For all the people fretting over the "influence" possibly wielded on young George W. Bush's behalf, William F. Buckley, Jr. tartly replies

Anybody who believes that influence isn't a factor in life was never asked to write a letter to a Congressman asking him kindly to endorse the application of Joey from next door to enter West Point. That's how much of life works. Influence is not to be confused with corruption. Influence can get you to the head of the line to get your driver's license; corruption is when you fail the test, but get the license anyway.

Comments

[Arrogant Adrian]

Rathergate proves that CBS and the elite media ARE NOT LIBERAL!

Ask Ralph Nader if the elite media are liberal. If you have any, ask your Lefty friends if the EM are liberal (Here in Massachusetts my friends are mainly lefties). They'll all answer, correctly, that the elite media is controlled by corporate interests and thus not liberal.

Well, how in the hell do you reconcile the obvious bias Dan Rather has so clumsily reaved with the EM being corporate controlled? Let me explain:

1 - The elite media is pro-Democrat and anti-Republican. This is very different from "liberal" or "lefty

2 - Big business is obviously also pro-Democrat. Why, do you ask, would big business be pro-Democrat? Well here's why:

3 - Big business is addicted to the corporate welfare that big government Democrats surreptitiously shower on them in return for contributions both legal and illegal, and, perhaps most importantly and most cynically:

4 - Big business wants big government to take over their responsibilities for employee health care and retirement funding. Can anyone familiar with the financials of the major American corporations not plainly see how much more money there would be for sleazy corporate managers to play with if they had no more line items for employee health care and employee retirement funding? If you need more evidence just read BUSINESS WEEK and FORTUNE magazines. They read like compilations of Democrat talking points.

5 - Listen my friends, in this modern world, the Democrats represent the RICH, mainly those who inherited their money or acquired it through advancing up the bureaucracies of big business, big education or big healthcare. These cynical and sometimes criminal types hope to buy social peace and/or assuage their guilt by giving a multitude of pittances to the great unwashed while making hardworking, productive citizens and small businessmen pay for it.

6 - Republicans represent the little guys who are willing to work hard to improve the lives of their families.

I hope this clears things up for you guys who might be having a little trouble figuring this all out. I simply followed my late and sainted father's admonition to "Follow the money" when things seem a bit confusing.

source:

http://pep.typepad.com/public_enquiry_project/2004/09/rathergate_prov.html