Clearly, honesty isn't a requirement for inclusion into the "mass media". But we all knew that anyway.

Some appropriate music.

Dan is getting Rather annoying.

Reminds me of an old Doonesbury strip where a Vietnamese from the south was sent to a re-education camp and was about to take his first exam.
"Will we be responsible for revisionism?"
Camp Leader: "No, the truth will suffice."

And now, instead of defending itself against Rather by using the awesome mechanisms of the law to prove, once and for all, the essential truths of Rathergate — including the indisputable fact that the Killian memos were pathetically obvious forgeries — CBS News' defense is not that Rather is a crazed scoundrel and a national disgrace, but that CBS fully performed its contractual obligations to Rather

That's pretty pathetic.

Hey Dan! You sold BAD PRODUCT and got to retire comfortably. In my business, you would be in jail. Merry Christmas.

Fake but Accurate!

The Throbbing Memo is like the 800 lb. gorilla in the room- they don't want to acknowledge it, because that would be too close to admitting fraud were those documents to become court evidence.

Do you mean Beldar as in the "fried chicken embryos and beer" Beldar?

Beldar's point is that CBS is afraid to get into a situation where they have to actually admit these were obvious fakes.

CBS long since forfeited the absolute high ground, and it's left instead trying to stick to a comparative high ground, in which it must rely on establishing that Rather is merely being unreasonable and greedy (instead of crazed, corrupt, and paranoid).

This case may provide some fine moments of legal theater. But no one should labor under any misconceptions that it's even remotely about justice.

So, basically, this is going to be one big cat fight?

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

Does anyone have a good mailing address for Dan Rather?
(don't post it if you do, just answer yes or no)

Because we should all chip in and send him a big bouquet of green flowers, footballs, and these for Christmas.

From your friends at Little Green Footballs, Love and Merry Christmas.

OT, but...
Merry Christmas everybody. And happy New Year.

Rather's revisionism is rather apparently stupid. He's counting on regular people's remembrance of the events to be foggy and sketchy, hopefully they would accept his version of the events without question.

We need to step up our game against the force of revisionism.

re: #10 Charles

Beldar's point is that CBS is afraid to get into a situation where they have to actually admit these were obvious fakes.

But everyone knows never in history has fire melted steel...
Oh, wait...
Wrong conspiracy.

What No throbb?
This looks like a cause for popping more popcorn...The great CBS courtroom theater.

re: #12 Charles

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

Could create some issues with the FCC and broadcasting false information.

re: #10 Charles

It's not the first time CBS News has lied to the American people. Tet Offensive, anyone? They're just pissed they got caught.

And that's why Rather is doing so well these days.

I just got home and glanced at the topics today. My initial impression is "Oh bad word" (insert your own phrase).

CBS News eased Rather out, rather than immediately throwing his sorry butt on the street.

re: #12 Charles

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

Sounds like CBS is trying to avoid guilt by disassociation.

CBS cooked its own goose when it gave a ridiculously ambiguous description of this obvious fraud. They were trying to save Rather's reputation.
That worked rather well, didn't it?

What disturbs me the most about this latest round is that except for a few Blogs that were involved, few people in the wider world care, but they might hear this revisionism, and it will in some minds, stand.

re: #12 Charles

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

Truth squared...

re: #24 Mauser

What disturbs me the most about this latest round is that except for a few Blogs that were involved, few people in the wider world care, but they might hear this revisionism, and it will in some minds, stand.

That's why they're doing it.

Rather is a putz. A stinking dead fish under the desk of CBS -- at least he should be. Instead, he walks among us.

OT:

I just got back from walking the dogs, and I now declare that Christmas is officially here.

The Christmas tumbleweed has taken up residence in a driveway.

re: #12 Charles

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

See BS should just pay the Dan to go away... for obvious reasons.

re: #15 the_flying_pig

Rather's revisionism is rather apparently stupid. He's counting on regular people's remembrance of the events to be foggy and sketchy, hopefully they would accept his version of the events without question.

We need to step up our game against the force of revisionism.

Isn't relying on peoples' faulty memories the default operational mode of the entire MSM and their cronies on the left?

