CBS approached the TANG story like a lawyer approached a trial.

[Via Recovering Liberal - part of the Kathy Shaidle communications empire.]

Colby Cosh points out some of the internal memos reflecting CBS's desparate search for an expert to authenticate the fake TANG documents.

It just has to bring a smile to any practicing trial attorney to read things like:

We need our [document] expert available NOW to speak to all those who are reporting this story. We need the expert. Now. We need him now.

[This] is essential RIGHT NOW. We NEED THAT EXPERT. Without him, we’re TOAST.

Like we haven't all been there. (Which reminds me that I have an expert designation due out at the end of the week.)

I also like this observation by Mary Mapes:

Even as she was fending off Schwartz's pleas, Mapes was telling other executives "that one could always find experts willing to take different sides in an authentication debate."

Yup, and lawyers have a technical name for such experts - "whores."