Dan Rather's Last words

[pres2032]

“We have shared a lot in the 24 years we’ve been meeting here each evening. And before I say good night this night, I need to say thank you. Thank you to the thousands of wonderful professionals at CBS News, past and present, with whom it has been my honor to work over these years.

“And a deeply felt thank you to all of you, who have let us in to your homes night after night. It has been a privilege and one never taken lightly.

“Not long after I first came to the anchor chair I briefly signed off using the word ‘courage.’ I want to return to it now, in a different way, to a nation still nursing a broken heart for what happened here in 2001, and especially to those who found themselves closest to the events of September 11th.

“To our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in dangerous places. To those who have endured the tsunami, and to all who have suffered natural disasters and who must now find the will to rebuild.

“To the oppressed and to those whose lot it is to struggle in financial hardship and failing health. To my fellow journalists in places where reporting the truth means risking all.

“And, to each of you, courage.

“For the ‘CBS Evening News,’ Dan Rather reporting. Good night.”

[Fenris]

1. ...And then they shot him.

[CatWoman]

20. out of a cannon?

a la Sideshow Bob? :D

[CubsFan1982]

2. What a classy, dignified gentleman.

It's a crime the way CBS pushed him out. He's far from my favorite news personality, but he was given the royal screwjob.

[pres2032]

4. got that right

damn shame

[Kat45]

3. Then everyone in the newroom came in and applauded him.

I enjoyed his words, and I thought the applause was really nice.

[pres2032]

6. i wish i had seen it

watching the special on him now

[fishnfla]

5. not too shabby

eom

[democracyindanger]

7. Sorry, but good riddance

What he said after 9/11 was so pathetic, it is impossible for me to regard Rather with anything but disgust. He proved he was utterly clueless as to the role of the press in a healthy democracy.

As the saying goes, the first casualty of war is the truth, and Rather made it clear that he wouldn't even be a speed bump to the tidal wave of lies that were surely on the way. Rather is no better than Walter Issacson, the former CNN chief, who went to DC in 2000 to ask right wingers how CNN could 'better show the conservative viewpoint.' He's the Joe Lieberman of the news.

[pres2032]

8. what?

what did he say?

[democracyindanger]

9. He went on Letterman

soon after 9/11 and said--I can't say this is verbatim, but it's as I remember hearing him--"George W. Bush is my president, and Mr. President, you just tell me where to stand and I'll be there."

Still makes me nauseous.

[pres2032]

10. i think he's proven that he's one of the good guys

are you watching the special on him on CBS now?

seriously, most people rally around their president after a national tragedy, happens everywhere, no matter the president. I personally liked Bush's speech on 9/11, does that make me a freeper??

[democracyindanger]

12. Hey, I'm not saying he's a freeper

I'm not saying people rallying behind the President in a time of crisis is bad, either.

But instead of behaving like a professional journalist, Rather chose to be some sort of jingoistic cheerleader. Instead of a truthseeker, he became a flagwaver. And given what he said that day, you have to believe that there were important stories that went untold because Rather was settling in to where Bush wanted him to 'stand'.

Just my opinion. I don't fault you or anyone else that still hold him in high regard. But I don't think he's much, if at all, better than Wolf Blitzer.

[pres2032]

15. i guess that's why he reported on bush going AWOL

:eyes:

[democracyindanger]

21. Yeah, and spiked the yellowcake story to do it

:eyes:

That poorly-vetted AWOL story worked out pretty well, huh? And Rather really showed what a real reporter he was, speaking out on it and spending all that time trying to discover exactly how he got bamboozled.

[pres2032]

23. so, um, how many other major reporters

talked about bush's military record??

what in the hell kind of reporter do you want? one that wears a donkey pin and has a DU bumpersticker on his desk?

[democracyindanger]

26. Like I said, that AWOL story really turned out well, huh?

I want a competent reporter who pursues the truth, and who will burn his sources when they lie to him. Not one who reacts by moving to a less stressful gig.

"Courage." Whatever. Try "Truth."

[CubsFan1982]

13. Posts 9 and 11 are examples of people who will never be happy

No matter what somebody does. Fuck, when 9/11 happened I rallied around the President, because we'd been attacked. Mind you, this was before I could ever know what evil shit would be done as a result. Rather was the same. These people will never be satisfied as long as perfect adherence to their expectations is not possible. If they want someone to do everything they want them to, they should get off their lazy, bitching asses, and do it themselves. That's the only anything will EVER change.

