Friday night on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Dan Rather praised left-wing comedians with television shows, namely Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, for “speaking truth to power” at a time when journalists have “lost our guts.” Then, though last July Rather declared he "absolutely" believes "the truth" of his discredited Bush National Guard story based on forged memos, actor Jason Alexander hailed Rather: "I am really honored to be sitting next to a man that I think was one of the beacons of integrity in news journalism." Alexander, who is best-known for playing "George Costanza" on Seinfeld, proceeded to lean across fellow guest Martha Raddatz of ABC News to shake hands with Rather.
Rather declared to Maher that “comedians, such as yourself, Jon Stewart and others, are a valuable supplement” to the mainstream news media since “good journalism...speaks truth to power,” but “we've lost our guts. We need a spine transplant. What's happened is comedians, in their own way, speak truth to power and fill that vacuum that we in journalism have too often left, particularly post 9/11.”
The Internet Movie Database's page for Alexander, which notes that his real name is Jason Greenspan
A brief transcript from the end of the panel session on the March 16 Real Time with Bill Maher aired live at 11pm EDT, from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, on HBO East:
Dan Rather: “Comedians, such as yourself, Jon Stewart and others, are a valuable supplement -- and here's why: Good journalism at its best frequently speaks truth to power. What's happened with journalists, again I don't except myself from this criticism, in some ways we've lost our guts. We need a spine transplant. What's happened is comedians, in their own way, speak truth to power and fill that vacuum that we in journalism have too often left, particularly post 9/11.”
[Applause]
Bill Maher: “As Bill O'Reilly would say, I will give you the final word, Jason.”
Jason Alexander: “I have to go back one step, because you're absolutely right about comics. But I think we would be remiss, and I'm sure this applies to both of you, but I don't know your work [Martha Raddatz] as well as I do Mr. Rather's-”
Martha Raddatz: “It's okay.”
Alexander: “-to say you are very selfless in including yourself in the group of journalists you described and their foils, but I have to say I am really honored to be sitting next to a man that I think was one of the beacons of integrity in news journalism.” [leans over to shake hand with Rather]
Maher: “I second that emotion.”
