CBS Celebrates Cronkite Who 'Stood Up To' President in 'Another Unpopular War'

Friday's CBS Evening News plugged its special on Walter Cronkite with a story, as introduced by Katie Couric, about a "journalist who stood up to the Commander-in-Chief" during a time of "another unpopular war," as Couric was transitioning from a story about the debate over Iraq War funding. Couric was referring to Cronkite's decision in February 1968 to declare on the air that America would have to negotiate without victory to end the Vietnam War.

After correspondent Jim Axelrod filed a report on the latest effort by Congressional Democrats to put conditions on Iraq War funding, which ended with Axelrod opining that President Bush has an incentive to reach a deal soon because of the President's low approval rating over the "unpopular war," Couric drew a comparison to the Vietnam War by introducing the Cronkite piece referring to "another unpopular war." Couric: "And now we want to take you back 40 years to another unpopular war and to a journalist who stood up to the Commander-in-Chief. It was Vietnam, the President was Lyndon Johnson, and that journalist? CBS News correspondent Walter Cronkite." (Transcript follows)

The piece, slightly altered from the version aired during that night's special, featured soundbites from Bill Clinton, actor George Clooney, and CBS News veterans Morley Safer and Don Hewitt, in addition to Cronkite himself. Cronkite recounted his decision to convey his belief to viewers that the Vietnam War was unwinnable. Cronkite: "When I came back, we did a documentary, but in the conclusion of that, I simply told people what I thought about the state of the war in Vietnam. And it was that we'd better get out of it."

After a supporting soundbite from Clinton, then came the famous clip of Cronkite from February 1968: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out, then, will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could. This is Walter Cronkite. Good night."

After a Clooney soundbite came a prerecorded clip of Couric relaying that "most trusted man" Cronkite had contended the Vietnam War was "not right." Couric: "Here was the most trusted man in America saying this war is not right."

Below is a complete transcript of the story, including the very end of the story before it, from the Friday May 18 CBS Evening News:

JIM AXELROD: "There is now a week until the deadline to get a deal done. With Mr. Bush's 32 percent approval rating, due largely to this unpopular war, he has every incentive to make it happen. Katie?"

KATIE COURIC: "Jim Axelrod at the White House tonight. And now we want to take you back 40 years to another unpopular war and to a journalist who stood up to the Commander-in-Chief. It was Vietnam, the President was Lyndon Johnson, and that journalist? CBS News correspondent Walter Cronkite."

WALTER CRONKITE: "If the communist intention was to take and seize the cities, they came closer here at Gwei (sp?) than anywhere else."

MORLEY SAFER, CBS NEWS: "For Walter to come around to a view that America was fighting a wrong war took a bit of real strong stuff."

CRONKITE: "When I came back, we did a documentary, but in the conclusion of that, I simply told people what I thought about the state of the war in Vietnam. And it was that we'd better get out of it."

BILL CLINTON: "He thought he knew what the truth was, and he thought he had an obligation to tell it."

CRONKITE, DATED FEBRUARY 1968: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out, then, will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could. This is Walter Cronkite. Good night."

GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: "He changed the history of the war overnight."

COURIC: "Here was the most trusted man in America saying this war is not right."

DON HEWITT, CBS NEWS: "And Lyndon Johnson was sitting at a television set that night and said, 'If I've lost Walter Cronkite, I've lost the American people.'"

SAFER: "It is remarkable that one anchorman, one reporter, one journalist, whatever, could really affect the political fate of the country. But they didn't call Walter the most trusted man in America for nothing."

COURIC: "And tonight CBS News will look back at the remarkable career of Walter Cronkite, who's 90 years old now and still going strong. It's a special broadcast you won't want to miss. That's the Way it is: Celebrating Cronkite at 90, tonight at 8:00, 7:00 Central."