CBS Fires Back at Dan Rather

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Eye for an Eye

CBS is firing back at Dan Rather over his $70 million lawsuit alleging that the network made him a "scapegoat" after his report on President Bush's National Guard service was proved to be false. CBS filed a 30-page motion to dismiss Thursday.

It read, "We at CBS are mystified and saddened by the baseless and self-serving allegations and distortions of fact raised in his lawsuit… The lawsuit is a regrettable attempt by plaintiff Dan Rather to remain in the public eye, and to settle old scores and perceived slights, based on an array of far-fetched allegations."

CBS says Rather's complaint is based on what it calls a "bizarre scheme" to defame rather that stretched from the White House to the network's Manhattan headquarters — allegations CBS says "bear no resemblance to reality." Rather left CBS in March of 2005.

Scouting Mission

A Boy Scout troop in Cambridge, Massachusetts is collecting supplies for local military personnel in Iraq. So the Scouts put donation boxes at the city's 33 polling places on Election Day earlier this month.

But the election commission ordered the boxes removed after one person complained that the donation effort implied a pro-war message by the scouts. The head of the commission later said the Scouts did not have permission to put the boxes out.

But the leader of Boy Scout Troop 45 says he not only sought and received permission from the commission, but got it on two separate occasions. The Scouts removed the boxes as ordered, but the supply drive is ongoing.

Crime and Punishment?

A 19-year old Saudi Arabian woman who was the victim of a gang rape and was sentenced to 90 lashes for being in a car of an unrelated male — has had her sentenced changed. But not the way you think.

Wednesday, a Saudi judicial panel sentenced the teenager to 200 lashes and six months in jail — for telling her story to the press. The judges decided to punish what they called, "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."

Domestic Violence

Vince Hogg of Wormit, Scotland was arrested after tearing out the hair of his live-in girlfriend and slamming her against a wall. The Daily Record reports the two apparently have had a stormy relationship and he became incensed because a leaky shower was causing the carpet to get wet.

All of this has caused Hogg problems with his job, as an anger management counselor. But Hogg is still on the payroll of the National Health Service, which runs the "zero tolerance campaign" against domestic violence, where he worked. Hogg was, however, demoted and reassigned.

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.