Dan Rather’s Last Big Story Is Himself

New York Magazine ^ | November 25, 2007 | Joe Hagen

[Zuben Elgenubi]

" . . . or reveal Rather to be the crumpled icon of a fading era, courting madness in the twilight of public life."

This is the side I alight upon.

[been_lurking]

Why does he believe his documents are real now? There are two reasons: “First of all,” he says, “the story is true.

The documents (which are the basis of proof for the story) are real because the story (which is only supported by the fake documents) is true? How much more circular can one's logic become.

And he expects to be treated as a sane human being....

[50sDad]

The core of Rather’s lawsuit is a mundane contract dispute over whether he received the airtime he was promised in his final year on CBS.

[BABELFISH]

Rather has no real hard facts on the case at hand other than his personal conviction that it was "fake but accurate", and wants to use any kind of weak legal pretext to get his washed-up backside back in front of the cameras so he can drone on about how he is right and the facts are wrong.

[/BABLEFISH]

[Eddie01]

...many of us wondered in amazement just how such a startingly average intellect made it to the top of newscasting.

Apptitude for fraud is the benchmark.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Thanks. Learned something new today.

[DejaJude]

With conservative groups attacking Senator John Kerry’s record as a Vietnam War veteran, Bush’s own service was vulnerable, and Rather and his producer Mary Mapes went after it.

If the story was Kerry, why would they go after Bush? Of course, I know the answer.

[TheSarce]

Pajamahadeen ping!

[50sDad]

In the weeks I spent talking to him, Rather was still hustling like he’d be on the news each night at 6:30 in front of 7 million viewers.

Some actors don't know when it is time to leave the stage. What a sad little man, living in yesterday. This is like Algore in twenty years, sitting alone in a bus station, telling people that HE is the real President.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Mapes was “on” the W story for the better part of 20 years and never could get it to stick. This began long before John F’n Carry came into the picture.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

[theDentist]

ping to read later

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Rather's case will be dismissed. It truly is bullshit.

Quoting Gunga Dan from the article: “If I knew then what I know now, I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.”

That quote alone nails the coffin shut, imo.

[MEGoody]

. . .reveal Rather to be the crumpled icon of a fading era, courting madness in the twilight of public life

That's Rather all right.

[Anti-Bubba182]

He will end up looking worse, as a broadcasting joke. He deserves it but it is pathetic.

[Nonstatist]

even if it was true, it wouldn't have made a difference in the 2004 election.

I'm not sure about that. That was how the MSM downed Bush Sr's 1992 run(Weinberger's bogus conviction) and almost Bush Jr in 2000 (DUI thing amajig). Thats how these people work and its an alarmingly efficient method of kicking 3 or 4 percentage points off an election result... The power of the (old) media!

[Beagle8U]

Dan Rather...Tired, old, irrerevelent, and now obviously insane.

( gee, that would make a great tag-line )

[AlaskaErik]

I have absolutely no sympathy for Dan Ra^ther. None whatsoever. He lied to his audience in a brazen attempt to derail President Bush's reelection bid. Ra^ther is nothing but gutter scum and in the gutter is where he belongs.

[Alex Murphy]

Ping to read later

[boop]

So Rather admits that he wouldn’t use the documents, but would still “go ahead with the story”? Based on what, Dan? The fake documents WERE the story. Interviewing liberal a$$wipes who hate Bush and are now semi-senile, is apparently all CBS news requires for a “scoop” of this magnitude.

[boop]

"This administration was hammering people for much less controversial stuff,” says a veteran TV news producer. “When they were at the height of their power, post-9/11, they would call about anything, yell about anything, pressure people about anything.”"

The notion that the MSM would sit on a story damaging to Bush, or bow to pressure by republicans is absurd.