*** YOUNG RATHER:
I'M A DEMOCRAT ***
Snippets:
http://secure.mediaresearch.org/news/cyberalert/2001/cyb20010517.asp
Below is the text of the May 16 Media Reality Check titled, "Rather Praises Clinton As An 'Honest Man'; CBS's Top Watchdog: 'I Think You Can Be an Honest Person and Lie About Any Number of Things.'"
Appearing on the Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor Tuesday night, Dan Rather insisted he had no "inner bias...that goes easy on a Clinton and hard on somebody from the Republican side." But in his answers, Rather revealed that he sees the world through liberal-tinted lenses. Highlights from Rather's FNC appearance:
-- Rape is a private matter: "I don't remember all the details of Juanita Broaddrick," Rather dismissively commented in reference to the Arkansas woman who alleged that Clinton raped her in 1978, "but I will say that -- and you can castigate me if you like -- when the charge has something to do with somebody's private sex life, I would prefer not to run any of it."
-- Bill Clinton has an honest core: "I think he's an honest man," Rather told O'Reilly. "Do you, really?" the FNC host incredulously retorted, reminding him that Clinton lied to the country about Monica Lewinsky. "I think at core he is an honest person," Rather absurdly insisted. "I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things."
-- Mistakes were made: After Rather claimed that CBS "did do quite a bit on campaign finance," O'Reilly recalled that the anchorman had refused to bring it up when he interviewed the President: "When you interviewed Clinton himself in 1999, we have a transcript of the interview, you didn't ask him anything about the campaign finance stuff." Instead of defending his glaring omission, Rather shrugged, "Look, I'm not a perfect interviewer."