Charles Johnson used Microsoft Word using the default settings. The spacing. The wording. The fonts. Everything matched up so that even someone with an untrained eye would find it strange to consider that these documents were more than 30 years old.
Charles and other bloggers found that the documents were created using a modern version of MS Word, that there were serious inconsistencies with the lettering, typeface, kerning, and other technical details.
This, in turn, was corroborated by family members of the deceased officer. Other bloggers found that the documents referred to Air Force memos that had nothing to do with flight status. In other words, every aspect of the documents were questionable and suspect.
The mainstream media began creeping up on the story yesterday afternoon and began asking more questions. CBS itself said that it would begin immediate investigations.
Now, more than two weeks later, CBS continues to stand by the story despite making an assertion that they can no longer stand by the authenticity of the documents.
That, simply put, isn't enough. There was a criminal act perpetrated here. The forgeries are that of someone impersonating a military officer, and that's a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Further, one has to question CBS News' investigation into how they came to have these documents in their possession. Who provided them to CBS. How did CBS authenticate the documents? Why did they push the documents as forcefully as they did?
And, while we're at it, news outlets still claiming these documents are what they say they are, when it's clear that they're frauds.
Of course, in the intervening period, we've come to learn that the documents were provided to CBS by a Bill Burkett, who has a clear anti-Bush agenda. The same Bill Burkett tried to pass along info to the Al Gore campaign in 2000 but the campaign passed on the info because it was considered too flimsy. Other sources that were considered unimpeachable turn out to be anything but.
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