All Hat And No Cattle? What About “Rather’s Blather?”
By Debbie Daniel (09/16/04)
Those were the words Mr. Kerry used to describe the acceptance speech of George W. Bush on the last night of the Republican National Convention. Well, Mr. Kerry, how about “All Hair and No Brain?”
What are you thinking? Have you been windsurfing one too many days to come up with that one? All I can say is: that’s “old hat” Senator.
Ann Richards tried to use it on George W. in the Texas gubernatorial race, but you see where it got her?
Desperate people act in desperate ways.
I get the feeling you’re calling George Bush out to the street to duke it out with you? You said, “If he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: ‘Bring It On.’”
George Bush never started one and has no desire to debate you about service in Vietnam, and you know it . . . you’re the winner, Mr. Kerry. You get the prize for best soldier of the year; of the past 35 years, and for all the years to come. You WIN!! We crown you King!
Would someone please give the man another star; maybe a gold one this time? He’s tired of purple, bronze and silver. You’re the HERO of all-time. Congratulations!
The President told Matt Lauer on the NBC Today Show that you were a hero, and when Mr. Lauer asked how he would compare John Kerry’s service to his own, the President said, “John Kerry’s service was more honorable than mine . . . he went to Vietnam and I didn’t. I would have gone had I been called up, but I wasn’t.”
And then Mr. Kerry whines and complains as if to say, “He may have said it, but he really didn’t mean it.”
All Mr. Bush wants to do is run for re-election as President. Can we get on with it? ENOUGH of this nonsense!! Give it up, Senator.
Exactly where is all this going?
Now CBS has taken your baton and wants to run with it.
They so badly wanted a damaging story – longed for one – to be true about a young Lieutenant George Bush “written up” disparagingly in a document by a now deceased officer, Lt. Col. Killian. It uses all the right verbiage that only a contender’s camp would want reported; so much so that the lead CBS Anchorman, Dan Rather, is more than willing and seemingly anxious – as we head into the final stretch of this 2004 Presidential campaign – to impugn the young soldier’s honorable discharge from the Air National Guard over 30 years ago.
The hate of George Bush is so obvious, and the risk of Dan Rather damaging his own career is blatantly ignored, that the latter went against all journalistic standards to make sure the message on the document was heard; true or not, it did not matter.
We are told that CBS has been working on this story for at least four years and time is running out. I believe Dan Rather thought this would be the story that would have him riding out into the sunset on a great white horse, but it looks like he’ll do well to get an old nag to walk him out of the arena.
In my heart of hearts, I believe Mr. Rather wanted to go out in a flame of glory. If I’m wrong, I will certainly admit a crude misjudgment, but at this point, if he’s going to stand strong with his story, I’m sticking to mine.
And even now, after the attempt to damage the President in the worst way possible, Rather’s last “blather” is: “Go and prove us wrong,” in contrast to a more professional tone: “We will get to the bottom of this.”
What has happened to our dedicated professionals of yesteryear who strived to report news accurately? Even the other two networks are conspicuously absent on this news story. It is obviously big and they choose to look the other way.
Even if Dan’s “blather” is proven to be accurate, why wouldn’t Mr. Brokaw and Mr. Jennings report it? What’s been written about young Bush is all over the place, but not much about the CBS fiasco. I hate to say this, but NBC and ABC are starting to look like they’re in cahoots against Bush . . . a good ole’ boys’ club.
In all the events of the past six months, one thing stands out loud and clear: We are no longer controlled and given our “thinking papers” by the network media. The power of the people is strong and many are realizing they, too, can speak out.
Mr. Kerry, one lone soldier, came home from Vietnam and repeated not only stories of what he experienced, but stories he was “told” by other soldiers
. . . and this becomes the only truth allowed to be uttered.
Now, two hundred fifty-four Swift boat veterans would like to speak about what they saw first hand from the same venue as Mr. Kerry, and are told to shut up because their voices only “lie.”
Mr. Dan Rather takes a document and presents it as “truth” to thousands of people on a 60 Minutes II Special and we are to accept it with no questions asked. Again . . . the only truth allowed to be uttered.
But when challenged about the document’s veracity, Mr. Rather chooses to listen to only those who will placate his determination to be right.
Unlike the Swift Boat vets, where it was vital to the testimony to be in the same boat with Mr. Kerry, now we won’t even listen to a wife and son tell their story.
The wife and son contend this is not their loved one who wrote the document that discredits the young Lieutenant Bush, because this totally contradicts his true feelings as had been expressed to his family. And no one is even listening to the fact that the man didn’t type, and this is a typewritten document. A secretary at that time would have denoted typing it for him.
Mr. “Blather” did not ask any questions of the Major who flew with Lt. Bush, nor did he ask any questions of the man who trained him to fly.
You’re only allowed to speak if it fits their story. The Swiftees’ story didn’t fit with John Kerry’s story; the mother and son’s story didn’t fit Dan Blather’s, and on and on it goes . . . call them all liars.
They were determined to throw dirt and hoped it would stick.
If that’s the standard being set by one of our big three networks, we’ve just reached an all time low in the world of journalistic integrity; there’s no turning back!
But I believe Mr. Bush is not “all hat and no cattle.” It’s the “bull” from Kerry-ites that concerns me.
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