be Mary Mapes, the CBS producer that's been pursuing the story for the last five years, or so. Stories about her outspoken Democratic partisanship have started circulating.

And yet... she's not the Managing Editor of CBS news. If Rather knew what Mapes knew, and went with the story anyway, anything that happens to her should happen to him, and then some. And its his job to know what Mapes knew. The only acceptable way for him not to know would be if she herself lied to him--which I find hard to believe, given that she's still working there today.

Posted by: David Gaw at September 22, 2004 07:11 AM