To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (32342 ) 2/6/2009 9:09:32 AM From: tntpal Read Replies (4) | Respond to of 71588 The Dan Rather File Decades of Liberal Media Bias “I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things.” -- Dan Rather on The O'Reilly Factor, May 15, 2001 Dan's Downfall: Forged Documents Updated September 20, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On September 8, 2004, Dan Rather cited “exclusive information, including documents” to justify major CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes stories alleging that George W. Bush shirked his duties when he was in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1960s and 1970s. Within a few hours of those documents being posted on CBS News’ Web site, however, typography experts voiced skepticism that the documents had actually originated with their alleged author and Bush’s former commanding officer, the late Lt. Colonel Jerry Killian. As the evidence mounted, Rather stubbornly clung to the idea that his story was bulletproof, and he derided critics as partisans and Internet rumormongers. When he “apologized” on September 20, Rather would not concede that the documents were forgeries, only that he and CBS could “no longer vouch for their authenticity.” On November 23, 2004, CBS announced that Rather would soon be leaving his job as anchor of the CBS Evening News. An investigative report released on January 10, 2005 faulted CBS’s rush to put the flawed story on the air and their “stubborn” defense in the days that followed, but oddly decided that they could not blame partisan bias. Rather "Absolutely" Stands by Bush Story "Truth" Declaring he "absolutely" believes "the truth" of his discredited story based on forged memos, about President Bush's National Guard record, on the July 12, 2006 Larry King Live on CNN Dan Rather contended that "we had a lot, a lot of corroboration, of what we broadcast about President Bush's military record. It wasn't just the documents." Rather then attacked those who dared to expose his misdeeds: "It's a very old technique used, that when those who don't like what you're reporting believe it can be hurtful, then they look for the weakest spot and attack it, which is fair enough. It's a diversionary technique." (CyberAlert, July 13, 2006)