what is that gun doing there? and why is it smoking like that?

While the Lockhart/Burkett phone conversation is damning in itself, there has been too much focus on it. The more revealing conversation was between Burkett and Cleland and what "information" was exchanged following that conversation. This is where the questions and investigation should focus.

On September 18, 2004, The New York Times reported about a conversation between Max Cleland and Bill Burkett in August. According to The Times, Cleland said that Burkett told him he wanted to get "some kind of stuff, some kind of information...to the campaign, or something, regarding Bush's National Guard service."

Cleland also said, “I couldn't swear to it whether he used the term documents or information.”

See NY Times link: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/18/politics/campaign/18guard.html

Following that conversation, according to The Times, Burkett wrote in his Aug 21st email, "So I gave them the information to do [the attack] with."

Note that the conversation between Burkett and Cleland happened before CBS obtained the documents from Burkett.

Burkett refused to tell The Times what that “information” was that he gave the Kerry campaign.

In his email, Burkett added that the Kerry campaign did not call him back. But so what? The “information” was by then in the possession of the Kerry campaign.

So what was this information that Burkett gave the Kerry campaign? Was it simply the same innocent verbal advice on how to respond to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that he supposedly shared with Lockhart? I doubt it. More probable is that it was exactly what Cleland described -- "information...regarding Bush's National Guard service." And we all know what (fake) “information” Burkett was in possession of at that time.

FURTHERMORE: As AllahPundit.com said in his September 22nd 5:32 p.m. post, "And still no follow-up on Rather's bombshell on Monday night that '[Burkett] did not come to us; we went to him and asked him for the documents.' Who told them Burkett had the documents?"

The Kerry campaign knew that CBS was continuing to try to work on a story about Bush’s Guard service. Lockhart said it was common knowledge around town (and within the Kerry campaign, since CBS was pressuring Ben Barnes to talk on camera for some time). Any smart political operative would certainly feed salacious material to a media outlet who was already obsessively investigating a related story.

What we know:

We know that Bill Burkett was in possession of fake documents on President Bush with the intent to “counterattack” and damage his candidacy. We know that multiple conversations took place between Burkett and senior members of the Kerry campaign. We know he passed “information” on to the Kerry campaign following his conversation with Cleland. We know that the “information” regarded Bush’s National Guard service. We know that around the same time the “information” was passed to the campaign, Kerry fundraiser and friend Ben Barnes was suddenly inspired to talk about how he allegedly pulled strings for Bush. And we know about a very sophisticated, coordinated attack by the DNC and Kerry surrogates almost immediately following the 60 Minutes report using the information contained in these forged documents.

2 key questions remain:

1) What information did Burkett give the Kerry campaign?
2) Who tipped CBS that Burkett had documents?

The "sugercoated" use is incriminating enough, but why did he use it about performance reviews so specifically? I mean, there usual attack is about the "failing to report" in Alabama ir being "AWOL." Why just hours before the release of the story is there this focus on performance reviews? Matched with the use of the exact same phrase, this is pretty incriminating.

Sure looks like he knew.

what's even more damning is that Terry said 'sugar coat' in Times New Roman.

LOL

The common colloquialism "sugarcoated" is also apparently indigenous to the hispanic population of the southwest. As
a guest on Fox News Sunday 9/19, NM Gov. Bill Richardson twice used the word sugarcoat to describe Bush's failed Iraq policy. Since he was in Nevada and not in his homestate (as ususal) the DNC must have faxed him the old talking points in error and he used the keyword in the new theme of the week, how Bush screwed up Iraq. New keyword for 9/23: quagmire. Count the the times it's used .

I can buy someone using the term in a manner unrelated to this case, but coupling it with a performance review by Bush's superior is pretty damning.

We all know these folks are capable of this behavior, and we think we know what transpired. I'll even admit it looks like there is a real coordinated effort here. But let's not get ahead of this and wind up with egg on the face. We need to be real careful. I don't want to wind up sounding like the democrates with the Bush/AWOL story where they routinely say, "we all know it's true, we just can't prove it". It's what led some moron to phoney up some documents.

Gary, the circumstancial evidence is overwhelming. I'm not saying that the Dems knew that they were forged, but if you are familiar with how (not) well secrets are kept in organizations, you have to admit that the media having these documents for awhile and communication between Burkett and Dems makes it rock-solid that they were aware of the documents, and likely had copies.

See update.

Why did it take the RNC to get this out? I woulda thought the Post could find something like this. Its not like McA wasn't sounding suspicous. He blamed Rove that Friday. Or does being suspicious of the DNC make you a political hack?

"'Sugarcoated' is a common colloquialism that Terry uses at least eight times per day. It's a regional New York thing."

