Monday, September 20, 2004

Mary Mapes and the Kerry Campaign

What in the world? The AP is reporting contact between Kerry advisor Joe Lockhart and outsted-liar Bill Burkett. But that's not the most stunning thing. The stunning thing is that Lockhart "said he made the call at the suggestion of CBS producer Mary Mapes. " "Lockhart said Mapes asked him the weekend before the story broke to call Burkett. 'She basically said there's a guy who is being helpful on the story who wants to talk to you,' Lockhart said, adding that it was common knowledge that CBS was working on a story raising questions about Bush's Guard service. Mapes told him there were some records 'that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said.'" (my emphasis)

For a producer at a mainstream news source to be working on a story, and then to feed the story to the opposing campaign 50 days before the election.... It's simply beyond the pale. But I have to say, given what is being revealed about CBS these days, their naked partisanship should surprise no one.