"Burned!"

Andrew Sullivan writes on the New Republic website:

It seems to me that when a news anchor presents false information and then tries to cover up and deny his errors, he has ceased to be a journalist. I'd like to say that Dan Rather needs to resign from his profession. But, judging from the last few days, he already has.

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Update: Ace of Spades has some words of wisdom.

[...]There was Dan Rather's expert witness, a man who, to the extent he "authenticated" anything at all, could only authenticate a signature rather than the entirety of a document.

It turns out that it's actually a little worse than that. Which will be the epitaph of this story: Everything was worse than it seemed, even when you thought it was all pretty shoddy to begin with.

Elsewhere

Laurence Simon has something to say about digging holes.

WaPo Takes Down CBS's "Memos," and Weblog MVPs of Rathergate


Howard Kurtz co-writes the expose he should have days ago. It is an excellent collection of the best charges against the authenticity of the CBS memos. He even interviews Newcomer. Other new details include a total retraction by Matley of authentication of the documents, Laura Bush criticizes the documents, USA Today received their copies of the memos right after 60 Minutes aired Wednesday, and that of 100 other documents from the TANG, none use proportional-spacing, and that includes Killian's authenticated documents.

This bit reveals how little CBS trusts experts, even so-called ones who make statements supporting CBS, to examine the documents:

But Glennon said he is not a document expert, could not vouch for the memos' authenticity and only examined them online because CBS did not give him copies when asked to visit the network's offices.

I would like to note that if you were to name MVPs in the blogosphere in driving this story forward, one weblogging group I'd honor would be the fine folks at Power Line, who were the first to bring the questioning of the documents authenticity to the blogosphere, and collected huge amounts of reader feedback to further attack the documents. I'd also like to congratulate Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs, who went beyond determining if it was forged to determining how it was forged in one post, as well as bringing his significant typographic knowledge to bear in analyzing the documents. And last but not least, Bill of INDC Journal, whose responsibility for the media coverage of the inauthenticity of the documents may never be known, but it is definite that contacting Philip Bouffard helped lay the groundwork for this expose being reported nationally. Bill also followed new developments in the case both on and offline.

Once again, congratulations to the people behind all three of these weblogs for exposing serious media malfeasance.

E-A-G-L-E-S:

Eagles!!!

60 Minutes Memos Debunking: Case Closed

From Joseph M. Newcomb, Ph.D.:

I am one of the pioneers of electronic typesetting. I was doing work with computer typesetting technology in 1972 (it actually started in late 1969), and I personally created one of the earliest typesetting programs for what later became laser printers, but in 1970 when this work was first done, lasers were not part of the electronic printer technology (my way of expressing this is “I was working with laser printers before they had lasers”, which is only a mild stretch of the truth). We published a paper about our work (graphics, printer hardware, printer software, and typesetting) in one of the important professional journals of the time (D.R. Reddy, W. Broadley, L.D. Erman, R. Johnsson, J. Newcomer, G. Robertson, and J. Wright, "XCRIBL: A Hardcopy Scan Line Graphics System for Document Generation," Information Processing Letters (1972, pp.246-251)). I have been involved in many aspects of computer typography, including computer music typesetting (1987-1990). I have personally created computer fonts, and helped create programs that created computer fonts. At one time in my life, I was a certified Adobe PostScript developer, and could make laser printers practically stand up and tap dance. I have written about Microsoft Windows font technology in a book I co-authored, and taught courses in it. I therefore assert that I am a qualified expert in computer typography.

The probability that any technology in existence in 1972 would be capable of producing a document that is nearly pixel-compatible with Microsoft’s Times New Roman font and the formatting of Microsoft Word, and that such technology was in casual use at the Texas Air National Guard, is so vanishingly small as to be indistinguishable from zero.

[...]

It does not take a sophisticated expert in forensics or document authentication to spot these obvious forgeries. The forgery is obvious to anyone who knows the history and technology of digital typesetting, not to mention to any intelligent 12-year-old who has access to Microsoft Word.

[...]

[...]All I can say is that the technology that produced this document was not possible in 1972 in the sort of equipment that would have been available outside publishing houses, and which required substantial training and expertise to use, and it replicates exactly the technologies of Microsoft Word and Microsoft TrueType Fonts.

It is therefore my expert opinion that these documents are modern forgeries.

The cliche: read the rest.

