One last thought: Rathergate reminds me of a Jeff Goldbum appearance on SNL after "Jurrasic Park" came out. As a joke, the audience would ask him all sorts of questions about the Dinosaurs. It went something like this:
"What did the dinsosaurs eat?"
Goldblum: "There were no dinosaurs. They were just a special effect."
"Were you afraid of working with them?"
Goldblum: "I did see them. They were added afterwards, as a special effect."
"Did you gain the trust of any of the dinosaurs?"
Goldblum: "Umm... I'm not sure you're getting this. There were no dinosaurs! They were a computer-generated effect, added to the movie after we shot. Okay, any other questions?"
"So which dinosaur did you enjoy working the most with?"
Somehow, this reminds me of CBS's handling of things:
CBS: "Why isn't Bush answering the questions detailed in the memos?"
"There were no memos."
CBS: "But the real story the memos raise is being ignored!"
"There were no actual memos. They were a computer-generated special effect added afterwards. Besides, General Staudt says nothing like that was going on at the time."
CBS: "Staudt! How can we believe him, given the vested interest he had in keeping Bush in the guard, as portrayed in the memos?"
"Try to understand, Dan: There were no memos."