Dan Rather’s lawsuit against CBS should be dismissed, both in court and in public opinion, as a shameless and ridiculous effort to retract his on-air apologies for his smearing of President Bush with bogus National Guard documents in 2004. The New York Times reports Rather is suing CBS for what he claims is the network’s "‘biased’ and incomplete investigation of the flawed Guard broadcast." That’s rich, since it was Rather’s reporting itself that was biased and incomplete.
Dan Rather didn’t always have this rosy view of big-money litigation. See the CBS Evening News from March 14, 1996: "In tonight's Eye on America, a look beyond the heat to try to shed some light on a growing national problem: Americans who – some of them – will sue at the drop of a hat."
Video: Real (387 KB) or Windows (436 KB), plus MP3 (62 KB)
The CBS story that followed by Richard Threlkeld explained "silly lawsuits" like the McDonald’s hot-coffee case and a San Diego lawsuit where a man was traumatized by a local stadium suddenly offering unisex bathrooms at a concert.
How these lawsuits are sillier than Rather’s escapes me.
Ken Shepherd posted the funnier parts of the Times summation of the Rather suit.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
lol
September 19, 2007 - 16:25 ET by well99Priceless.
But, Tim! This is diffrent.
September 19, 2007 - 16:28 ET by bassndudeBut, Tim! This is diffrent. This is the Great Dan Rather.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Ol'Dan Rather
September 19, 2007 - 16:39 ET by Cool ArrowDat ol' Dan Rather
He jus keep rollin' along.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
bass,
September 19, 2007 - 16:50 ET by Dave RLOL-You forgot the Great and (once) Powerful Dan Rather.
When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything.-Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
LOL, I was having a senior
September 19, 2007 - 16:53 ET by bassndudeLOL, I was having a senior moment.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
bass,
September 19, 2007 - 17:03 ET by Dave RAt least we know he is still residing in the Land of OZ.
When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything.-Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
Dave, thats for
September 19, 2007 - 17:05 ET by bassndudeDave, thats for sure.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Hypocrit Dan Rather -
September 19, 2007 - 18:33 ET by SportPoliticswell this destroys him, he is now a hypocrit that has preached one thing and done another. This just goes to show me how much more arrogant and corrupt Rather is than I gave him credit for. Another greedy, senseless, lying traitor. At least he is surrounded by the same.
Publicity Stunt?
September 19, 2007 - 18:47 ET by third eye"Dan, it's me...Hey I have a question for you... actually its more of a favor...Can you manufacture some headlines to get this damned Hsu story out of the headlines? ...Your such a good friend, I knew I could count on you..Thanks a million Dan."
Now we get to hear
September 19, 2007 - 19:26 ET by SportPoliticshow Dan Rather was one of the most repsected voices in journalism and now at the end of an illustrious career... Well, if it was the end of his career as all you lawyerly experts are claiming, how is there room for 70 million in missed earnings ?
Oh, that's "reputation damage" ? Boy oh brother.
I hope Dan Rather and CBS destroy eachother, they're already halfway there.
Remember?
September 19, 2007 - 19:49 ET by celatorI still get a chuckle when I think of those two guys who approached Danny on the street (in Chicago, if I remember correctly) a few years ago and asked him: "Remember the frequency, Philip?" Unfortunately he didn't and they roughed him up a bit. No one has ever explained what this was about, least of all Danny boy himself. Was he an agent for a foreign government which became displaeased with him? Was he being blackmailed? It all seemed very dark and puzzling at the time and still does. Somehow, I think if we could figure out what was really going on, we would understand his extremely odd behavior over the years, and his trance like inability to reckon with his own reality.
It was Kenneth...
September 19, 2007 - 23:16 ET by pbanks7So now all the stories about him suffering from Alzheimer's will surface, and how it affected his "journalism." <sarc off>
Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.
Kenneth, what is the frequency?
September 20, 2007 - 00:09 ET by mastersofdeceitwell not to nitpick but rather recalled hearing it as "kenneth, what is the frequency".
I remember this because r.e.m.s' " What's the Frequency, Kenneth " was based on this. I loved WTFK? because I thought it was a awesome song for rem after they started jumping the shark w/ their Green album in '88. IMO their last great album was Lifes Rich Pageant in 86.
Apparently Rather joined rem in a sound check at Madison Square Garden.
lol! looking at those letters I guess in todays internet speak it could be WTF Kenneth?
Dan's got the proof now!
September 19, 2007 - 19:50 ET by tpmintxMaybe Dan's come up with the original documents! You know, the original source material that was "substantially equivalent" to the faked letters.
My guess is that he finally figured out how to use the Courier font on his MS-Word software, and has managed to re-create the "original" documents, in such a fashion that they look less like obvious fakes.
Maybe he even used paper that he had left out in the sun so that it looks old and yellowed?
I suppose that Mark Cuban's not paying him enough, and he's looking for some cash to take into retirement.