Drudge reports that CBS has launched an internal investigation into the faked documents that 60 Minutes used to attempt a smear job on George Bush:

CBS NEWS executives have launched an internal investigation into whether its premiere news program 60 MINUTES aired fabricated documents relating to Bush's National Guard service, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. ...

The source, who asked not to be named, described CBSNEWS anchor and 60 MINUTES correspondent Dan Rather as being privately "shell-shocked" by the increasingly likelihood that the documents in question were fraudulent.

If true, CBS News still has not updated its web site to inform its readers that the documents may be unreliable. If The Dan was truly "shell-shocked", wouldn't he want to pull the story off the Tiffany Network's web site in order to keep a false story from spreading any further? Failing that, he could at least insist that some mention be made of the serious questions about the authenticity of the documents.

None of the above has yet occured, which leads me to believe that The Dan is less shell-shocked, and more likely calculating his vulnerability and who to pitch overboard as the sacrificial goat that saves his skin, if that becomes necessary. He won't pull his story until it becomes obvious that the other media outlets won't give him a pass.

UPDATE: Apparently ABC isn't prepared to carry The Dan's water for him on this one, guaranteeing that Rather will head into a sunset marred by dark, heavy clouds later this year. Nightline should be a must-see tonight.

UPDATE II: The Gray Lady isn't covering up for The Dan, either.

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