Reply #52: Oh, please. He wasn't silenced.

[Eloriel]

It was a set up, and yes, probably Rove.

Here's why. First, Rove's history (and I apologize to DUers who have read this from me about 20 times now) --

James H. Hatfield wrote a book about George W. Bush called "Fortunate Son." He interviewed Rove and Rove confirmed Bush's cocaine use, and gave him a lot of other information.

The book gets printed and even distributed to some bookstores, and lo and behold one of those other "facts" from Rove is inaccurate. About some politican who was a Dem instead of Repug as Hatfield wrote (or vice versa). Not only that, but Rove had dug up some very nasty but true past history on Hatfield.

St. Martin's Press, which had printed the book, called back its copies and destroyed them since Hatfield's ENTIRE credibility was undermined by the double whammy on his credibility. Virtually everything ELSE in his book was no longer valid, just on the basis of the tawdry tale and his one incorrect "fact." The book was later published by Soft Skull Press, and not long after that Hatfield died, presumably of suicide (altho most DUers who know me don't trust ANY reports of "suicide" among Bush enemies and detractors).

Fast forward to the present. CBS gets wind, somehow, of these "documents." Rather said that Burkett had NOT contacted them, they CBS went after him. Rather knows the underlying story is true, all the other digging they've done over these past 4 years confirms well enough the info is true. They look authentic, their experts vouched for them, or at least well enough ESPECIALLY since the underlying story is true. They run with it.

Within 2 hours, I've read, the blogger known as Buckhead starts up his typography critique, the news EVERYWHERE picks that up with lightning speed, and little by little they all chip away at the credibility (despite some yeomen's efforts on our side of the political divide). Finally, Rather interviews Burkitt again (this past weekend), looking more closely at the provenance, and the story doesn't hold.

How did Buckhead jump on this story within 2 hours of its release? Well, we know that CBS asked the White House to comment before they went with it. We also know that Buckhead is a Repug operative and contributor, a lawyer who does work for the Southeastern Legal Foundation (similar to Larry Klayman's organization except totally conservative -- they fight to overturn affirmative action laws, etc.).

Another factor: Burkitt maybe didn't contact CBS, but he IS a Dem and did contact the Kerry campaign. According to Burkitt, he finally talked to Cleland but didn't get a call back after that.

Did someone from the Kerry campaign tip off CBS? We don't know. Of course, Burkitt was a commander in the TANG, so eventually someone, somewhere was likely to talk to him if they were seriously researching this story, so it IS possible that CBS contacted Burkitt on their own.

Where did Burkitt get the memos? He won't say (and apparently lied to CBS about it when they pressured him once all this blew up), but Burkitt insists he didn't forge them.

I think Rove, via some other 3rd party, planted them with Burkitt possibly even YEARS ago, in a similar sting to the one he ran with Hatfield. I would NEVER have suspected Rove had there not been this previous history with Hatfield.

And I think some blogger ought to write about this.

Anyway, CBS was set up. Now THEIR credibility including Dan Rather's is in the toilet. They are going to have a difficult time convincing anyone anywhere for a long, long time that they've got the goods if they run across other magnificent documents on any subject at all.

They were had. They probably should've done a much better investigative job.