Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Read other letters about this article
Dan Rather stands by his story
His lawsuit will attempt to show that CBS tried to suppress the report on Bush's National Guard Service and the Abu Ghraib abuses.
By Sidney Blumenthal [2007-09-27]

  • Greg Palast's take on Rather's lawsuit

    Here's a report from the investigative journalist Greg Palast.

    http://www.gregpalast.com/dan-rather-tased-and-confused/

    According to Palast, what Rather is complaining about is that he caved into Redstone/Viacom in the fall of 2004 to retreat from his story in exchange for an "extension of his contract" which he did not get. If Palast's report is correct Rather is not a stand-up hero silenced by big bullies but allowed himself to be bought off.

    In any case, it was a sad and predictable story in the fall of 2004. As a reader of the Boston Globe I was already familiar with the story and so was immediately outraged at how fast the 60 Minutes story sank with little trace. A news story is not like a legal case. All that nonsense about the typewriter distracted everyone from the basic truth about Bush's cushy Air National Guard service, which he did not even complete.

    Didn't have a physical probably because he couldn't have passed the drug screening. Now he's the "commander-in-chief" and the Big Decider, who is such a coward that he's a ranch owning Texan who's afraid of horses.

    While Rather's lawsuit may bring the whole story to light, and that would be salutary, the deeper question that it won't answer is why the mainstream media continue to swallow the Bush administration lies and dutifully report them as "news."

    It's left to a few cranks like Palast (whose book the tasered Florida student was waving as he rose to ask John Kerry a question) and a lot of us indignant citizens who took a dislike to Bush as soon as he strode onto the national scene. None of his faults and limitations or his tawdry history have been hidden. They're in plain view, but Rather and everyone else in the big media value their "access" more than the responsibility of their chosen profession to ask hard questions of those in power and contribute to the informed citizenry that is essential for a vibrant democracy.

    (I didn't take the time to read all the previous posts, so if Palast's story has already been posted, I apologize.)

    -- CJGClark
    [Read CJGClark's other letters]
    Thursday, September 27, 2007 12:59 PM
Read other letters about this article

Letters Help