Broken Masterpieces

September 17, 2004

What's Stopping Rather?

During one of the cable shows someone kind of let out the P-word when describing why Dan Rather won't back off his story about President Bush, the memos and Bush's service in the National Guard. That P-word is worse than the F-word and is the subject of a complete chapter in C.S. Lewis' classic, Mere Christianity. The P-word is PRIDE. It's the word that nails us all and brings out the worst in all of us. Currently, it has totally muddied our political system. Our current system (including the media) does not allow leaders to put down PRIDE and allow them to admit being wrong. If they do then they are eaten alive.

All of us must watch out for the P-word as it can destroy us when it gets a toe-hold.

Posted by Tim at September 17, 2004 11:38 PM
Comments

"Our current system (including the media) does not allow leaders to put down PRIDE and allow them to admit being wrong."

If they have to be "allowed" to do things, in what sense are they leaders?

Posted by: Patrick at September 18, 2004 01:29 PM

At least three people have now said that the memos are probably not authentic, BUT that the information they contain is true.

That includes the secretary, who said she never typed those memos, but that absolutely nothing they say is incorrect.

Rather has nothing back down from. If forged documents had been the foundation of the report CBS would have a problem. But the witnesses back up the information, so the documents may be embarassing, but the story holds up without them.

Posted by: Flash at September 18, 2004 04:55 PM

The documents are fake, CBS knew they were fake, they got caught, now they have the memory of an 80 year old woman who says the documents are fake, while two out of the four experts of CBS hired to examine the documents reported they were fake before CBS ran with them, and Killians son and widows testimony contradicts that of the 80 year old secretary who didn't know Killian as well as his son and wife did. The story is a bust, CBS has no credibility, and Dan Rather has a long history of this stuff...it just finally exploded in his face. Why do you think CBS is still stonewalling if they really wanted to be forthcoming and honest?

Posted by: Michael Galaugher at September 18, 2004 05:41 PM

CBS and Dan Rather are just part of the media whole. Do you remember a while back how Peter Jennings and ABC did the hatchet job on Jesus in a prime time report? The scholars they used were from the Jesus Seminar, who really aren't scholars at all and deny the historic faith. In fact they make decisions by casting beads. Some scholarship! When Jennings was confronted with it his response was basically, "So what?"

The difference nowadays is that the media no longer have a stranglehold on information flow and feedback. They keep trying to jam news down our throats, but it won't work anymore.

This furor over the documents CBS used isn't going away. In fact it may go all the way to the DNC and the Kerry campaign.

Posted by: Phil Dillon at September 18, 2004 07:45 PM

Give it up Flash. Nobody's listening. And your boy Lurch is cratering.

Posted by: Patrick at September 18, 2004 08:12 PM

re: "That P-word is worse than the F-word and is the subject of a complete chapter in C.S. Lewis' classic, Mere Christianity. The P-word is PRIDE. It's the word that nails us all and brings out the worst in all of us." (TROGERS)

"...Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, 'How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me...'" (CS Lewis, "Mere Christianity")

Your connection of the CBS issue to CS Lewis's philosophy shows me that Broken Masterpieces gets better and better every day, and is one the more intelligent stops in Blogdom. Whichever part of the political spectrum you're on.

Anyway....I think the right-winger bloggers certainly have their fill of pride too on this issue. I read one of the right-wing bloggers (for the life of me I can't remember where) who stated correctly that there are so many issues in this election and conservative bloggers need to quit blogging endlessly on this Dan Rather issue, and onto the latest topics. (NOTE: I think Broken Masterpieces has certainly not blogged endlessly at all on this topic, though.) But I think it's pride that holds the rightwingers back from moving on. They want to gouge the eyes out of Dan Rather and stamp on his grave. They're consumed with anger that CBS isn't listening to their calls for Rather's apology and resignation. It hurts their Freeper pride.

And the good thing is that this destructive pride of the rightwingers gives us Dems a chance to move out and keep attacking the Bushies and keep closing the gap.

Posted by: Tom at September 19, 2004 08:08 AM

"Rather has nothing back down from. If forged documents had been the foundation of the report CBS would have a problem. But the witnesses back up the information, so the documents may be embarassing, but the story holds up without them."

Cany any of you brain damaged realize what would happen if you showed up in a court of law with forged evidence and tried to convict the perp with same? The liberal elite would be screaming from the tops of their Range Rovers. Am I the only one who sees the stupidity of the above quoted comment. Unbelievable!


Posted by: Chuck at September 19, 2004 05:22 PM

re: "...Cany any of you brain damaged realize...Am I the only one who sees the stupidity of the above quoted comment. Unbelievable!...." (Chuck)

Chuck, I'm brain damaged enough to respond.

That comment refers to the issue that George Bush didn't fulfill his duty in the National Guard.

CBS broadcast a story on that issue. Some of the evidence they used to say he didn't fulfill his duty was based on documents most folks now feel are forgeries. Other evidence was not related to those alleged forgeries.

Okay, my brain damage is real bad, so I'll slow it down now...

The case does not depend solely on those allegedly forged documents.

Even if you toss the allegedly forged documents out of your hypothetical court case, the other evidence can still convict Mr. Bush.

Please see this link
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/040920/usnews/20guard.htm
to see how 9/20/04 US News & World Report (usually considered to have a conservative leaning) convicts Mr. Bush without the CBS documents.

And boy it's so so so important what the heck George Bush did a zillion years ago with the National Guard...everyone can see the direct link with his policies in Iraq...plus understand the impact it has on his fiscal policies. (Even us brain-damaged liberals can be sarcastic.)

Posted by: Tom at September 19, 2004 08:35 PM