[democracyindanger]

16. Bullshit

You want a real journalist? Read Helen Thomas. Read the pieces Cronkite has written the past few years.

There's a reason FOX News has been so successful--it panders to people. That's what Rather did that night. He pandered.

My standards aren't too high. Yours are too low.

[pres2032]

17. no yours are definitely sky high

[CubsFan1982]

19. Nuh-uh.

Helen Thomas used to be a journalist. She is to us as Robert Novak is to the right, only not nearly as evil.

So you wanted Dan Rather to attack the President of the United States right after 9/11. Memogate isn't good enough for you? The man lost his fucking job "pandering" to us!

I want journalists that will report straight down the middle, the way they used to. I don't want a FNC or AAR spin on the news. You want the latter. That's not real journalism either.

[democracyindanger]

25. That's the funniest thing I've read today

Helen Thomas is Robert Novak? Try reading a press gaggle transcript some time. Learn how a real journalist works.

And where did I say I wanted Rather to attack Chimpy? Go ahead. I anxiously await your answer.

You want 'journalists' that will read something somebody else wrote in sonorous tones, tossing in an occassional silly saying to show he's in touch with the common folk.

But what the fuck do I know, right? All those journalism ethics and history classes I took to get my journalism degree, all that bullshit about 'gatekeepers for the truth' clearly shows that my opinion on what good journalism is is uninformed.

Helen Thomas is Robert Novak. Heh. That's fucking rich.

[CubsFan1982]

28. A "real journalist" does not write biased opinion columns, dude.

Thomas does, so does Cronkite, so too Novak. Simply because she has a White House press pass does not make her fucking Edward R. Murrow. She asks biased questions, same as Gannon did. You're saying that's it's unacceptable for a right-wing biased reporter to ask questions of Bush, but for a left leaning reporter it's perfectly all right. Bull-fucking-shit.

You were attacking Rather for standing with Bush after 9/11, as though he were supposed to do otherwise. Don't play semantics with me, buddy.

No, I want someone who will give the plain, unvarnished facts. I don't want fucking talking points from the RNC or DNC, Heritage Foundation or the Center for American Progress. You think it's perfectly acceptable to do so, as long as the person doing it is a liberal. I don't buy that.

If a left-biased press is supposed to be "good journalism", evidently you need to take a few more journalism classes.

[ikojo]

24. I did not drink from the kool aid and rally around Bush

following 9/11. NEVER in the years since he has been "president" have I supported that man. I knew he would take advantage of the events of 9/11/01 and he proved me right.

[CubsFan1982]

27. You're more paranoid than I am, evidently.

Sea kelp.

[Blue_Tires]

29. it needs to be said that

ALL newscasters and print journalists, and pretty much most of the nation were on that 'rally behind the president' vibe in the weeks after 9-11...And so was i for that matter (I'm not excusing rather, and of course, i didn't know then about 9-11 what i know now)

[democrank]

11. This is what I wanted to hear.....

Karl Rove set me up with a phony memo. The liars in the White House tried to make you think the Bush AWOL story was something I recently made up, even though the story had been a subject of discussion for years. In fact, CBS was the last to report this story, not the first.

CBS decided that the truth didn`t matter as much as not making waves, so we fired a few people and now I`m going to retire. That should put us back in good standing with the Bush administration and the Red Staters.

Before I go, let me just say one last thing....finding proof that George Bush completed his National Guard service was as difficult as finding WMDs in Iraq.

[n2mark]

14. He is leaving with dignity

What you wanted to hear is not professional. He left as a professional. But..... doesn't mean he will not speak out in the future. He did everything professionally and politically correct. I respect him for that.

[Kat45]

18. And he's still going to be working for CBS, doing "60 Minutes"

Who knows what kind of stories he'll work on there?

I've liked Dan Rather ever since he was reporting on Richard Nixon. My mother, who still likes Nixon, has not liked Rather ever since. :-)

[lumberingbear]

22. Nice speech....

"To my fellow journalists in places where reporting the truth means risking all."

Do you think he meant the White House?

[Historic NY]

30. Rather was a news reporter....the anchor roll he filled well

he did a so so job. You have to give him credit because he spent more years in the trenches. Sometimes people get both jobs mixed up. As and anchor he had to compete for ratings, as a reporter he just had to do his job.

Ken whats the frequency?