/This would explain why they try to shout down anyone who comes up with actual facts, now that I think about it

cheers

eon

Rather and CBS should admit defeat now, before the very last shred of their dignity is lost and history remembers these last throes of lies.

re: #31 davinvalkri

Rather and CBS should admit defeat now, before the very last shred of their dignity is lost and history remembers these last throes of lies.

You rather foolishly assume that CBS ever had a shred of dignity...

re: #28 Dianna

OT:

I just got back from walking the dogs, and I now declare that Christmas is officially here.

The Christmas tumbleweed has taken up residence in a driveway.

Lucky you... Merry Christmas Dianna... ;)

re: #32 doriangrey

You rather foolishly assume that CBS ever had a shred of dignity...

Why, yes they DID have a shred of dignity! Don't you remember Edward Murrow?

/oh, wait...no, nevermind

re: #18 Sharmuta

C SHould create some issues with the FCC and broadcasting false information.

re: #36 VegasRick

C SH Would create some issues with the FCC and broadcasting false information.

re: #32 doriangrey

You rather foolishly assume that CBS ever had a shred of dignity...

I suppose that's true, but what do they have to gain from the continued fighting? Absolutely nothing but their own ruin; Charles' GIF is proof enough of that. If they're smart, they'd back off. Now. Or earlier.

re: #31 davinvalkri

re: #32 doriangrey

Agreed. They've been in "win at any cost" mode for too long. Now they are confronted with the prospect of utter defeat, and will do anything to stave it off- if they can't prevent it, they can at least delay the inevitable.

For some reason, I'm reminded of Napoleon's Hundred Days.

cheers

eon

re: #23 pat

File it under, "no good deed goes unpunished."

Then laugh.

re: #38 davinvalkri

I suppose that's true, but what do they have to gain from the continued fighting? Absolutely nothing but their own ruin; Charles' GIF is proof enough of that. If they're smart, they'd back off. Now. Or earlier.

A) obviously they are not smart or they would have never thought they could lie with impunity to the American people and B) fools never know when to quit lying.

re: #37 Sharmuta

C SH Would create some issues with the FCC and broadcasting false information.

Ya right. The only people that care about this whole issue are people like us here on this blog and fellow travelers in the alternate media. Otherwise people either don't know or don't care.

Sad to say it, but its true.

re: #33 doriangrey

Merry Christmas, dorian!

re: #43 Dianna

Merry Christmas, dorian!

You to Dianna... ;) Maybe even your ole man... ;p

re: #42 Truck Monkey

That must be why the msm's ratings are in the tank. The last thing cbs wants to do is 1) get their license pulled and 2) drive what few viewers they have left towards the competition (the internet).

re: #41 doriangrey

A) obviously they are not smart or they would have never thought they could lie with impunity to the American people and B) fools never know when to quit lying.

It sounds so simple when you say it! He he. Which is why I don't watch CBS now, or...ever for that matter.

re: #46 davinvalkri

It sounds so simple when you say it! He he. Which is why I don't watch CBS now, or...ever for that matter.

What can I say, a couple billion dollars a year in ad revenue buys you the ability to tell a hell of a lot of lies... Aint capitalism communism great... ;p

Well, I have to go. Really early morning tomorrow. (Three guesses why.)

Merry Christmas, to all Lizards everywhere.

Good night, and God Keep.

cheers

eon

Danny Boy

Oh Danny boy, the loony bin is calling;
You’ve dug your grave, yet still you dig some more.
Your mind is gone, and all the folks are laughing;
To Bedlam you must go, forevermore.
But still you claim the memos are legitimate,
And now your fame, to infamy has changed.
Or did you say that they are fake, but accurate?
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, you are deranged.

And when you claim, though all the folks are laughing,
That you were wrongly scuttled from your throne,
You just compound the level of your blundering,
And strike us harder in the funny bone.
And when in court, you testify so righteously
That CBS did treat you so unfair,
The throbbing proof will ruin you, litigiously,
And so, of flying countersuits you’d best beware.

