There is little dispute that the documents used by CBS to prove that George Bush was not an outstanding National Guard fighter pilot are fakes. To put a fine point on it, these memos are false, fictitious, fraudulent, bogus, amateurish, ridiculous, silly, mean-spirited, incredible, stupid, and pathetic.

There is only one person and one entity that continue to use weasel words to describe this outrageous abuse of public airwaves. That would be Dan Rather and CBS. Somebody should tell CBS and Dan Rather that when you find yourself in a deep hole, stop digging.

For a few hours, the power of CBS allowed them to wave documents around, much like Senator Joe McCarthy did many years ago. Senator McCarthy took that famous list of names out of his jacket pocket, waved it around, and stated that he had the identity of known Communists working for the federal government.

Ironically, the difference between Dan Rather and Joe McCarthy is abundantly clear. While they both used documents to try to make their case, Joe McCarthy has been proven to be a truth-teller. In fact, based on what we have learned since the fall of the Soviet Union, it could be said today that Joe McCarthy was the master of understatement – the federal government was riddled with spies and fellow travelers.

Why did Dan Rather participate in a television production that could have been impacting on the presidency and the reelection of George Bush? The underlying reason is maybe the worst of all: Because he could. But what purpose would be served if the documents had never been found to be the fake props that they were? The answer is simple. John Kerry’s campaign has been in a tailspin since August and many credit the truthful and powerful ads by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth as the reason. Soon after those ads began running and John O’Neill’s bestselling book gained traction, Kerry’s plan to “report for duty” seemed doomed.

It’s Kerry’s own fault. He believed his advisors, who believed polls and focus groups that said in order to be elected the candidates must be strong on national defense and act like a warrior – since the nation just happens to be threatened and just happens to be at war. Senator Kerry has the voting record of a Sixties Hippie Pacifist, so how could he possibly trot that out as a reason to be commander in chief? He also participated in activities that some have said are traitorous when he conspired with the enemy to give sworn testimony in front of Congress that alleged war atrocities committed by his Vietnam buddies. These charges turned out to be totally false, and, not incidentally, fake documents were created to support Kerry’s bogus claims. Some of the veterans whose testimony he cited didn’t serve in the military.

Kerry has never apologized. Even after four short months in Vietnam, dubious conduct while there, questions about his war medals, disregard for the honor of those same medals apparently cheaply earned, disloyal conduct upon returning home – and, finally, two decades of voting against every significant attempt to give more strength to America, Kerry has never offered an apology. The warrior ruse did not work, so is any wonder that a Hail Kerry pass was in order?

CBS became a willing team member in a desperation play. They have a track record for helping another Democratic candidate wash away womanizing allegations in 1992, and they have been trying for years to find dirt on President Bush’s military record. When these obviously phony documents were offered, even the source advised they smelled like three-day-old fish. He warned them to study them carefully and obtain back-up from “experts” who could make statements about the documents’ authenticity. CBS tried to do that, but even paid experts didn’t want to touch these childish forgeries.

Nevertheless, the play was executed. Kerry needed to score some points and CBS has not broken a good story in a long time. There isn’t much to report about the Bush White House because decent people have returned to work and live there. While Dan Rather and his zealous crew digs to find dirt on Bush as a wild boar looks for truffles in the forest, real investigating journalists have bypassed the mainstream media and now inhabit the web and national talk shows. These new-media reporters routinely break major news stories while they perform a public service of watch-dogging the old guys over at the bureaucratic networks.

Thus, instead of making the news, CBS became the news.

This is why the traditional news networks are dying. All organizations that have existed for any length of time suffer from bureaucratic dry rot. Only significant reforms and new thinking change the hour of their appointment with mediocrity and eventual dissolution. Reforms will require new personnel at the top, and weasel words spun by talking heads too clever by half will not fix CBS. Words like “You’re fired!” will.

This article was published by TownHall.com.