Killian memos: CBS's Niger uranium purchase docs?

[dsewell]

If the Killian memos in question do turn out to be forgeries

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A9967-2004Sep9?language=printer

who might have produced them, and how did they get to CBS? And will CBS ever share that information, or will they honor the confidentiality of their sources?

There are really only two possibilities if they are forgeries. (1) Someone did it in an attempt to harm Bush; (2) Someone even more demonically clever did it to seed CBS with bogus docs, knowing they'd eventually be discredited, hoping that would make the
Democrats look ridiculous (and I note that the DNC is sending out emails trumpeting the memos) and make the media shy away from any more investigation into the TANG accusations.

I don't think #2 is totally tinfoil-hat. All the perpetrator would have had to lose would be credibility with CBS if CBS had decided the docs were not legit, and no one else would ever have known.

The problem (for both Dems and Republicans) is that if the election becomes a fight over the past, the past is much easier to tinker with. On the other hand, the evidence that GWB has been a failure over the past four years is much more overwhelming. Which is why I think Kerry and the rest of us need to pound away at those last four years and not obsess over TANG.

[HFishbine]

1. Stop and think!

What would be the point of forging documents that corroberate what is already in the official record?

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Exactly - the forgeries now swamp the Barnes story

and divert attention from the fact that Bush did not turn up for several months, illegally. Instead, the Republicans get to shout how dishonest their opponents are.

It's quite similar to the 'bug' that Rove 'found' in his campaign headquarters in 1986. No new information came out - it just made it look like the Democrats were up to 'dirty tricks'.

[markus]

2. Nothing involving Karl Rove is "too tin foil"

If the documents are forgeries, the only possible benefit to the forger is to discredit the entire line of attack.

Remember Karl Rove's mantra: attack your enemy's strengths.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Not to take away from your arguement but

you might get your names straight. THe yellow cake docs aledged that Niger not Nigeria (two different countries in Africa) was dealing with Iraq. This may seem petty but when you argue with someone they will seek out any weeknesses and misspoken facts are a magnet.

[dsewell]

4. Thanks for the correction

Morning coffee hasn't kicked in--will fix the post

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. If the WH wants to get all upset about forgeries

Then why didn't they get upset when they found out the Niger documents were forged? Instead they used them in the SOTU.

[librechik]

7. "some people say"--WX Post is Foxing out

Fine--so why doesn't Shrub produce the documentation that "gave him permission" to skip the physical and, apparently a year of duty in Massachusetts?

Why is this criminal allowed to re-frame the discourse at will?