The White House Strikes Back
The Washington Times has a slightly fuller account of Scott McClellan's comments on Rathergate than the ones I saw yesterday:
"CBS has now acknowledged that the crux of their story may have been based of forged documents," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.He also commented on Mr. Rather's attempt to salvage the story by interviewing an 86-year-old Bush critic on Wednesday's edition of "60 Minutes II." The anchorman asked Marian Knox, a secretary for a National Guard unit more than 30 years ago, whether Mr. Bush received preferential treatment.
"I feel that he did," she replied. To which Mr. McClellan answered, "So now some are looking at feelings and not the facts. We don't have to rely on the feelings of a nice woman who has firmly stated her opposition to the president."
White House aides were furious that Mr. Rather did not disclose to viewers that Mrs. Knox told the Dallas Morning News that she opposed the president's re-election, calling him "unfit for office" and "selected, not elected." Bush advisers were also incredulous that Mr. Rather gave such credence to a woman who openly admitted that much of what she was telling the newsman was "conjecture" and "gossip."
Well, it's not so much about giving Mrs. Knox credence as it is about trying to change the subject to something other than your own attempt to base a news story on forged documents.
I take this more aggressive stance to mean that the administration has concluded that the CBS documents are unquestionably fakes, and that the incident is hurting John Kerry.
