Will Dan Rather's lawsuit pull back the cover on the press' collusion with the Cheney-Bush administration?

I hadn't thought that much about Dan Rather's lawsuit. Untile I saw Sidney Blumenthal's take on it in Dan Rather stands by his story Salon 09/27/07. If his take is correct, the Rather suit could turn out to resemble the Plame case, where the Establishment press tried to diss its significance because their own ethically corrupt practices stood to be exposed. In the end, it provided the best single insight into the frauds Cheney and Bush used to justify the Iraq War. Blumenthal writes:

If the court accepts his suit... Then Rather's suit will become an extraordinary commission of inquiry into a major news organization's intimidation, complicity and corruption under the Bush administration. No congressional committee would be able to penetrate into the sanctum of any news organization to divulge its inner workings. But intent on vindicating his reputation, capable of financing an expensive legal challenge, and armed with the power of subpoena, Rather will charge his attorneys to interrogate news executives and perhaps administration officials under oath on a secret and sordid chapter of the Bush presidency.

In making his case, Rather will certainly establish beyond reasonable doubt that George W. Bush never completed his required service in the Texas Air National Guard. Moreover, Rather's suit will seek to demonstrate that the documents used in his "60 Minutes II" piece were not inauthentic and that he and his producers acted responsibly in presenting them and the information they contained -- and that that information is true. Indeed, no credible source has refuted the essential facts of the story.

Most cases of this sort are usually settled before discovery. But Rather has made plain that he is uninterested in a cash settlement. He has filed his suit precisely to be able to take depositions.

In his effort to demonstrate his mistreatment, Rather will detail how network executives curried favor with the administration, offering him up as a human sacrifice. The panel that CBS appointed and paid millions to in order to investigate Rather's journalism will be exposed as a shoddy kangaroo court. (my emphasis)

Read the whole thing. He has some fascinating stuff that I don't recall seeing before.

Tags: dan rather, establishment press, mainstream media, mainstream press, sidney blumenthal

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