More On Rathergate

Evidence is mounting that Dan Rather and his CBS team have either created bogus Bush National Guard documents or have been given a bunch of forgeries and didn't bother checking their authenticity. Many glaring inconsistencies, questions, and unreasonable assertions have been identified and CBS, so far, has not adequately supported its case. The seriousness of the issue is best expressed by Newsweek's Howard Fineman who considers Rathergate to be a turning point for the major media.

Curiously, the way things are unfolding, it seems that years ago Dan Rather may have decided what he wanted to report about President Bush's National Guard service and was looking for some evidence to back him up. Ultimately, he found some shady documents to his liking. According to The Prowler,

PERHAPS MOST TROUBLING to the CBS News staff looking into how its story went off the rails is the timing of the memos' appearance. "Some 60 Minutes staffers have been working on this story for more than three years off and on," says the CBS News producer. "There have been rumors about these memos and what was in them for at least that long. No one had been able to find anything. Not a single piece of paper. But we know that a lot of people here interviewed a lot of people in Texas and elsewhere and asked very explicit questions about the existence of these memos. Then all of a sudden they show up? In one nice, neat package?"

This strongly hints that the conclusion of the search was predetermined and awaited only the method to get there. Poof! After three years searching, one nice, neat package shows up to support what was already decided. Coincidence? Not likely. Odd timing? Definitely.

Dan Rather's credibility and his ability to continue vouching for the documents have been dramatically eroded by bloggers and others producing considerable evidence to the contrary. Dr. Joseph Newcomer, a pioneer in electronic typesetting who's not a George Bush supporter, has performed a detailed analysis and has determined that the whole collection of documents are most certainly forgeries.

Current status of the controversy resembles a feeding frenzy and, as Allah reports, some members of the CBS news team are anxiously hoping the conclusion will result in a job opening at the anchor desk.