Portentous speculation in such serious tones about Rather's demise. Hey, CBS! Stick a fork in him. He's done. The New York Times: CBS Tries to Clear Up Signals on Future of 'Evening News'

A very interesting account of a onetime Kerry supporter's change of heart. Althouse: How Kerry Lost Me

Agnew had plenty of faults, but somewhere out there, he may be laughing at the comeuppance of the "nattering nabobs". The Weekly Standard: Dan Rather's Day of Reckoning

The Maryville, TN Daily Times comes through again.



Dolly Parton recreates her pose on the new nose art decorating a KC-135E air refueling tanker Friday at McGhee Tyson Air Base as base commander Col. Timothy Dearing looks on. Photo by Wes Hope, but Col. Dearing is undoubtedly a lot happier.


More here.

This creature puts the "pale" in paleontology. Long-necked sea monster resurfaces after 230 million years

Ed Morrisey Jr. is not only the man who swore George Bush into the Texas Air National Guard, he still praises him now and manages to spank Jimmy Carter in the same interview with his hometown paper. thedailytimes.com: Man who swore Bush into Air Guard speaks out

So many interesting connections between Saddam and nuclear weapons experts or suppliers.
Ramanna: the Indian Saddam wanted so badly - The Times of India

I hope that this is made available somehow, either on TV or DVD. ABCNEWS.com : 'Lost' Episode of 'Honeymooners' Found

I look forward to reading this book. The Australian: Iraqi scientist buried nuke documents in garden [September 24, 2004]

If this turns out to be true, then all that I can say is, "Sausage, meet grinder." Burkett vs. CBS vs. Lockhart vs. Kerry campaign vs. DNC in a death match. I'll bring the popcorn. INDC Journal: Burkett Turns on Kerry Campaign, Dan Rather

Everything old is new again. Back at Raychem, we used to laugh about how much the bandwidth of an airplane full of 6250 bpi tape exceeded that of any network. Though the medium has changed, the statement holds up. The New York Times: From Storage, a New Fashion

Poor Kerry. Even his own hometown rag is losing faith in him, and giving him poor advice to boot. Boston Globe: The ghost following Kerry

I guess we should consider the source before taking this too seriously. Scotsman News: Sweet Discovery at Centre of Milky Way

I'm sure that the NEA, the WEA, and the Kerry campaign are proud of this glaring example of hypocrisy. Public schools no place for teachers' kids - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - September 22, 2004

CBS News, are you that smart? ProfessorBainbridge.com: CBS Names Independent Panel

Another example of Kerry's desperation--telling deliberate lies. Betsy's Page outs the origin of the bill in an e-mail sent to college students concerning HR 163 which was introduced by prominent Democrats like Charlie Rangel, Jim McDermott, John Conyers, and John Lewis. Yahoo! News: Kerry Says Draft Likely to Return Under Bush

"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war," says retired TexANG Col. Walter Staudt. The Herald-Zeitung

Well, this is going to be hard to explain to Dad, the deputy sheriff At 205 MPH, Speed Thrills - September 24, 2004

This completely blows. USA NETWORK: Monk--Monk News

I definitely enjoyed this comparison of clarity versus nuance, and whether complexity automatically guarantees greater intelligence.

One of the best parts deals with nuclear waste disposal policy:

"Bush, though, is the complex one on Nevada's Yucca Mountain. That's where the federal government has agreed to deposit nuclear waste.

Kerry wants to drop Yucca. He says transporting the waste from nuclear plants to the site could be dangerous and that the site might not be absolutely safe. Has he considered that nuclear wastes have been safely and carefully transported in this nation for decades without incident? Does he realize that wherever the wastes are sent, they will have to be transported? Is he aware that the wastes pose many times the danger in the 39 states where they now reside than they would in an underground site that has been studied for 20 years, and that it might well take another 20 years to find another site that comes close to being as sound?"

William Safire reminds us that Rathergate may involve criminal acts, and that CBS and its corporate parent owe us an investigation and an explanation The New York Times: First, Find the Forger

And as Drudge reports, it's going to involve a court on some level, if only on a libel charge.

