Memos on Bush Are Fake but Accurate, Typist Says

The secretary for the squadron commander purported to be the author of now-disputed memorandums questioning President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard said Tuesday that she never typed the documents and believed that they are fakes.
But she also said they accurately reflect the thoughts of the commander, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, and other memorandums she typed for him about Mr. Bush. "The information in them is correct." [NY Times]

The right-wing blogosphere went absolutely ballistic over trying to pound home that these CBS documents were forged. And while the jury is still somewhat out concerning a definitive answer concerning this issue, things do not appear good for CBS.

OK, fine. But it appears once again as if the larger point is purposefully getting drowned out by the fever-pitch sound of gotcha-talk concerning this much more minute topic. I ask what is more important: this election and the facts surrounding Bush and his supposed military record (esp. since nearly the only thing he’s running on is his integrity and his word), OR the incessant hounding of a story to “bring down” Dan Rather and the CBS news department?

As the secretary properly points out, these memos (i.e. the medium) may be fake (and therefore shame on CBS), HOWEVER their content is accurate -- and in the bigger scheme of things that’s a far more meaningful outcome to the story that should be emphasized, and reemphasized in the media.

Anytime I had brought the above up to right-wing bloggers, they would adamantly refuse to acknowledge these obvious points. The truth be damned as their main goal was to fan flames until you had an out-of-control brush fire, one that would require tons of media attention, therefore serving as an effective wag-the-dog away from the larger, more meaningful issues. Divert, divert, divert – Rove’s key tactic.