Topic category:  Other/General

by Jim Kouri, CPP

Ending a career that spanned almost 45 years, today Dan Rather announced that his days at CBS News' are officially over. Good-bye, Dan. Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out.

Rather gave up anchoring the CBS Evening News after being caught fabricating news by "pajama journalists" on the Internet. While doing a story on President Bush's National Guard service, Rather and CBS News used forged memos to spice up their story in the hopes of hurting the President's reelection aspirations.

While the mainstream news media tried to downplay the fact that Rather had a political agenda, they fell back on the liberals' old standby when caught -- he was overzealous and he was duped. In other words, he was dumb and got snookered by the Democrat Party "dirty tricks squad." But most clear thinking Americans know Dandy Dan wasn't duped: He tried to pull a fast one and got busted by bloggers.

Two things occurred as a result of the exposure of Dan Rather as a Democrat Party hack masquerading as a newsman:

First, the mainstream news media -- a/k/a the Liberal media, a/k/a the elite news media --  realized their days of controlling the flow of news had ended.

And second, while they continue to attempt to characterize Rather's phony news story as an aberration, more and more Americans are discovering the mainstream news media are the echo chamber for liberals in the Democrat party and for left-wing activists. The Rather bust was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Meanwhile, Rather's elitist colleagues -- who all believe they are the smartest people on the planet -- are heaping praise and accolades upon him.

"Of all the famous names associated with CBS News, the biggest and brightest on the marquee are Murrow, Cronkite and Rather. With the utmost respect, we mark the extraordinary and singular role Dan has played in writing the script of not only CBS News, but of broadcast journalism.

"There will always be a part of Dan Rather at CBS News. He is truly a 'reporter's reporter,' and he has helped to train several generations of broadcast journalists. His legacy cannot be replaced," said the head of CBS News.

His legacy? You mean the legacy of a man who was so close to the leaders of the Democrat Party in Texas that it was hard to distinguish where his head ended and their butts began.

Rather, while an anchorman at CBS News, was the keynote speaker at a Democrat Party fundraiser. His daughter, Robin, is a Democrat Party activist. Dandy Dan once told Bill and Hillary Clinton in front of a national audience that he wished all Americans had the moral compass that the Clintons' exhibited. Clintons moral?

Rather, according to people who actually worked for him, was a megalomanic in the newsroom. While most of his colleagues may think they are the smartest people in the newsroom, Dan demanded that his subordinates recognize that he was the smartest guy in any room.

The news that Dan is gone from CBS is hardly shocking; throughout the news industry there was much speculation as to when Rather would be shown the door.

"They wanted this resolution, and I'm willing to accept that and move on," USA Today quoted Rather as saying. In an interview with the paper last Thursday, Rather claimed he planned on staying at the network for the rest of his career, but was more than prepared to make his final exit.

"Life takes its twists and turns, and I'm a pro," he told the paper. "I've been a reporter since I was in my teens. I'm blessed with good health and high energy, and I want to be fully occupied, doing meaningful work. I had hoped that would be possible at 60 Minutes."

CBS News has already hired CNN's liberal talking head Anderson Cooper to replace Rather on 60 Minutes, although he only did a few stories on the still top-rated TV newsmagazine.

However, Rather will be honored by CBS with a prime-time special this fall, a retrospective devoted to the newsman's prolific and legendary career. Now, that will be a show to watch and analyze. It will be an education for anyone who believes the mainstream news media are fair and balanced.

When asked by USA Today whether the fraudulent report led to his eventual resignation, Rather said, "That's history. I'm not interested in going there. I'm focused on the future."

Soon another liberal-left newswoman will sit in the anchor chair for CBS Evening News -- Katie Couric. That will be a show to watch just for the laughs. Perhaps the man laughing the hardest will be Dan Rather.

And what are Dandy Dan's plans for the future?  Rather told the New York Times he was already entertaining an offer extended by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to host a weekly news program for the HDNet cable channel.

Jim Kouri
Chief of Police Magazine (Contributing Editor)

Biography - Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for a number of organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. Kouri holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and master of arts in public administration and he's a board certified protection professional.