Kerry Shot in the Foot

[johnc]

I was wrong, its getting much worse for CBS and Kerry:

 

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=7099

 

http://www.time.com/time/election2004/columnist/klein/article/0,18471,695809,00.html

[Pop N Wood]

Oh no! Not another vast, right wing conspiracy!

 

Funny how everyone is attacking poor Dan Rather for making up news to forward an agenda, yet they are planning on giving Michael Moore another Oscar for his work.

[2126]

JOHN COFFEY FOR PRESIDENT....he drives a Z car! What else needs to be said...............

 

 

P.S. John, I definitely concur with your thoughts!!!

[Tim240z]

JOHN COFFEY FOR PRESIDENT....he drives a Z car! What else needs to be said...............

 

 

P.S. John' date=' I definitely concur with your thoughts!!![/quote']

 

To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Coffey no longer owns a Z-car....definitely going to be an election issue/controversy

[johnc]

Actually, I don't drive a Z car anymore (although I do drive a 1977 Datsun 810). The Rusty Old Datsun is just a shell of its former self. And I've got too many skeltons in my closet (and adding new ones every day) to get into the political arena.

 

FYI... a good analysis of what's happening to the "Old Media":

 

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/7303.html

[tannji]

FYI... a good analysis of what's happening to the "Old Media":

 

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/7303.html

 

I think I need Orson Scott Card's input on "Hayekians" and "Republic of Science".... too funny, if you have read the Ender novels. I found myself wondering just the other day if the current political and mass media climate would jump start the appearance of RL Demosthenes or Locke clones. I hadnt even considered bloggers, which was rather obvious, in hindsight.

[johnc]

Now CBS's "expert" is claiming he didn't authenticate the forged documents:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18982-2004Sep13.html

 

And here's a perspective on why CBS is still stonewalling that never occurred to me, but it makes sense and is really scary at the same time:

 

http://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz.asp

[johnc]

And, of course, Microsoft is capitalizing on the whole thing:

 

http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/005093.php

[johnc]

As I predicted much earlier in this thread:

 

Dan Rather to Give Up

CBS Anchor Chair in March

 

A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP

November 23, 2004 3:42 p.m.

 

NEW YORK -- Dan Rather has announced he will step down as "CBS Evening News'' anchor in March, on the 24th anniversary of taking over the job from Walter Cronkite. The Viacom Inc. network didn't name a successor.

 

Although the 73-year-old anchor's departure has been anticipated for some time, the announcement comes at a time when CBS Evening News faces credibility questions after airing a botched report this fall challenging President Bush's National Guard service record.

 

 

Mr. Rather said he will continue to work for CBS, as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes.'' He made no mention of the National Guard story, saying he had agreed with CBS executives last summer that after the Nov. 2 election would be the right time to leave.

 

"I have always been and remain a 'hard news' investigative reporter at heart," Mr. Rather said in a statement. "I now look forward to pouring my heart into that kind of reporting full time."

 

The veteran newscaster is viewed by many people as a symbol of the Golden Age of TV news that predates 24-hour cable channels, the Internet and budget-cutting at network news units caused by consolidation and profit pressures.

 

CBS Nightly News has been a laggard in the evening news wars in recent years, trailing both NBC and ABC. One of Mr. Rather's two longtime rivals, NBC's Tom Brokaw, plans to resign as host of "NBC Nightly News" at the end of this month. His successor for the coveted anchor's chair is veteran network correspondent Brian Williams.

 

The triumvirate of Messrs. Rather and Brokaw and ABC's Peter Jennings has ruled network news for more than two decades. Mr. Rather dominated ratings after taking over for Mr. Cronkite during the 1980s, but he was eclipsed first by Mr. Jennings and then by Mr. Brokaw.

 

Although CBS didn't name Mr. Rather's successor, correspondents John Roberts and Scott Pelley have long been considered in-house candidates. CBS also could hire someone from outside the network.

 

Mr. Rather has worked at CBS News for more than four decades. He first made his name as a reporter covering the White House of President Nixon. CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said of Mr. Rather: "He has been an eyewitness to the most important events for more than 40 years and played a crucial role in keeping the American public informed about those events and their larger significance.''

 

Mr. Rather's hard-news approach was mixed with a folksy Texan style that led him to rattle off homespun phrases on Election Night. But odd incidents dogged him: In 1987 he walked off the set, leaving CBS with dead air, to protest a decision to let a tennis match delay the news. And his claim that he was accosted on the street by a strange man saying, "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" led rock band R.E.M. to write a song with that title.

 

Mr. Brokaw said that he was "pleased for Dan that he's come to a conclusion about his own life, as I have in my case."

 

"Dan and I have known each other competitively and personally for a long, long time," Mr. Brokaw added. "Occasionally on the competitive side, it would be tiny bumps in the road, but when you think of all that we've been through, we have a pretty strong relationship. So I wish him well."

 

ABC News said Mr. Jennings was traveling and couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

 

CBS thought it had an important scoop with the National Guard story this past September, reporting that Mr. Bush had received preferential treatment to get into the guard and stay in the U.S. during the Vietnam War, and had failed to satisfy the requirements of his service.

 

But critics immediately questioned the story, saying a document purportedly written by Mr. Bush's late squadron leader appeared to be a fake. Mr. Rather apologized, and CBS appointed an investigative panel. "We made a mistake in judgment," Mr. Rather said, "and for that I am sorry."

 

--The Associated Press contributed to this article.

 

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