"Blogging Machine" here

“Honest” Dan Rather threw down the gauntlet to bloggers last night.

DAN RATHER: One would expect that the blogging machine which the White House and the Bush-Cheney campaign has used for any number of purposes over their four years will start now, if it hasn’t started already, to say, listen, Kerry-Edwards, for the good of the country, need to concede.

ED BRADLEY: I’m sure it’s started already. If we could tune into the Internet we’d see that people are already saying that now. That’s certainly the drum the White House is beating.

This pathetic exchange speaks for itself, but I have two questions:

1. Will Viacom stockholders stand for this nonsense from “Honest” Dan, et al as their numbers continue to tank?

2. Will The New York Times save what remains of their reputation by severing their relationship with CBS?

MEANWHILE: Dept. of Education Is Painful… The Los Angeles Times makes no mention of the popular vote in its dead tree edition, declaring Bush’s lead “slim” in its headline. (hat tip: Jim Hake)