Russ Meyer, the man who brought us such landmark movies as "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", passed away.

He also brought us this one

Nice editorial on Rathergate from my old hometown paper. Macon Telegraph: Ignoring the basic rules

The 60 Minutes Sunday crew disassociates themselves from Rathergate:

"I think it is safe to say that the overwhelming feeling among correspondents and producers on the Sunday program is that we would not have made the same mistakes," correspondent Steve Kroft said. He added: "It's hard to know at this point exactly what went wrong, because the Wednesday show is an entirely separate broadcast with entirely different people, and brand-new management. But something clearly went wrong with the process."

The Boston Globe reports on CBS' foibles, but not its own. Boston Globe: CBS says it's sorry for story on Bush

The USA Today reports today that Bill Burkett claims his source was Lucy Ramirez of Houston. The story indicates that she hasn't yet been reached. If she exists, what connection does she have to the players in this drama? USATODAY: CBS backs off Guard story

Just when you think that CBS black eye can't turn any more ugly, something like this turns up. USATODAY: CBS arranged for meeting with Lockhart

Well! CBS producer Mary Mapes called Joe Lockhart to ask him to call Bill Burkett. "She basically said there's a guy who is being helpful on the story who wants to talk to you," Lockhart said, adding that it was common knowledge that CBS was working on a story raising questions about Bush's Guard service. Mapes told him there were some records "that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said."

Well, well, well.

Yahoo! News - Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer

Indeed, at CBS News the question is, "Where was everybody's judgment on that last day?" The New York Times: CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say

Headline on the Drudge Report: "CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say."

Drudge goes on to say that "After days of expressing confidence about the documents used in a 60 MINUTES report that raised new questions about President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News officials have grave doubts about the authenticity of the material, network officials said last night, the NEW YORK TIMES is reporting in Monday runs. Developing... "

Dandy Don, clear your throat and get ready to sing.

One wonders whether the Kerry campaign will continue to let his family campaign for him after this gaffe down under.

A snippy Dan Rather returns to Dallas, and is captured for a comment by Fox News (hat tip: Johnny Dollar) 'Do You Feel Like You Were Duped?'

Beretta92fs. You're good. Almost as good as a Sig
but are cheaper. Thats why the US military
chose you. You're kinda scary.


What handgun are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Via Instapundit, this could be considered the "abridged" version of Unfit for Command. Admiral Roy Hoffman on the grand deception by John Kerry

This is a surprising outgrowth of Rathergate. I didn't hear Maloney's broadcast, although I live in the Seattle area. I wonder if Mary Mapes did? AP Wire | 09/18/2004 | Host Says Rather Criticism Got Him Fired

Does Robert Fisk earn a royalty every time the technique that bears his name hits the mark? Perhaps he develops a well deserved headache like this guy gets--and frankly, gives--from those annoying dot com loan commercials.

Antimedia at Media Lies fisks the LA Times here.

CBS continues to flail about, now repeating the tinfoil hat brigade's baseless claim that because "Buckhead" posted his guess that the now discredited Bush documents were in fact forgeries, and that the Republicans are somehow behind it all. CBS News: Bush Guard Docs Flap Marches On

I'd say that CBS' "story" resembles the plot of a Bugs Bunny cartoon except that I believe it would insult Bugs Bunny. Why, it's shocking, shocking I say to learn that REPUBLICANS post comments on REPUBLICAN WEBSITES. Oh, what a scandal!

CBS forgets to mention that experts it hired--but did not listen to--raised questions about the documents before the story aired. http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/09/hey-hey-hey-goodbye.html

The invaluable Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs passes along the judgment of a former IBM Selectric Composer expert on the capability and facility of that machine for the task of producing the forged documents. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=12694_Composer_Theory_in_Advanced_State_of_Decomposition

CBS' chief remaining "document expert", Mrs. Knox, said that she used an Olivetti machine. I'm still waiting for a news organization to establish the types of machines in use by the TexANG during that period and their capabilities. We can already guess that the answer won't make Dan Rather very happy.

