Reply #21: That sounds right

[Shrek]

Here's another snip from the same article:

Half an hour later, Roberts called "60 Minutes" producer Mary Mapes with word that Bartlett was not challenging the authenticity of the documents. Mapes told her bosses, who were so relieved that they cut from Rather's story an interview with a handwriting expert who had examined the memos.

At that point, said "60 Minutes" executive Josh Howard, "we completely abandoned the process of authenticating the documents. Obviously, looking back on it, that was a mistake. We stopped questioning ourselves. I suppose you could say we let our guard down."

Sounds like maybe the White House just got lucky. They didn't challenge the documents because they knew the contents to be true, but they got the benefit of some sloppiness on the part of CBS.