A Few Random Thoughts

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Last night I watched Special Report with Brit Hume. (I love that show.) In Jim Angle's report on Rathergate, all the information about Marian Knox's interview was presented fully. Then Angle presented short clips of interviews with former Texas Air National Guardsmen (contemporaries of George W. Bush) who provided valuable information about the way flight physicals were done at the time, how that particular Guard base functioned, etc. I asked my wife, a former television newswoman, "Why couldn't CBS find those guys to round out their story a little?" Her response: "That's what we always did, but then, we wanted to show both sides of a story."

Mickey Kaus asks some interesting questions of CBS here. He also has some analysis of the latest poll results, which show Kerry possibly cratering. Mickey also notes that if, as CBS claims in its statement,

Mary Mapes, the producer of the report and a well-respected, veteran journalist whose credibility has never been questioned, has been following this story for more than five years

and

has a vast and detailed knowledge of the issues surrounding Bush's service in the Guard and of the individuals involved in the story [emphasis added]

then why had CBS apparently not interviewed Lt. Col. Killian's secretary, Ms. Knox, before they ran with the (probably bogus) Killian memo story last week?

Indeed. Why?

On the Laura Ingraham show today (I listen to her every morning while running; it gets my mental juices flowing), Pat Caddell called the Marian Know interview the most embarrassing thing he's seen in all his years in politics, or words to that effect. Yup.

Proving that great minds think alike, Hugh Hewitt asks, why the Viacom upper corporate brass is standing by while Dan Rather and CBS self-immolate? (I was wondering the same thing last night as my wife and I watched "Special Report," but she told me to be quiet while the show was on and I was thus unable to develop the thought.) Seriously, folks, CBS has a brand name, and Viacom is allowing Rather to destroy or seriously damage it. Amazing.

The show goes on.