William F. Buckley lays into Rathergate with his usual panache National Review's Buckley says Rathergate is much ado about nothing.

From Corante, we have a very good summary and timeline of the scandal that takes us up to today's insignificant document release and the interesting connection between Burkett, the DNC and Max Cleland.

A connection between Max Cleland, the DNC and retired Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, the most likely candidate to be named the source of the now discredited CBS documents, may exist according to the Washington Post Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings

Another sign that the Navy is slowly beginning to confirm some of the Swifties claims about Kerry's records. Navy Contradicts Kerry on Release of Military Records -- 09/16/2004

Apparently we have a "new journalism"

The documents and CBS' own pathetic efforts to line up "experts" to defend their authenticity have been so thoroughly destroyed that they could be referred to in an imaginary headline as "CBS' offer of news division for MOAB testing deemed success". Now we are told, paraphrasing the report that Brit Hume just gave on Fox News' Special Report, that CBS has interviewed Killian's 81-year old former secretary, an admitted partisan for Kerry, and found that she, too, is willing to put words in the mouth of a man who died 20 years ago and say that while the documents are obvious forgeries, somehow the spirit of them is true.

Well, at least CBS has found an "expert" that it will put on the air to debunk the documents.

However, instead of drawing back to report on itself, and how it was mislead and why, CBS plows on. It takes the word of partisans who have been disavowed--the secretary by Killian's family and some of his fellow Guardsmen--and Barnes who has been outed by his deposition in a Texas Gtech trial and his own daughter. No admission that the family was right--as were the blogosphere and some of the MSM elements who saw through the forgeries.

The comparisons to CBS reporting on the "flawed" WMD intelligence and CBS' stonewalling on the forged documents are enough to make one double over with laughter. I love Scrappleface's headline quoting Tenet as telling Rather that the documents are a "slam dunk".

If this stonewalling continues--in the face of overwhelming fact and the founding tenets of journalism after the days of the "yellow sheets"--after the evening news and 60 Minutes II tonight, we'll have a new nickname for Dan: Richard Milhouse Rather.

Update: Instapundit found this excellent take on CBS' public statements on the scandal.

This is dynamite, as though Rathergate hasn't already had its share of earth shaking revalations about the sad state of "CBS News" Captain's Quarters: CBS ignores its own experts' cautions

The ingenuity of our soldiers is a thing to behold. Seriously, this is very, very funny, especially the song on page 8.

RatherBiased.com | News | CBS Asks Anti-Bush Group for Help With Story.

If this is true, it certainly adds to the evidence that CBS enjoys a close relationship with those who oppose the President RatherBiased.com | News | CBS Asks Anti-Bush Group for Help With Story.

Cirque du Kerry--la danse acrobatique Taking Kerry's Flip-Flops Seriously

I suspected as much. The comments on this post offer some very valuable insights as well. Froggy Ruminations: Doubling Special Ops?

More WMD news from the U.N. that isn't fit to print in the old media. According to this report, the Iraqis shipped WMD-related materials out of the country before the war.

Drat! No smoking gun here. However, this may be one. As Bugs would say, what a maroon.

This is funny, and almost true.

A fair review of Kerry's stance on national defense, since it quotes Lurch extensively.

Good grief! From NewsMax.com: Brinkley hedges over Kerry's veracity.

Interesting reading. The man with the third name down will apparantly appear on the 9/5/04 edition of 60 Minutes.

Perhaps there will be more domestic employment and less immigration after the Halliburton engineers help get this great find south of the border moving.

I want one.

Personally, I thought it was a great speech. Much better than this one. And this can only be regarded as the pathetic rant of a desperate man.

The Chinese are free to act sanely in respect to their energy production plans and power plant construction in order to provide for growth in their population and industrial output. Contrast this with the US domestic record over the past 20 or so years, thanks to the restrictions imposed by our domestic enviro-wackos.

