By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:
From :At the behest of CBS, an adviser to John Kerry said he talked to a central figure in the controversy over President Bush's National Guard service shortly before disputed documents were released.
Joe Lockhart denied any connection between the presidential campaign and the papers. Lockhart, the second Kerry ally to confirm contact with retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, said he made the call at the suggestion of CBS producer Mary Mapes.
"He had some advice on how to deal with the Vietnam issue and the Swift boat" allegations, Lockhart said Monday, referring to GOP-fueled accusations that Kerry exaggerated his Vietnam War record. "He said these guys play tough and we have to put the Vietnam experience into context and have Kerry talk about it more."
Lockhart said he thanked Burkett for his advice after a three to four minute call.
Lockhart said he does not recall talking to Burkett about Bush's Guard records. "It's baseless to say the Kerry campaign had anything to do with this," he said.
Matt's Chat
Can we believe this? I can't. This is a senior Kerry operative. I trust him about as much as I trust seeBS, which is to say, not much.I don't think Lockhart forged the documents, but his involvement in this fiasco has got to have some consequences. It is a moral imperative that there be a reckoning for this. This is an outrage.
Mark's Remarks
Watching to his interview with Bill Hemmer on CNN was enlightening...I haven't seen him this creative at dodging since he was a mouthpiece for Bill Clinton. And we all know how those patent denials turned out, don't we? Lockhart may not have produced the documents, but he was in on it. It should illustrate the depth to which the left will go to get power, doing something they would castigate Republicans for.It is also fascinating to listen to the flimsy idea that Lockhart would contact some minor player in the Democratic party just because he was told by a producer that this man wanted to complain about the campaign's handling of the Swifties. Come on now, Mr. Lockhart...do you mean to tell me all one has to do to get a phone call from you is complain to CBS? If so, it tells me two things. One, CBS truly is a propaganda wing of the Democratic party (of course we knew that anyway) and two, you all have got way too much time on your hands to be taking calls from every Joe Schmo. No, sir, the truth is that you were already well aware of Mr. Bill and his forgeries, you were interested when Ms. Mapes told you Mr. Bill had been so helpful in their BushGuard story.... Different candidate, same old Clintonista tactics....
