I think he is protecting the source. His career is going to end in public disgrace becauses the documents were provided by someone with undisputable ties to the Kerry campaign.
It is not surprising that Dan Rather is mired in a controversy involving Texas Democrats: a few years ago he was raising money for them. Rather appeared as the star guest at a 2001 fundraiser for the Travis County Democratic Party in Texas.
It looked like Rather had finally acknowledged his calling. But Rather wasn't yet ready to go legitimate. He insisted that he had no idea he was helping raise $20,000 for the Democrats. Rather's storied ear-to-the-ground reporting apparently failed him prior to the event. "I didn't ask the question, and I should have," he said, explaining his ignorance of the event's fundraising purpose. He did, however, admit to Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post that "When I got there, I was very aware that it was a fundraising event." Yet that didn't stop him from speaking anyway.
Rather refused to see himself as a fundraiser for the Democratic Party. But Texas Democrats managed to envision him in the role. So, too, did his daughter Robin, a prominent liberal environmentalist in Texas who helped host the fundraiser.
Here is the link:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=7104