32 Comments

1. jedrury:

To use his words, Dan was “beaten down like a rented mule.” O tempores, O mores !!

Nov 23, 2004 - 9:50 am 2. thibaud:

best November

that I can remember

but the bloom on the rose

comes when Kofi goes

Nov 23, 2004 - 9:51 am 3. thibaud:

“like a rented mule”

aka jackass for hire

Nov 23, 2004 - 9:52 am 4. Hogarth:

Figures. As usual, I spoke too soon.

http://shortfinal.blogspot.com/2004/11/letter-to-wbns-10-tv-vice-president.html

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:03 am 5. Hogarth:

Although, to be honest, I do not consider this attonement for his complicity in the Nov. debacles.

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:04 am 6. chuck:

But who will be his replacement? I hate to say it, but perhaps he was the good intestinal flora, about to be replaced by a more virulent strain.

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:12 am 7. Hermie:

Rather is not only getting off easy from his ‘60 Minutes’ disaster, but he is in effect, being rewarded.

He’ll still have all his perks, including freedom to do whatever he wants to on ‘60 Minutes’, plus he’ll have more time to write books about he was victimized by the VRWC, and to make more speaking engagements at university journalism schools (and DNC fund-raisers).

Compare what he did to the lower-level producer who interrupted ‘CSI’ for the announcement of Arafat’s long-awaited demise. No drawn-out internal investigation, or continuous defense by MSM-types. Nope..That producer was out the door before the ink on the dismissal notice had dried.

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:27 am 8. Lola:

About time. But I’d still like to know what are the results of the investigation. There were other people involved, ya know. And their heads deserve to roll.

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:28 am 9. TedN:

The AP story Yahoo links to claims the investigation result “is due imminently”..

http://tinyurl.com/6cnkp

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:48 am 10. Rhod:

Dan Jazeera isn’t likely to change much with the departure of The Man himself. Is Brian (sp?) Williams next in line? Williams is even crazier than Rather, more pretentious, self-regarding and camera loving, like a male Ann Curry.

Chuck’s analogy of intestinal flora is dead on. Rather kept things moving and Williams will just leave you sitting there, wondering when something meaningful is going to happen.

Nov 23, 2004 - 10:57 am 11. Retread:

I’m happy to report that while the name Brian Williams is familiar, it doesn’t bring a picture to mind, and I’m old enough to remember Huntley-Brinkley. The computer-savy-from-the-cradle generation isn’t likely to watch the networks’ evening news shows to find out what is going on in the world so we are probably seeing the last of newsman as personality cult with Rather, Brokaw and Jennings. Not a minute too soon, either.

Nov 23, 2004 - 11:06 am 12. Silicon valley Jim:

Rather’s replacement, whoever it turns out to be, may well be just as biased and irresponsible as Rather. There will, however, be at least two differences.

First, he won’t have been in his job as long as Rather, so it will be easier for CBS to fire him.

Second, he will take the job in the knowledge that Rather lost his job because of his bias and irresponsibility. Rather thought that he could get away with using documents that CBS’s in-house experts refused to verify. His replacement will know that he can’t.

Nov 23, 2004 - 11:20 am 13. kynna:

Brian Williams is replacing Tom Brokaw. I don’t know who will replace Rather, but I’ll be he/she is just as biased as Dan.

Remember, Dan’s not really going anywhere.

This is a diversion from the investigation. It sure looks like Rather “lost” his job, but what do you want to bet he gets a raise for his other jobs with CBS to cover any loss from his nighly news slot?

Nov 23, 2004 - 11:26 am 14. rastajenk:

I still contend Jim Nantz would be an honorable replacement. If it happens, you can say you heard it hear first, even though I offered it up at Limecolored Pigskins back in September when his demise was first imminent.

Nov 23, 2004 - 12:02 pm 15. Robert Schwartz:

So what, he will still be working at 60 Minutes where the other guys call him the Kid.

Nov 23, 2004 - 1:04 pm 16. Katherine:

I donít understand all the excitement about Ratherís stepping down. If I remember correctly, his retirement as of March 2005 was announced months ago. No surprises here. No consequences for his ìfalse but accurateî memo reporting, either. Actually, his staying with 60 Minutes II indicates that nobody at CBS sees any wrongdoing on his part.

Of course, we should be all happy that at least one shameless hack is retiring on schedule, but pls note that he is retiring in full glory. I anticipate that the event itself will be celebrated by MSM in as orgiastic manner as opening of the Clintonís Library.

Rather is still rich and famous. There are no practical consequences for his dishonesty.

Nov 23, 2004 - 2:46 pm 17. Kevin P:

Roger:

Dan isn’t going anywhere.He will just be changing formats. He will continue on at 60 Minutes and his exposes of the evil Bush regime will continue. Freed from any pretense of objectivity he will rail against whatever the current fad of the Manhattan-DC clique is at the moment. It will take a year but eventually Rather will be thought of by the MSM as a hero and martyr, a victim of the insane pajama people.

As far as the much heralded investigation, CBS will tell us that yes, the papers were forged. DUH! They will not reveal all their sources because of course by revealing them they would be sinking the party that they support. They will also use the opportunity to say that their are still unanswered questions and thus they will use the apology to renew the phoney AWOL charge. Their apology will be similar in form to the way that Clinton accepts blame, spend 2 minutes saying I was at fault, spend the next 25 explaining how Ken Starr and the media are far worse then him. Get your barf bags ready.

