Posted on 03/05/2005 6:31:05 AM PST by MisterRepublican
When CBS announced that it will smile through the pain of Dan Rather's dying credibility with an hour-long retirement tribute in early March, the network released an image of a young Rather posing in front of the Texas School Book Depository, looking gravely into the distance. While a little nostalgia was understandable--what, no photo of Rather huddled over a fax machine last October?--CBS still managed to remind those who knew the anchor during his salad days in Texas how tendentious and unprincipled he was even then.
Eddie Barker, for one, remembers. The news director for CBS's radio and TV affiliates in Dallas at the time of President Kennedy's November 22, 1963, assassination, Barker is widely credited with first reporting on the air that the president was dead, having received word through a doctor acquaintance directly from the hospital ER. Rather, then based in Dallas as a reporter for CBS's national news broadcast and working out of Barker's newsroom, later took credit for the scoop, Barker says. The error is repeated in historical accounts often enough to annoy the now-retired Barker, though he says the falsehood was later acknowledged by Rather.
It was a different lie--one delivered on national news, and at the expense of children--that caused Rather trouble at the time. As reporters from around the world descended on the Texas city, Rather went on the air with a local Methodist minister who made a stunning claim: Children at Dallas's University Park Elementary School had cheered when told of the president's death.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
Actually, children did cheer at the announcement. I was 12 at the time and our principle called all the students at our school to the auditorium to make the announcement. Quite a few of the children cheered the news. It's one of those things you never forget, like where you were and what you were doing on 9-11.
I was in Colorado at the time, and no one cheered, not even JFK's enemies (and he had a lot in CO in those days). Everyone realized the gravity of the murder of a sitting president, regardless of party affiliation.
Many people don't realize that a large group of Americans thought that Kennedy was a war-mongering, loose cannon who was goading the Commies into starting a nuclear war; or, at least, so inept that war would result from his actions. What is said about President Bush was said about him.
Rather sure has been a POS for a long time.
My disdain for Rather began in 1972 at the Democratic Convention.
At the 1972 Dem Convention, cub floor reporter Rather was continually racing between the mic/camera and the Edward Kennedy camp. Lil ole Dan was trying to hard to be the one to break the story that Kennedy had decided to go for the nomination. The pitter-patter of lil ole Dan's feet, and the smell of burning shoe lather, and the smoke rising from his buring shoes didn't daunt him in his ever-ending task. Back and forth between Kennedy camp and cameras. But always the same tale of woe from the nearly breathless Danny: 'Not just yet. They are close. His people have about convinced him. He should be ready to announce just any moment,' [ sthuuuuummmmm pitter-patter pitter-patter .....sound of pitter-patter fading rapidly into the distance as lil ole Dan scampered back to the Kennedy camp.]
But the announcement never came, cub floor reporter Dan missed his big one.
[I got so sick of watching him run back and fourth until McGovern (IIRC) locked up the nom. Rather was so deflated. Even years later when he became CBS anchor, I never watched the former lil ole cub floor reporter who didn't get his big one at the 1972 Convention. I got the impression watching that 1972 Convention/Rather that he was trying hard to 'make' news happen, not just report it.]
I was in 4th grade in 1963, and I will always remember in those very early hours, my teacher told us to pray for the president (in those days, this did not cause anyone to have fits). At the end of a short prayer, one wisea$$ said "I hope he dies" and she got detention.
We were told the president had been assasinated and that's when the children cheered.
OMG... what an evil teacher.
I was probably in my early 40's before I came to understand that Kennedy was significantly more conservative than was Nixon, one of the most liberal presidents we have ever had.
Dan Rather has body odor.
Were you one of the children cheering? Explain.
I have a number of memories like that from growing up in a very leftist state, but I still have trouble imagining Texas school children in the early 1960's cheering at a democrat president's death.
Last week, and perhaps other times, MRC out out that litany of Ratherisms throughout his career. There really isn;t any difference between Rather and Michael Moore.
I find it hard to believe the little turds cared about politics. They would have cheered for any presidents death regardless of party because when you're 12, you are anti-authority, rebellious - the president represents authority. Or the little turds cheered because they made the correct inference that they would get to leave early.
I love long goodbyes.
Wonder if Dan Rather feels humiliated?
Nah!
Ol' Dan has been living in a self-constructed fantasy world for 42 years.... "reporting the news" as he himself created it.
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