It would follow that the origin of the forgeries must be from New York or a past resident of that area. Therefore Col. Killian must have lived in New York before he moved to Texas.

You are aware that that was a joke, right?

Bill, I suppose you are right. I'm wondering why a guy, Terry M., who is this ineffective as a party chairman is still the chairman. He's lost two major elections, and looks like he's heading to loose a third in a huge and humiliating defeat. Even if Kerry does win, it seems it will only be by some unforsene event and not from his masterful chairmanship. Guess we can only day "thanks".

Why still the chairman?

Pictures. Lots of incriminating pictures.

Gary,
There's a lot to wonder about when looking at the actions of that campaign. I predict several books on that very subject in a year or two.
It's the most bizarre group of people supporting the most inane candidate I've seen in a long...no..make that ever.

Another coincidence? Modern advertising uses as many tie-ins as possible to get the maximum public exposure. John Fogerty, the writer of the CCR song "Fortunate Son" had a 2 hr. live special on A&E last night and the request for the song was an email that included the expected political snipe. The CBS story that exploded also destroyed the DNC Operation Fortunate Son campaign 10 days too soon for the planned A&E tie-in to have the desired result.

You were listening? I'm touched!

Seriously, I think it's a very interesting development, but you have to find a way to see what the 60 Minutes promos said. I'm going to check with Tim Graham at the Media Research Center tomorrow and see if they have any of the promos on tape.

I contacted CBS, but it doesn't seem like they want to give them to me ...

TerryMac is the Clinton's boy. He is just now about to fulfill the task he was originally put there to achieve . . . clear the decks of all democrat opposition to St. Hillary's nomination in 2008. Mark my word, you will see virtually no opposition to her nomination, just like she encountered no party opposition in New York in 2002.

The KerrySpot has retracted their version of this story. I suggest you do the same, so the blogs don't end up looking like CBS :)

Bill,

Jim's retracted the timeline. See Kerry spot for details, but the RNC timeline is wrong.

Redman -

I think those theories about people sabotaging things for the Clintons are bunk.

mcg -

Does my update not accomplish that?

Hillary is Lucy?

Could be.

She is the closest thing to a “Karl Rove” the Democratic party has.

Bill,

Stonewall! Never retract! The core of the story is true, even if your source was...um...not verifiable. You can always claim that you were duped later.

- In related news it looks like Rather is being muzzeled but letting it be known he's not taking the fall en' solo... Drudge link

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040923/D859KVVG0.html

- Five will get you ten the whole Burkett sideshow is a strawman to avoid giving up the real source of the doc's....

- Rathers interview with Burkett was basically mush...When He admitted he had misled CBS Rather acted like he had just asked and got his favorite recipe for chili... No visable anger...

- ..."Slipped to him at a Houston livestock show" leaves it in the same mold as the missing 18 minutes....no way to trace...

- ...Burkett's suit is based on a really limp wrist claim, but it does work to make it seem that He and CBS are in opposition...If Burkett's atty doesn't file for immediate "discovery" I'm not buying it...

- While all this is going on the same Day CBS annouces this stall tactic "independent investigation" they also start to sequester all forms of paper work and comunications, hard disks, anything connected with the mess...

- According to insiders Rather is unhappy about Thornburgh's appoinment. Bull...They've been buds a long time, I'm not buying that one...

- This whole thing, added to your suspicians Bill, stinks like Homer Simpsons socks....

Regardless of the before or after 60 Minutes show, I did a quick google search of "McAuliffe sugarcoat". It is interesting that it did not return any entry dated prior to 9/8/04.

Hemmmmmmmmm !

So what is the real timeline of Terry's email?

Bill, have you been to my blog yet???
COME ON! VISIT! Its fun just to read the lefty loons comments who seem determined to bother me.
www.Rightwingsparkle.blogspot.com

I don't understand what you mean.

Bill, check the NRO link for an update of this story. The RNC got the timeline wrong. Kerry Spot / NRO has updated the story with new info.

Didn't I just have a e-mail chat with you yesterday?
Or... am I losing whats left of my mind?

Never mind. I don't know why my strained eyeballs missed the UPDATE IN BOLDFACE. Carry on.

Sorry Rightwingsparkle,

I was talking to diddy when I said that I don't understand ...

Does anyone else think this is a coincedence? August 8th Bill Burkett online here http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=23055 reviews the anti-bush documents of Paul Lukasiak who has and AWOL website with the incorrect acronym "OETR" instead of the correct military acronym "OER". "OETR" ends up on the forged documents that Bill Burkett receives. Last week Paul Lukasiak here http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=301
states that Lukasiak has examined the documents that Bush has released and has now stated that they have been tampered with...