Posted 4:52 PM by Robert

Rather Embarrassing, To Say The Least

This video of Dan Rather being "interviewed" by intellectually supine CBS News reporter Marcia Kramer, who through the interview communicates nothing so consistently as her awareness that he could have her fired in a moment, is almost unwatchable (they call each other "Dan" and "Marcia," just for cozy openers). But force yourself: the cumulative effect of Mr. Rather's disassociations and his "interviewer's" obvious terror of the man is nothing short of awesome. Among other things, Mr. Rather says he doesn't think Mr. Burkett has ties to the Kerry-Edwards campaign or the DNC, that he doesn't think that the credibility of CBS News has been compromised by this incident, and that the incident just reflects a failure of CBS News to check every "detail" to the extent they normally do. Sure, Dan, details, details - this is all about "details." Mr. Rather also says that he has learned as a reporter "to trust people." He says, preposterously, that he "welcomes" the "independent" investigation that CBS News is mounting. There is so much more. He literally sounds as though he could be in the early-to-intermediate stages Alzheimer's disease.

And speaking of CBS News representatives in the grip of senile dementia - is it possible that CBS will ask Walter Cronkite to return from his dotage (I mean "retirement," of course) to head the "independent" investigation of this mess. Shame on the reader! I know what you're thinking, but he isn't physically dead, yet. That would be just their style! Maybe the CBS suits could rig Mr. Cronkite up as a kind of sock puppet?