Having just been forced to buy a new washing machine, I'm somewhat distressed to discover that they populate the wilderness freely. Well, perhaps not inexpensively.

Is the truth out there?

Kerry is in a beehive that is swarming over his national security credentials, and the bees aren't finding any honey.

Kerry's buds were there, then.

This document isn't a perfect transcript, but it's close. The Mayor of America's speech was about as perfect an indictment of the failed Democrat Party's candidates as you'll find anywhere, though.

A new report reveals that Kerry was present at a meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War at which the group debated and voted down a plan to assassinate senators who supported the Vietnam War.

Maybe the MTV generation shouldn't be thought of as dumb after all.

The nightmare grows more intense for Kerry as former Navy Secretary and former 9/11 Commission member Lehman questions how his signature came to appear on a revision to Kerry's Silver Star citation Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief

The Navy now disputes "combat v" for valor for Kerry's Silver Star and four campaign stars for his Bronze Star. Vets question the number of citations for the two medals. Plot thickens after checking records

Admiral Schachte puts another torpedo in Kerry's first Purple Heart saga Lanny Davis attack awakens silent Admiral

Perhaps Kerry was inspired by this man's path to fame The story behind LBJ's Silver Star

Another excellent article that compliments Mr. Thomas' January article linked to below.

An excellent overview of why the Vietnam vets are so bitter about Kerry's testimony.

Bob Dole kicks, and the rice in Kerry's ass aches.

AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!! Say it isn't so, Ernie!

Hat tip to Instapundit

Here's an account of a memorable period during Kerry's service in the Senate

Meet Zack Exley, the Kerry campaign's director of online communications and organizing, courtesy of Swimming through the Spin: I don't practice what I preach because I not the kind of man I preaching to...

Vast conspiracy, but not the direction that the "main stream media" would have you believe The American Thinker: Why couldn't the MoveOn.org founders stuck with flying toaster screen savers?

I think that the controversy over Kerry's medals is the weakest part of the accusations against him. Witnesses have different recollections as one would expect. Again, take the example of an auto accident where reports from the cars in the accident may differ, and may be refuted or substantiated by third party witnesses. Certainly an adrenalin-fueled combat episode obscured by more than thirty years of time would be just as hard to pin down to the absolute truth. This is especially true when some of the witnesses are no longer with us. NewsMax.com: deceased Kerry crewmate Tom Bellodeau claims to have shot VC with B-40 launcher

While we're waiting for Kerry's secret plan to win the war, we can read about his secret record in the Senate. Sort of like those secret missions to Cambodia that none of his shipmates corroborate.

This is the most complete, best referenced indictment of UN, French and Russian complicity in Saddam's corrupt "oil for food" program that I have found to date. Well worth reading, and wondering about whether the reputations of those people and agencies who were co-conspirators in this scandal can ever be repaired, or if they and perhaps the UN itself must go. Erik Svane on "The Peace Camp's Humanitarian Scam"

Who handles pressure better?

The Democrats criticize the President for sitting in a class full of children for 7 minutes before leaving the FL school on 9/11.

The Democratic nominee has still not dealt with the charges made by the Swift Boat Vets directly by forthrightly answering their charges directly, point by point, including copies of his diaries and medical records, and calling for the Navy to release all contemporaneous orders, after action reports, river conditions (the winter months in Vietnam are the dry season during which the canals and rivers are at their lowest) and the corresponding orders to the Swift Boat crews on how to operate their boats on rivers that are narrower--and shallower--than may be safe to take a 35 foot boat with a 4 foot draft into enemy territory. He should call on the CIA, the Navy (on behalf of the SEALS) and the Army (on behalf of the Green Berets) to declassify any missions to Cambodia that were supported by Swift Boats during his time in service.

He should also call for the release of his attendance records in the Senate Intelligence Committee for both public and private sessions, and deal with those charges directly. He should have a news conference as the President did on his National Guard record after releasing all this material to the press for review.