CBS Evening News Melts Down


WTF

Simply Brilliant

Rather is screwed. I was going to say that, if the people who gave this were ideologically connected to CBS, CBS would likely not burn their source with a "leak" of their identity, but if Rather bites the dust for this one, you can expect to hear who forged it or passed on the forgery. Heck, you may hear it even if Rather isn't fired because CBS may really need someone to blame to distract from their incompetence.

A final note: This is perhaps the worst media incompetency in modern American history. Given how long they had it (six weeks!), who they were (60 Minutes "investigative" journalism), and how many issues there are with the documents authenticity, or lack thereof (Almost every piece of these documents has holes in it), any other recent journalism scandal pales in comparison.

Okay, maybe Eason Jordan covering up Saddam is worse, as that one may have killed people. Of course, that was a result of sheer amoral greed by the executives of CNN, not incompetency.

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I just came up with another pick for Dead Pool 2005.

On Blogging at Other Locales

My first post in the former-Amish Tech Support Dead Pool has been up for a while. It examines the connection between the star performer of the Dead Pool, Abu Merang AKA Ahmed Qurei, and my roster, of which I have the sole pick on him. Yes, that was phrased badly; no, I am not rephrasing it.

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Technically, it is still the ATS Dead Pool, as it began while ATS still existed, and its name has never been officially changed. Therefore, the 2005 Dead Pool will be the first Laurence Simon Dead Pool.

The Kerry Campaign Erosion Chronologized

Aug. 12 - Quiet day for the Kerry Campaign. Whoever was in charge today should get a promotion.

From the weblog, A Large Regular.

A Final Farewell to Amish Tech Support

Oh, the glorious madness of ATS! Insanity will never look so appealing, and reckless offensiveness will never again be so cool. I know Laurence will still be out there on the electronic aether of the Internet, but ATS is now like the flashback to Paris in Casablanca. It has become a time and place that cannot be brought back, and the memories will remain only memories.

And I will never forget the "madhouse-bound" rogues of ATS; Dr. Schlocktopus, Rabbi M., Clarence, Wind Rider, Shiksa, Russel, Coughlin (The token leftist!), Contruder, and The Lair Simon, all under one blog! A great time was had by all!

"What is the denomination of Hannukah Gelt?"

"He's back back back back back...He's outta here! (And I thought for a moment that AP was recycling headlines.) SCORE!"

"When Mister T says that he pities the fool, I don't believe him."

I wonder if Laurence fully understands the greatness of what he did. The madness, the genius, the stuff that didn't make any sense, and the Disney loathing! Amish Tech Support made everything that didn't make any sense not need to make any sense, and truly affirmed its description as "a padded cell in the basement of the blogosphere." A blogosphere without the legacy of ATS would be like a world without Catch-22, or an Elizabethan England without Shakespeare, or a Berkeley without University of Berkeley.

Without ATS, who will there be to say outrageous things and be completely ignored? Who will there be to make witty comments on the obscure and the bizarre? Who will there be to unhesitatingly and unrestrainedly slam celebrities?

To paraphrase Steinbeck in Tortilla Flat; in the blogosphere if you speak of Amish Tech Support you do not mean a group weblog of multi-columned layout, with comments and individual webpages for each post. No, when you speak of Amish Tech Support you are understood to mean a unit of which the parts are men, from which came cynicism and mirth, exposition and, in the end, a mystic regret. For Amish Tech Support was not unlike the Round Table, and the webloggers of Amish Tech Support were not unlike the knights of it.

Farewell Amish Tech Support. You will be missed.

"When Bremer issued the order to disband the army there was no army."

A very interesting interview with the Iraqi Ghost, Ahmed Chalabi, by Middle East Quarterly. Much of it may be self-serving, but it does bring a different perspective.

I do think his organization was actively fabricating evidence for Saddam's weapon's program, or was fed info by the Saddam's intel ops. That doesn't make me think less of Chalabi though. The man is a champion for justice and freedom in Iraq, and if I was in his position, I would have done the same thing. Anything that could lead to the removal of that brutal tyrant.

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I will cover the interview's points more thoroughly later.

Fly-Fishing Weblogger Watch

"OPEN LETTER TO NEW YORK AREA TROUT"

A Joke

"Radical De-Bassification"

NF Decides

As it stands now, I do not forsee voting for Kerry.

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This is the first part of a continuing series on my continuing struggle to reconcile my hawkish foreign policy with my liberal domestic policy views to choose between Bush and Kerry.

Internal polling:
Bush: +0
Kerry: -5
(Approval scale from +10 to -10)

Grab Bag Post

I think there are really only four archetypes of dogs.

