by Mondoreb & Little Baby Ginn
"This race between Dick Swett and Bob Smith is hot and tight as a too-small bathing suit on a too-long car ride back from the beach."
--Dan Rather, Election Night 1996
Dan Rather was CBS Evening News anchor for a long time. So long, in fact, that he accumulated a lot of baggage: a lot of bizarre quotes, actions, sayings, and finally, a story which was patently false. It was this last item which finally got him fired from CBS.
Dan Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit Wednesday against CBS, alleging the network made him a "scapegoat" for a discredited story about President Bush's National Guard service.
CNN story.
Rather insists he is the "scapegoat" even though he publicly apologized for the story, which presented documents right before the 2004 election, which later proved to be false. "Scapegoat Dan" was a victim, even though others expressed doubts about the documents' authenticity.
Rather is a victim--even though he insisted, long after the documents proved to be false, "that he believes this story to be true". Rather is a victim, even though he has no evidence to support his beliefs. Rather is a victim--even though he continued to stonewall, long after the documents were proven to be flimsy forgeries.
Dan Rather is a victim. He's a victim of his arrogance, hubris, and condescending attitude towards those with whom he disagreed. He's a victim of a world which shifted underneath his feet while he remained unaware. He's a victim of exploding information, of which he is no longer a gatekeeper.
"Folks, let me point out something to you, because for a lot of people in Washington, they could not be more surprised if Fidel Castro came loping through on the back of a hippopotamus."Read the rest of story
--Dan Rather on Election Night, 1998.
PLUS! Dan Rather's Strange Quotes!
Larry King asked Dan Rather if he was concerned about the Internet:
"No. I think it's a great new addition. I don't think it's going to replace radio, television or newspapers, but it will increase the flow of information.... I'm so excited about it I have a 3,000-calorie attack about every half hour thinking about its potential."
--Dan Rather on Larry King Live, April 19, 2000.
Dan Rather was brought down by bloggers. Especially Little Green Footballs' Charles Johnson. Johnson had the idea of matching up the forged documents Rather greenlighted with one produced by a Microsoft program years after the original document had supposedly been made.
The Original Little Green Footballs' blogging that brought Dan Rather down.
"...but that's not going to happen. You can sooner expect a tall talking broccoli stick to offer to mow your lawn for free."So now Dan Rather is going to sue CBS News for $70 million. Because he was made a "scapegoat". Because he was a victim.
--Dan Rather, quoted in the Los Angeles Times, March 28, 1996.
"'I know a lot of people think I've got the CBS eye tattoed on my ass,' Dan Rather says, conceding his public image as a tough, hard-charging telejournalist."
--Dan Rather, quoted in Edwin Diamond's 1991 book, The Media Show.
Poor Dan Rather. Life just isn't the same now that he's not at CBS. His life is a mess. $70 million will help ease his pain.
"The reelection of Bill Clinton is as secure as a double-knot tied in wet rawhide."--Dan Rather on Election Night, 1996.
Poor Dan Rather. He talked to Presidents, chatted with politicians, yakked it up with captains of industry. They don't have him on speed-dial anymore. He's sad.
Dan Rather spoke to college students at Boston University who were considering reporting careers:
"Be careful. Journalism is more addictive than crack cocaine. Your life can get out of balance."
--Quoted in the Boston Herald, October 22, 2000.
Poor Dan Rather. He doesn't get to pontificate. At least not when anyone is listening. No one listens to Dan anymore. I hate to break it to him: a lot of us didn't listen to him then.
[above: Dan Rather, telling the story of how long his nose grew, as he was telling the world on CBS News about George W. Bush and the Texas Air National Guard.]Back to Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.
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