Today CBS and its main anchor, Dan Rather, have made a much anticipated admission. Apparently the documents showing George W. Bush avoided his National Guard duties and benefited from “string-pulling” were a forgery.

The conspiracy has long been that the people behind these fake documents were pro-Kerry and did this in order to discredit Bush. Well while we’re talking conspiracy, I have another possibility.

Dan Rather has a bit of a reputation (particularly among the conservative right) of being pro-Democrat. For example, he once spoke at a democratic event. There is a battle for the airwaves in America. I regularly hear pundits complaining about the so-called “liberal media.” Meanwhile, the radio stations across the country are broadcasting shows by such clearly right wing perspectives as Rush Limbaugh. Plus, Fox News is amidst a controversy over an alleged pro-republican bias. The way news is presented can have a crucial effect on how viewers see the world. Given this fact, it should not be surprising that political players may want to encourage a particular bias in the media.

Perhaps the fake document was leaked to CBS not by a Kerry supporter in order to make Bush look bad, but by a Bush supporter in order to discredit Dan Rather and CBS. Even if there is no conspiracy, this is what happened. CBS’s credibility has been compromised thereby potentially neutralizing the threat Dan Rather and CBS may present to the Republican Party. Moreover this debacle has succeeded in distracting the nation from something that everybody knows to be true: George W. Bush benefited from the power his family has in order to avoid duty in Vietnam. This fact is no conspiracy.