Monday, November 29, 2004
Scary
I um...agree with Bill O'Reilly on something:
I think that Dan Rather is a good journalist, but became too easy of a target for the right wing attacks. The National Guard story was the clincher. No way were they going to let that pass, without Rather taking the heat. He did screw up, but he wasn't going to be allowed to get away with it. The fact that the National Guard story was basically true (but the documents were not), was forgotten, because of the ferocious attacks on Rather. He was going down. In any case, I don't think he would have lasted much longer, but I don't believe he would have wanted to retire now.
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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...
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, is liberal in his thinking. That is certainly a legitimate debate - how for years CBS News has taken a rather progressive outlook. 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.
I think that Dan Rather is a good journalist, but became too easy of a target for the right wing attacks. The National Guard story was the clincher. No way were they going to let that pass, without Rather taking the heat. He did screw up, but he wasn't going to be allowed to get away with it. The fact that the National Guard story was basically true (but the documents were not), was forgotten, because of the ferocious attacks on Rather. He was going down. In any case, I don't think he would have lasted much longer, but I don't believe he would have wanted to retire now.