Oh Danny boy, Ms. Mapes, Ms. Mapes is calling;
The two of you a lovely couple make,
For Mary girl is equally delusional,
And such dementia’s very hard to fake.
And so your waltz of lunacy goes whirling on,
Your dissolution plain for all to see.
Or could it be you really know what’s going on,
And simply lack all vestige of integrity?

Oh Danny boy, your courage is incredible;
You have the nerve to play the victim card.
And even though fake memos aren’t admissible,
You still maintain this comical canard.
And though you failed to inculpate the President,
And you engaged in journalistic fraud,
You seek a multi-million-dollar settlement;
Oh Danny boy, such courage leaves us overawed.
Oh Danny boy, your “courage” leaves us overawed.

re: #48 eon

Well, I have to go. Really early morning tomorrow. (Three guesses why.)

Merry Christmas, to all Lizards everywhere.

Good night, and God Keep.

cheers

eon

Merry Christmas and god bless and keep you as well Eon...

re: #45 Sharmuta

That must be why the msm's ratings are in the tank. The last thing cbs wants to do is 1) get their license pulled and 2) drive what few viewers they have left towards the competition (the internet).

I think that is a fait accompli.
Could be because of their bias. I am sure there are a lot of people like us that have fled for that very reason. It could also be because there are just so many other options available to a news/entertainment consumer.

May the Birth of Christ bring joy and happiness to all Lizards, and may the New Year bring an answer to all your prayers.

Merry Christmas to all. My wish for everyone tonight is too see this holiday through the eyes of a child. Gob bless.

re: #12 Charles

Beldar has made the point before that this admission would open the door for all kinds of other legal implications that CBS desperately wants to avoid.

I wasn't around here or for that matter anywhere else on the blogosphere when Rathergate went down. But I did follow the story as it was reported in MSM from which it was pretty clear that Rather himself was the primary focus all along, and that CBS management has at all times distanced itself from his decision to use the fake memo.

Having said that, it would be nice to see CBS take a big hit for their obvious negligent lack of supervision and participation in the subsequent coverup. However in the context of a civil action between Rather and CBS it would presumably fall to Rather himself to decide whether to play this card. My guess would be that if he has not tried to do so already, Rather might use the threat of fully exposing CBS' wrongdoing in order to extract a favourable settlement - that is unless he believes that he has more to lose than CBS from the whole truth coming out.

Rather's a putz. CBS is BS.
/f' em...
Here's the important stuff:
Mele Kalikimaka from the Christmas Geko...
Aloha ke Akua.
Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men!

They don't call it "See BS" for a reason.
The beauty of this lawsuit is, whomever wins, they both lose.

A few points:

Its not up to ANYONE to prove the memos are fake (though Charles rather eloquently did that with the "thobbing" .gif). Instead, Rather et al were the ones making the claim. Its up to THEM to prove the memos REAL. They hold the burden of proof, and the risible nature of the memos content should mean that the bar of proof is set pretty high.

Meanwhile, its been Four years later, and so far NOBODY has been able to come up with an era appropriate machine capable of printing that memo. Nobody has been able to come up with ANY similar-appearing memo from the Texas Air National Guard.

Lastly. . .and this is the biggest point. This fell on Rather's head not mainly for running a bad story, but instead for defending an obviously bad story WAY past the point of reasonableness. Had Rather simply said "we screwed up and apologize" right after reasonable doubts were raised, he'd most likely still have his job at CBS. The problem was that by day 3 or 4, Rather was still on the air defending this obvious snowjob, and by the point the rest of the media was starting to ask not "Are these memos fake", but instead "What the hell is wrong with Rather and CBS"?

re: #30 eon

Bingo.

Cheers back at ya.

Merry Christmas Lizards. Or, Feliz Navidad amigos:

"THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"
Jim and Nita Lee (Dec. 1972)
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,
Not a creature was stirring -- Caramba! Que pasa?
Los ninos were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,
While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos and malos,
A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.
Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my feet like a fightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"
Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,
Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos --
For none of the ninos had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all, and Feliz Navidad!

Beldar Conehead?

Consume mass quantities of whatever you like.