Posted on 11/04/2006 3:21:48 PM PST by Borges
`Uncle Walter' says he could cover news today, and that's the way it is
Walter Cronkite turns 90 years old today, and the renowned broadcaster has lost none of his lust for the news business.
``I would like to think that I'm still quite capable of covering a story,'' he told the New York Daily News this week.
After anchoring the CBS Evening News for nearly two decades, his voice can now be heard introducing one of his successors, Katie Couric.
Asked for his reaction when he was invited to do the introduction, he replied without hesitation: ``I would like to be doing the whole broadcast.''
Still, he said: ``I was honored to be asked and I must say rather surprised. I'm very pleased to have my little signature out there at the beginning of the broadcast.''
Cronkite, of course, was the first anchor of that broadcast -- which was also the first nightly news program. Having him introduce Couric, said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and CBS Sports, was ``in retrospect, obvious.''
``It speaks volumes about what CBS News stands for,'' he said. ``It says so much about our tradition and our foundation.''
Cronkite helped build that foundation through his work during a particularly transformative time in American history. He was there to interpret for attentive audiences (undistracted by today's dizzying array of news sources) major world events like the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, the Apollo 11 moon landing and the assassination of President Kennedy.
Cronkite is proudest of his coverage of the civil rights movement, the peace talks between Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin in the 1970s and the space program.
``The (moon landing) was certainly one of the greatest stories of the century and perhaps will be the greatest story of many centuries.''
Television news has changed since Cronkite and Huntley-Brinkley ruled the evening news roost. But Cronkite said the anchor's job hasn't changed much.
So which broadcast does ``Uncle Walter'' watch?
``I bounce around a little bit,'' he said. ``I think all the three major networks do a good job. I'm particularly fond of Jim Lehrer's report on public radio.''
And Couric?
``I think Katie's doing very well,'' he said. ``I would like to see just a little bit more hard news on the broadcast.''
These days Cronkite spends his working hours doing documentary narration and voiceovers, as well as some writing, although he gave up his syndicated column last year. A leg injury has kept him off the tennis courts for the past few years, but he still enjoys sailing. He does have one regret.
``I unfortunately have not been to Iraq,'' he said. ``It's the first war since (World War II) that I have not covered.''
Dragons are legends, too.
I'll give Walter this...I bet he'd know better than to try to pass Microsoft Word docs off as genuine military correspondence from the early Seventies.
Ninety huh? The line to piss on his grave is probably already forming.
Nah--he's a commie---and a liar.
Only a legend in his own mind.
A legend in his own mind
Colonel Blimp speaks.
A legend to whom? Only to the same bunch who thinks Jimmy Carter was a great president.
Yes that about said it all. And it's not just the news organizations, it's the entertainment world (of course) and even the freaking sports world; to a man (and womyn) almost every sports writer & TV personality I know of is a flaming liberal (one exception may be Al Michaels).
I was born in 1942 so I was there for the whole mess.
The name "Cronkite" always reminded me of "Kryptonite" (from the original Superman series)
The disgusting manner in which he gradually made us give up and lose in Vietnam, and the countless lives lost because of his actions overshadow every "good" thing he ever did (like narrate NASA missions....how tough is that to do?).
Did you catch David Letterman's insanely rude treatement of Bill O'Reilly?
I'm not a big O'Reilly fan, and I don't think he's a libertarian conservative Republican, but good gravy.
It was like a pier 6 brawl.
When does he do that to lefties?
Which may go miles to explain why CBS News is so low it has to look up to see whale sh!t.
He lied to us about Nam. Lied.
The answer is never. No, I haven't watched Dave in about 10 years. I lost respect for him after Madonna came on and made a mockery of his show and then he brought her back on like they were all buddy-buddy. Showed him to be a total sap.
BOR isn't my favorite either, and tends to stick his finger in the air, but from what I've read in transcripts Letterman is a total barking moonbat when he's been on. Of course BOR takes it because he has a book to sell.
Gee thanks walter for the brain washing. Walter was part
of the Perfect Storm it involved Drugs,Sex,Freedom.You
see Walter was telling all these lies while people were in
theses altered states so the weak ones took them as the truth. Walter go in your sail boat and sail away forever.
I didn't watch O'Reilly on Letterman either. Just read some of the transript. Stopped watching him about the same time you did. Probably after he lost the tonight show gig.
David Letterman used to be funny. Now he's bitter, I think because of losing the Johnny Carson slot. Reminiscent of Garrison Keillor, who now seems to only spew Democrat venom or tell immature scatalogical jokes.
Jay Leno is a much more gentle soul. Hasn't forot he's a comedian first, and not a self-righteous leftwing crusdader.
Actually, he claims to be a Socialist.. and has stated so, publicly...
But he only did so after he retired...
That being said, I typically ignore the demented ramblings of old, retired socialists..
For that matter, all socialists..
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