There is the Mutt, which doesn't mean mixed breed in this context. Mutts are dogs that stand out only by their very ordinariness, or because they look like no other breed on the planet and don't share traits with other archetypes. They are somewhat lacking in utility unless thoroughly trained. I think Mutts make the best pets, because they will bond very srongly with their owners, are amicable with strangers, and almost never show any aggression towards people. The prototypical mutt is the Labrador Retriever. I'm quite fond of Mutts. Their only real flaw is that some of the specimens I've seen were somewhat, well, lacking in intelligence. (I'm serious. My lab once chased a hot air balloon!)

Another archetype is the Hound. The prototype for the Hound is...any sort of hound. Hounds are known for their athleticism, diligence, and loyalty. They can be very obedient and will behave with great focus if it is required. By and large, these dogs are the only ones trained to assist hunters. Workdogs such as Siberian Huskies also fall under this archetype.

The Pooch is another archetype. Pooches are likable, friendly dogs with lovably ugly faces. They range from big to small. The Pooch prototype is the Bulldog.

The final archetype is the Poodle. Guess what the prototype for the Poodle is. Poodles are small, yappy, and hyperactive. In pure Poodles, there fur is atrociously overwrought. As a side-note, there is one poodle that is not a Poodle; the full-sized poodle, as seen in Travels with Charlie.

Pure dog breeds can be mixes of these archetypes. Terriers are Hound-Poodles, Newfoundlands are Mutt-Hounds.

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Abu Merang returns

Abu Merang quits.
Arafat refuses to accept it.
Abu Merang is "convinced" not to quit, and stays on as a temp.
Now, Kofi tells Arafat to listen to him.

Five players have Kofi, Sixty-two players have Arafat, and one player has Abu Merang.

You can count on Laurence to pick out the diamonds in the rough of Kofi Annan's press meetings.

Q: Sir, would you be concerned that Arafat may actually survive this particular crisis? Do you think it would be a good thing for the Palestinians that he does or does not survive?
SG: I think that is an issue for the Palestinians to decide.

He says it so often he sounds like a broken record, but..."Sixty-two players gets points if the Palestinians decide 'No.'"

Yeah that would be me too. Now if only I could find some way to get Bashar Assad to kick the bucket. Except that violates the rules of the Dead Pool. Damn.

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To all those who have been waiting patiently for my many long-promised posts--I'm a slacker. Why don't you go read Cryptonomicon. It is an excellent novel, and I may actually have some of the posts done by the time you finish it.

Notes on Hamdi v. Rumsfeld

Stuart Benjamin at The Volokh Conspiracy explains the interesting split within the liberal and conservative blocs in Hamdi. It's actually pragmatism vs. formalism. I will write more on this case and the other two soon.

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Links: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 2003-2004 Term SCOTUS opinions

Meanderings

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the detainees in the Guantanamo cases. I'm okay with this, as it merely gives them the ability to sue to get a court to release them or give them a trial. I am all in favor of letting the courts decide if they are being held in a legal manner. An interesting note on the whole matter is that the ADL submitted Amicus briefs in the cases.

On the side of the defendants. The antisemitic Muslim terrorist defendants.

I wonder if IMAO did anything on this subject.

I'm back!

Coming up; some writing about my vacation in Cape Cod to dodge five days of rain at home, the introduction to my long-promised report on the Maine State Democratic Convention, and some assorted items. And no, I did not actually go to Cape Cod to dodge the rain; the trip was pre-planned.

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"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by."
--Douglas Adams

Mars Update

The Mars rovers are working overtime and uncovering some interesting geology.

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This has been a Mars Update.

My Family Members Say Funny Things

Dad: "They're talking about putting Reagan's face on a dollar. I think they should put his face on a $100,000 bill, so only those who benefitted the most from his presidency will have them."

Younger Brother: "Ah, the '90s, when pyramid schemes worked and boy bands roamed the earth."

My Thoughts Exactly

From the Wall Street Journal:

What's missing at the U.N. is not another survey by another consulting firm, or another 90-page report, or another investigation which serves chiefly to pre-empt criticism while fixing not much. The basic flaws are simple: Anytime you create a large institution, accord it great privileges of secrecy, give it a big budget, and have it run by someone immune from any sane standard of accountability, you are likely to get a corrupt organization.

Interesting Morsel from Roger Simon Profile

This has really caught my attention:

At present he's also co-writing a screenplay with Michael Ledeen, a foreign-policy expert and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who is also an NRO regular. Simon is keeping the project close to his vest, and will say only that it is a thriller related to the war on terror.

I'm going to keep track of this.