Until he does so, the charges leveled by his critics will continue to have traction. The Carville-Lanny Davis tactic of attacking his critics rather than responding to their charges will not work in my opinion.

Just as I believe that the American people may not like George Bush in some cases, the one clear impression that they have at this point is that the President has responded to some of the most intense scrutiny ever by the press, pro-opposition forces not formally associated with a particular party (Soros, MoveOn.org, Michael Moore, Hollywood celebs, etc.) and that he has released, under pressure from these forces in some cases, more material that Kerry. The thoughtful voters among them should compare that standard to the standard Kerry is held to, and expect it from the press if the press is to remain credible. Even if voters have no idea how to analyze and compare the qualifications of applicants for the job of a CEO of a company, they should realize that they owe it to themselves to apply the same level of scrutiny to both applicants to determine the best qualified candidate. “Buyers remorse” after a Presidential election is difficult to handle for what will be a four year period full of challenges from Al Qaeda, Iran, North Korea, China and our allies in name only, France and Germany, to name two, not to mention the economy, immigration, health care, the morality issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc.), and a host of other issues we don't know will exist yet.

I ask again, who handles pressure better, a President who has been tested in almost every conceivable way, or the aspirant to the office who cannot address questions raised by critics head on, despite his promise to "turn his boat" towards his attackers.

More trouble for this guy from someone who was there.

Kerry and his handlers better hope that others in positions to know the names of individuals and/or units that were sent into Cambodia from the CIA, the SEALS, and the Green Berets--and when if at all in 1968-69--are dead or are very loyal Democrats.

This one isn't as spot on, in my opinion.

In a season that has been a failure by any measure, it is bittersweet to see the ancient Mariner announce that this will be his last Edgar hangs 'em up

No better friend, no worse enemy, indeed United Press International: An American in Sparta

In politics, nothing is more interesting than the Kerry Cambodiagate scandal. It may take him down, if the main stream media ask the questions any business manager would of an applicant who may have engaged in "resume inflation", depending upon what the meaning of "in Cambodia" is...

Yep, he'll have the full respect of the military and every living vet--just ask them. A word of advice, Flipper: don't impose on them to pose for pictures when they support the other guy New York Post Online Edition: news

Sounds like the Canadians have a hand on this immigration "issue"Toronto Sun: NEWS - Baring all for Canada

A slightly different report on Saddam's first day in court Rock Paper Saddam

As our local baseball broadcaster would say, "My, oh my!"

It appears that one of the main cornerstones for the enviro-wacko claims for global warming is wrong. The data have been fudged.

"'Corrections to the Mann et al (1998) Proxy Data Base and Northern Hemisphere Average Temperature Series' Energy and Environment 14(6) 751-772.
Abstract: The data set of proxies of past climate used in Mann, Bradley and Hughes (1998, “MBH98” hereafter) for the estimation of temperaturefrom 1400 to 1980 contains collation errors, unjustifiable truncation or extrapolation of source data, obsolete data, geographical location errors, incorrect calculation of principal components and other quality control defects. We detail these errors and defects. We then apply MBH98 methodology to the construction of a Northern Hemisphere average temperature index for the 1400-1980 period, using corrected and updated source data. The major finding is that the values in the early 15th century exceed any values in the 20th century. The particular “hockey stick” shape derived in the MBH98 proxconstruction a temperauret index that decreases slightly between the early 15th century andearly 20th century and then increases dramatically up to 1980 -- is primarily an artefact of poor data handling, obsolete data and incorrect calculation of principal components."

Good grief! More proof that President Bush told the truth. Hopefully, not too late for the electorate to realize that they have the real deal in the White House now.

