Posted on 11/26/2004 11:12:52 PM PST by kattracks
Dan Rather did not get what he deserved in this case. He made a
mistake, as we all do, but he is not a dishonest man.
The ordeal of Dan Rather goes far beyond the man himself. It speaks to the presumption of guilt that now rules the day in America. Because of a ruthless and callow media, no citizen, much less one who achieves fame, is given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to allegations or personal attacks. The smearing of America is in full bloom.
Weeks before the election, Kitty Kelley put out a book defaming the entire Bush family. The allegations were primarily made by anonymous sources, but that didn't stop the media from gleefully recounting all the sordid accusations. Some newspapers put them on Page 1.
That smear came on the heels of the Swift Boat Veterans' attacks on John Kerry [related, bio], an ordeal that may have cost him the election. While some of the Vietnam vets had valid points, more than a few of the accusations against Kerry were simply untrue.
Right-wing talk radio, in particular, pounded Kerry and also bludgeoned Dan Rather for his role in another smear incident - the charges against George W. Bush vis-a-vis his National Guard service. Again, Rather was found guilty without a fair hearing. Charges that he intentionally approved bogus documents that made President Bush [related, bio] look bad were leveled and widely believed. It was chilling.
As a CBS News correspondent in the early '80s, I worked with Rather and have known him for more than 20 years. There is no way on this earth that he would have knowingly used fake documents on any story. It may be true that Rather did not vet the information supplied to him by producers, but few anchor people do. They are dependent on other journalists, and this is a huge flaw in the system.
Dan Rather is guilty of not being skeptical enough about a story that was politically loaded. I believe Rather, along with Andy Rooney, Walter Cronkite and other guardsmen of the old CBS News, are liberal in their thinking. But holding a political point of view is the right of every American, and it does not entitle people to practice character assassination or deny the presumption of innocence. Dan Rather was slimed. It was disgraceful.
But you'll be seeing more of this kind of thing. All famous and successful Americans are now targets. Unscrupulous people know that any accusation can be dumped on the Internet and within hours the mainstream media will pick it up. A click of the Internet mouse can wipe out a lifetime of honor and hard work. Just the accusation or allegation can be ruinous. Let me ask you something: In the future, do you think potential public servants and social crusaders are going to risk being attacked within this insane system? I don't. I think many good people are simply going to walk away from the public arena.
Dan Rather did not get what he deserved in this case. He made a mistake, as we all do, but he is not a dishonest man. Unfair freedom of speech did him in. This is not your grandfather's country anymore.
( Bill O'Reilly hosts Fox News' ``The O'Reilly Factor.'' )
Exactly what Rather said when it was proven the documents were false. He knew the documents were phony and still pushed the story.
O'Reilly auditioning for Rather's job?
BORe is wrong.
Again.
This is the final nail in O'Reilly's coffin as far as I am concerned.
Is he insane or just covering himself in case he wants to lie in the future?
No one in their right mind can say that Rather wasn't being dishonest. I'd add accessory to a crime (false military documents), slandering or libel or whatever it's called, and then refusing to come clean or reveal where the fake documents came from.
O'Reilly is a sick puppy.
***That smear came on the heels of the Swift Boat Veterans' attacks on John Kerry.***
Who?
***Dan Rather did not get what he deserved in this case.***
Who?
Moving on..... =P
Bernie Goldberg on Rather and the documents:..
"Dan may have been taken for a ride,but he was a willing passenger.."
Dan has yet to admit the documents are frauds.
Bill O'Reilly is boring and predictable. He's turned into a hack.
O'Reilly is clueless.
Bill O'Reilly has lost his credibility. He is such a blowhard, condesecending, arrogant pompous. He is so prone to feuds.
The only O'Reilly statement I can agree with, when he says Rather didn't get what he deserved.
I stopped watching him a long time ago, don't trust him, don't like him.
I think he's also speaking from his own experience with the girl and phone calls scandal...He will probably try to say that nobody can hold anything against him because it has not been proven...BLah BLah Blah
It's weird how arrogance makes people stupid.
If the shoe fits...
Hey bill---live by the sword - die by the sword
Agreed.
Yes Bor is a schmarmy brownoseing wannabe
Mr Bill has been in the spotlight himself recently; some story regarding a loofah....
Could it be he didn't like the attention he received from the New media and felt compelled to protect one of his own?
O'Reilly is slipping away quickly, I suppose the ego got in his way.
Bill O'Reily is an insufferable bore who got caught with his own "pants down" and mercifully escaped that dame's charges. Rather has always been and will always be a left hack with a microphone that, fortunately, is being ignored by good Americans. O'Reily has always reminded me of a John Kerry-kind of guy, willing to say anything to keep an audience. BORe's easy dismissal of the Swift Boat patriots was the final straw on my camel's back.
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