From the AP story on Rather’s supposedly long-planned retirement from the nightly news: “I’m sure one of the things that Rather was doing here was thinking about his legacy,” [Ken]Auletta said. “It must be frustrating for a guy like this who has spent 24 years doing this and building up his career to be tainted by an event that he didn’t have control over.”
Ridiculous. Rather was right in the thick of the National Guard story. The idea that he couldn’t control it, like he was someone else’s pawn? Too bad Auletta didn’t say it on TV where a Bernard Goldberg could verbally blast him. Rather has only himself and his Bush-hatred to blame. He was warned off the story, and pressed ahead. He was exposed as a fraud, and nastily stood his ground with the phony papers, accusing his critics of wanting to choke the life out of him. Put the violins away.