There is no doubt CBS will have to fire Rather or accept his resignation. But I think more will be required to salvage its authority as a news organization--probably something akin to installing a public integrity ombudsman like the New York TImes did following the Jayson Blair fiasco.
Rather has become a laughingstock and can never recover what little credibility he had. He may be immune to personal embarrassment of this magnitude, but his employer and its sponsors are not.
The institution is fatally flawed. So was Arthur Anderson.
Surely, you don't think the NYT is objective, due to changes made as a result of being caught with Jason Blair.
"Rather has become a laughingstock and can never recover what little credibility he had"
Karma's a b*tch, eh Dan??
"What is most amazing to me is that the usual defenders of liberal bias and the like are squarely aligned with the this-is-out-and-out-fraud crowd."
Don't be amazed; they are irate with Rather for impeaching their greatest tool of demogoguery, the network news organizations. They know that without the Ba'athist wing of the media to back up their lies, they're sunk; and they fear that with Rather they have a gaping hole in the hull.
A parallel can be drawn to the reaction to the Clinton's looting the White House on their way out: as the New York Slimes may have said, "its fine to perjure, rape, murder and commit treason, but when you steal the White House silver you make US look bad you lowlife trailer trash!"
Don't worry...they'll get over it.