September 21, 2004
ON FIRST LOOKING INTO VEZINI'S DICTIONARY:
Questions Surround Man Who Provided Documents: CBS's 'Unimpeachable Source' Is Ex-Guard Officer With History of Problems and of Attacking Bush (Michael Dobbs, September 21, 2004, Washington Post)
The man CBS News touted as the "unimpeachable source" of explosive documents about President Bush's National Guard service turns out to be a former Guard officer with a history of self-described mental problems who has denounced Bush as a liar with "demonic personality shortcomings."
Important to remember here that Mr. Rather has truly bizarre views about truth and unimpeachability:
BILL O'REILLY:. And I want to ask you flat out. Do you think President Clinton's an honest man?Posted by Orrin Judd at September 21, 2004 12:32 PMDAN RATHER: Yes, I think he's an honest man.
O'REILLY: Do you really?
RATHER: I think -- I do. I think he's an honest man.
O'REILLY: Even when he lied to Jim Lehrer's face about the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
RATHER: Listen, who among us have not lied about something?
O'REILLY: Well, I didn't lie to anybody's face on national television. I don't think you have. Have you?
RATHER: I don't think I ever have. I hope I never have. But look, it's one thing...
O'REILLY: How can you say he's an honest guy, then?
RATHER: Well, because I think he is. I think at core, he's an honest person. I know that you have a different view. I know that you consider it sort of astonishing anybody would say so. But I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things.
O'REILLY: Really?
RATHER: Yes, I do
OJ,
Did you mean Vizzini? As in:
Vizzini: "Inconcievable!"
Inigo: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Rather's view of truth as a floating object really isn't all that different from Michael Moore's belief in "higher truths." It's just that in this case, Moore's actually the more honest one in admitting the truth is what he or someone he supports believes it is. Dan exhibits the same mindset in the O'Reillly interview, but won't come out an actually admit he believes the truth is what he says it is -- though, like Cronkite, he may feel free to drop his guard once he is a few years into his retirement.
Posted by: John at September 21, 2004 2:53 PMJohn:
But, unlike Cronkite, no one will listen to him anymore. Rather is finished.
Posted by: jim hamlen at September 21, 2004 3:04 PM