More and more, the presumption must always be that when the MSM is reporting about the GOP and/or conservatism, it is lying until confirmed by two other sources:
Until now, the controversy over the Rather/Mapes story has centered almost entirely on one issue: the legitimacy of the documents – a very important issue, indeed. But it turns out that there was another very important issue, one that goes to the very heart of what the story was about – and one that has gone virtually unnoticed. This is it: Mary Mapes knew before she put the story on the air that George W. Bush, the alleged slacker, had in fact volunteered to go to Vietnam.
Who says? The outside panel CBS brought into to get to the bottom of the so-called “Rathergate” mess says. I recently re-examined the panel’s report after a source, Deep Throat style, told me to “Go to page 130.” When I did, here’s the startling piece of information I found:
Mapes had information prior to the airing of the September 8 [2004] Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG [Texas Air National Guard] did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots. For example, a flight instructor who served in the TexANG with Lieutenant Bush advised Mapes in 1999 that Lieutenant Bush “did want to go to Vietnam but others went first.” Similarly, several others advised Mapes in 1999, and again in 2004 before September 8, that Lieutenant Bush had volunteered to go to Vietnam but did not have enough flight hours to qualify.
This information, despite the fact that it has been available since the CBS report came out four years ago, has remained a secret to almost everybody both in and out of the media — one lonely fact in a 234- page report loaded with thousands of facts, and overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the documents.
Now, why didn’t President Bush counter with this bit of information? Because to do so would be unseemly and appear like pleading – and President Bush is a gentleman first and last, and never pleads with those who attack him. He knew, in his own mind, that his honor was intact – if others choose to slander him, then they would have to explain it to God, in the by and by. Also, veterans don’t talk much about their service like that – I’ve been thanked for my service, and I never feel more bashful than when being so thanked. I didn’t do anything special – I just did my bit. So did President Bush. He’s the last person who would advertise his service – these days, only big mouth, show offs talk up their military service (ie, like John Kerry with his absurd “reporting for duty” at the DNC in 2004). And real war heroes, by my experience, always say that the real heroes were those who didn’t make it back.
The whole leftwing story about President Bush was slander from start to finish – and, really, liberals; you should be ashamed of yourselves. A good and decent man like that, even if you disagree with him, doesn’t deserve to be lied about in order to score political points. Of course, the only people hurt were those who did the slandering – I doubt that President Bush even thinks about those who attacked him…though I wouldn’t be surprised to find that he prays for them.
Ed Note: This entry is What Media Bias? Part 158
Blogs For Victory 