Charles Johnson quotes Clinton apparatchik Sidney Blumenthal on the deep truth of the 60 Minutes II story:

Within minutes of the conclusion of the broadcast, conservative bloggers launched a counterattack. The chief of these critics was a Republican Party activist in Georgia. Almost certainly, these bloggers, who had been part of meetings or conference calls organized by Karl Rove’s political operation, coordinated their actions with Rove’s office.

I can't access anything beyond the first page of the Salon article, so I'm not sure what else Blumenthal has to say. It must be Blumenthal's contention that Rove planted the fake TANG documents on which the 60 Minutes II story was based. In her memoir Mary Mapes is ambivalent on this point. She defends the authenticity of the documents. But her view of Rove is otherwise identical to Blumenthal's. She describes Rove as Bush's "über-adviser" and, like Blumenthal, credits him with masterminding "the Republican attack against the [60 Minutes II] story." Given her claims of the documents' authenticity, she absolves Rove of fabricating and planting the documents -- "not that I believe Rove isn't capable of that kind of dirty trick."

Surveying the chain of events which led to CBS abandoning her story, Mapes proclaimed that rabid right-wing blogs joined forces with Fox News, talk radio, and "magazines like the Weekly Standard" to form "a well coordinated attack machine out there in the media world, a monster that waits in the woods for an opening and then overpowers its victim." Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!

Speaking for myself, as one of the bloggers involved in the chain of events leading to the exposure of the fraudulence of the 60 Minutes II story, I solemnly swear that I am still waiting to meet with or participate in a conference call organized by Karl Rove's political operation. I'm still awaiting orders from Karl Rove's office. And I'm still awaiting a thank-you letter from Rove.

Via Instapundit.

JOHN is surprised: What? Do you mean you never got your check?

SCOTT adds: Atlanta attorney Harry MacDougald (a/k/a "Buckhead") comments over in the Forum thread linked below:

When Blumenthal says, “The chief of these critics was a Republican Party activist in Georgia” he’s talking about me.

Dadgummit, I’ve never had a phone call either!

At the Power LIne Forum Jon Pichard, one of the readers who contributed to the exposure of the fake memos in 2004, writes:

Boy this stuff is really just dumb! I’m one of those people that wrote a typography post that got posted here by the Powerline guys. The reason I wrote the post had nothing to do with calls from anyone. I’m a longtime designer and expert in typography...I saw problems with the memos and wanted to point that out. I don’t know the Powerline guys or Mr. MacDougald. I certainly don’t have conference calls with Karl Rove or administration officials.

I do get a Christmas card from the White House every year signed by George and Laura. Maybe they put secret messages in those a la a Bin Laden videotape and then we mindless drones carry out pre-programmed instructions.

The problem is MSMers have no clue why simple ordinary citizens will rise up and challenge the posers that be when given a chance. The Internet gives us all that chance and for that sorry CBS episode we took it.

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Posted by Scott at 6:09 AM  |    |