No, nope. Iraq had no WMD; no Sarin-filled shells (found by Polish soldiers), and certainly no nuclear material Defense Tech: IRAQI URANIUM NOW IN U.S. LABS

Well said by one who was there StrategyPage.com - Measure of respect- ?No One Asked Us

One of the first accounts of Iraqi reactions at the time of the handover of sovereignty on 6/28, including words that Mr. Bremer said in Arabic as his farewell to the nation IRAQ THE MODEL

Perhaps the week of June 28 through July 4 will come to be known in future years as "Independence Week". Here's a very nice post from an Iraqi living through the rebirth of his nation THE MESOPOTAMIAN

The promise has been kept. Iraq is a sovereign nation once more, to the dismay of naysayers and terrorists everywhere FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - U.S. Makes Early Handover of Iraq

You could lose your mind, or just press the button to see excellent impressions of those who have already done so spinline.net: The Leftinator

A titan has passed into history A Chronology of Reagan's Life - from TBO.com

Certainly, Ronald Reagan ranks among the great Presidents of the United States. He defined the second half of the twentieth century as much as FDR did the first. He helped America believe in itself again, and presided over what some economists call "the seven fat years" of growth from 82-89 that averaged 3.5% per year. His unwavering belief in his core principles, his steadfast refusal to accept a weaker position than the Soviet Union, his acts to curtail Libya and Cuban aggression against Grenada; all these examples and more made us believe in America as a force of good in the world.

He was unmatched at public speaking; this is one of my favorites.

President Bush has patterned his presidency after President Reagan's in many ways. His remarks from France were very appropriate and well said.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I'm glad that there is such consensus about the macro climate trends facing the planet Look forward to a darker world: 'Global dimming' may stop the Earth overheating.

Gee, this is inconvenient for the Bush haters out there Blaster's Blog - Plenty + More = Enough

More on the sarin nerve agent and mustard gas stories FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Sarin, Mustard Gas Discovered Separately in Iraq

A very complete summary of the WMD hunt that covers the situation prior to yesterday's announcement of the exposure of two coalition soldiers to Sarin gas from an exploding shell and the reported find of Mustard gas two weeks earlier FrontPage magazine.com :: Found: Saddam's WMDs by Kenneth R. Timmerman

If the Sarin gas report holds up after investigation, won't it be the first time that an American soldier has been attacked with a chemical weapon since WWI?

There's no better source on the lives of average Iraqi citizens and their opinions on the aftermath of major combat operations than this site IRAQ THE MODEL I usually check it out a few times each week.

The author is an Iraqi doctor who is living through the days--good and bad--of Iraq's historic reconstruction. He's muddling through, as we all do, but doing so successfully. His stories are inspiring.

Andrew Sullivan's quote of the day features the remarks of one of our greatest Presidents:

"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt.

The slaughter of Nick Berg should snap us out of our funk over the acts of the unprincipled prison guards at Abu Ghraib. We now clearly see the hand of the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq in action, and it is the hand of a monster. I looked at still images of the murder on the web earlier this week, and was shocked. I didn't want to watch the video. However, while driving home, I accidentally turned to a radio station that at that very moment started to play the audio of the murder. It was the most horrible thing I have ever heard. No human could commit that act. No other human could fail to condemn that act.

Our enemy is not human. That is, not in the sense that humanity has come to mean in the civilized world. Fanatic is not a sufficient description of them. The Memri web site has a transcript of part of the first recorded remarks made by Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi. He is the author of the letter to fellow Islamics calling for reinforcements, saying that the US-led coalition was defeating Al Qaeda, the B'aathist remnants, and the other insurgents in Iraq. His rhetoric has obviously escalated in its mad call for murder by any means; the more, the better.

Civilization cannot ignore these monsters. We cannot show weakness, or uncertain resolve. We must steel ourselves for the long slog to win, and win decisively. They are patient, they are determined, and they are usually skilled in using propaganda to try to make their point. At times, our domestic media seems more of an outlet for their cause than ours since it seems to take the statements of these monsters at face value while questioning the genuine resolve and honest intent of the President's. I can only hope that the legacy of Nick Berg's last moments captured in that video will be a call to arms to the sane part of humanity to act in the defense of the civilized world. There must be an end to them, or they will make an end to us.

I'll be saving my money to see Spider-Man 2 twice Telegraph | Opinion | These Hollywood special effects may cost the world $15 trillion