Fishing Expedition
Weekly Standard ^ | 01/17/2005 | The Editors
THE CBS REPORT issued last week by Richard Thornburgh and Louis
Boccardi left a number of interesting questions unanswered. The
Internet in general and the blogosphere in particular are a means of
harnessing open-source information. So we'd like to invite the
blogosphere to help answer some of the questions Thornburgh and
Boccardi left dangling.
(1) Who is Michael Smith? The report identifies him only as a
"journalist" in Texas. The panel does not appear to have spoken with
Smith and tells us nothing of his previous work. Does he or did he
work for a mainstream newspaper? A local television station? Does he
write for a website or run a blog? Has he been involved in politics?
As the man who led Mary Mapes to Bill Burkett, Smith is someone we
need to know more about. How do we reach him?
(2) Who is George Conn? When Burkett first spoke with CBS, he claimed
that his friend Chief Warrant Officer George Conn was the source of
the documents ostensibly damaging to President Bush, but that Conn
would not confirm this if pressed. Only later did Burkett change his
story. The panel attempted to contact Conn on two occasions--they left
two phone messages for him--but otherwise failed to look into his
identity and determine what role, if any, he played.
(3) Who is Lucy Ramirez? The last time he spoke publicly, Bill Burkett
claimed that he had been contacted by a woman named Lucy Ramirez, who
told him about the Texas Air National Guard memos from 1972 and
arranged to get them to Burkett. Is "Lucy Ramirez," like Burkett, an
activist or blogger in the Texas area who has made something of a
hobby of opposing George W. Bush? Does this woman even exist?
(4) How many copies of the forged documents did CBS have? The
documents CBS showed on the original 60 Minutes Wednesday segment
appeared to have been crumpled, while those reproduced in the
Thornburgh-Boccardi report appear uncrumpled.
(5) Aside from the phone call between Mapes and Joe Lockhart, do we
have reason to believe there were any contacts between CBS News
employees and the Kerry campaign? The Thornburgh-Boccardi report does
not even mention the "Fortunate Son" DNC advertising campaign which
was launched the day after the CBS story aired.
(6) Who, or what, prompted Ben Barnes, the former lieutenant governor
of Texas who says he recommended special treatment for Bush in the
TexANG, to go on camera after all these years? It's been reported that
Mary Beth Cahill called Barnes to congratulate him after 60 Minutes
Wednesday aired. Do we have reason to believe there were earlier
contacts?
If you have any relevant information, email it to
webeditor@weeklystandard.com, with the subject header "CBS."
--The Editors
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"Why would I listen to losers?" -- Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
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