Nov 23, 2004 - 2:50 pm 18. Charlie Quidnunc:

Roger,

I hope it’s o.k. that I read part of your post on my Podcast today. Every day I read what people are saying in the right wing blogosphere into an MP3 and make is available via RSS feed from http://feeds.feedburner.com/ripnread. I used your celebration of the Can of Dan as an example of the blogosphere’s reaction to the news.

Charlie Quidnunc - Podcasting from Mercer Island

Nov 23, 2004 - 3:32 pm 19. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):

The MSM has legions of biased reporters they can throw in front of a camera. In that sense, Rathergate is a distraction from the real issue: intentional pervasive bias against many of the things the right believes in. I don’t care what happens to Dan Rather. It’s what the big MSM machine does to our nation and our war efforts that are of concern.

Nov 23, 2004 - 3:59 pm 20. Rick Ballard:

Katherine,

Twelve years ago the MSM palmed the Dope from Hope off on a credulous populace as a “brilliant politician”. They performed some rather clever gymnastic feats with the truth and 60 Minutes had a luminary role. Some might consider their efforts to have resulted in a Pyrrhic victory.

Twenty-one days ago the power of their hucksterism was broken. There will be no Back Bay buffoon ensconced in the WH. Every one of the “opinion makers” will have the taste of ashes in their mouths for a long time. The shallowness of intellect that led them to believe that personal character is meaningless has left them with their Nemesis in the WH supported by both legislative houses and with an almost certainty of a Supreme Court center right majority that will endure for thirty years.

Life is good and we have much to be thankful for come Thursday.

Dan who?

Nov 23, 2004 - 4:23 pm 21. dr. sanity:

Here’s a little celebratory Gilbert and Sullivan ditty (shamelessly lifted and altered) on Dan’s departure:

Nov 23, 2004 - 4:36 pm 22. dr. sanity:

Sorry1 for some reason, the link didn’t work! Here is is again:

Nov 23, 2004 - 4:37 pm 23. dr. sanity:

OK, Links don’t seem to be working! My apologies, try:

http://drsanity.blogspot.com/2004/11/bloggers-lot-is-sure-happy-one-or.html

Nov 23, 2004 - 4:39 pm 24. richard mcenroe:

He’s closer to the door! Keep pushing! Tell your CBS affiliate it’s not enough!

Nov 23, 2004 - 4:50 pm 25. Katherine:

Rick,

Oh, I will be properly grateful this Thanksgiving, I promise!

Attribute it to my vindictive nature that I would like to see Dan and his fellow travelers to be punished in this world, not the next, and now, not in 20 years, when he is nothing but a dithering, drooling fool tied up to the life support. I just have no patience for all those useful fools, seeing how much real human suffering they are responsible for.

Nov 23, 2004 - 5:01 pm 26. richard mcenroe:

“but I imagine that’s going to be only slightly more popular than the McEnroe Show. ”

HEY!!!

Nov 23, 2004 - 5:39 pm 27. mudmarine:

This just in. I am a total cynic. Blather is getting off easy. When the journalism texts for the class of 2012 are written you will see no mention of the negatives in his career, no mention of the actual real damage he has done to the cause of liberty and freedom. You will only read of his ‘journalistic integrity’, of his presence in Dallas in ‘62′, SVN in ‘68′, Waterslide in ‘72′, etc.

In a hopefully understood remark, there is no personal accountability anymore, on either side of the aisle. I’m looking for a black and white world, and all I see are shades of gray. Oh well.

By the way, anyone heard from Samuel lately?

Nov 23, 2004 - 5:45 pm 28. richard mcenroe:

It occurs to me that the informed speculation is that 60 Minutes II is ripe for cancellation this season.

We could be seeing a little New York Kremlin action here…

Ship Dipstick Dan off to 60MII. We still luv ya, Dan…

Cancel 60MII. Sorry, Dan, market forces and all that…

Walk away hands in pockets, looking around casually to make sure no one noticed them dumping the body…

Nov 23, 2004 - 5:49 pm 29. mudmarine:

richard mcenroe @ 17:49

LOL. Masterful. Are you a CEO by any chance? Mafia or other.

Nov 23, 2004 - 5:53 pm 30. Mikey:

Mr. McEnroe: I was thinking much the same thing. Just because he would be at ‘60 Minutes II’ doesn’t mean that he would receive any assignments, or that anything he put together would air. A lateral transfer to the backroom, possibly before another lateral transfer to the subsidiary office in Thule, Greenland.

Nobody saw nothin’. Unnerstan?

Nov 24, 2004 - 7:01 am 31. Jack Tanner:

‘There will be no Back Bay buffoon ensconced in the WH’

That would be Beacon Hill buffoon….the hill starts at Park St

Nov 24, 2004 - 11:22 am 32. richard mcenroe:

Mikey, MudMarine — I think this is the equivalent of the Hollywood scam where studio heads are never really “fired”, they just “go indy-prod” (receive a contract as an “independent producer” with the studio). They get a nice office and a fat salary, but no one HAS to listen to them… “You found more memos, Dan? Sweet. You and Mary keep plugging and we’ll get back to you…”

Nov 24, 2004 - 5:12 pm

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