Cynical Nation

First it was to be noon, then at 5 PM, then we finally get a terse, meaningless, misspelled statement from CBS, which basically said, "we'll get back to you." Do they have any idea how this looks?

The whole thing is just sad.

I have confession to make. I don't share in the enthusiasm felt by some, now that the vultures are circling around Dan Rather. Instead, I feel disappointed.

Don't get me wrong! I think the pressure on CBS and Mr. Rather should be kept up until we get some straight answers. I will be happy to see them get the comeuppance they deserve. Most of all, I'm happy that technology has finally destroyed the monopoly that the MSM has heretofore enjoyed as the gatekeepers of information.

But I feel no joy in the sorry crumbling away of Mr. Rather's career and reputation. Perhaps I'm just a sentimental sap, but I grew up with the guy in my living room, for crying out loud. He was the kindly, affable, trusted uncle who comes to your house on Sundays for dinner. For all the jokes about his automatonic demeanor, I always found him to be warm and personable. I remember his singing "Strawberry Roan" on Gil Gross's talk show. And how could I forget his poignant tears on David Letterman after 9/11? That single appearance taught me that it was okay for grown men to cry in public, something I'd been doing a lot of that week. For years, until it was no longer possible to do so, I even defended him against charges of liberal partisanship. I remember his coverage of the 1984 election, and as Ronald Reagan seemed on course to sweep all 50 states, Dan did not come across as bitter or depressed to me. Indeed, I could have sworn I detected a certain twinkle in his eyes, not normally apparent.

Why did it come to this? Have we learned nothing from Watergate, Clinton's impeachment, and countless other, less serious scandals? The American people are enormously forgiving of almost anything besides a cover-up -- a willful, persistent attempt to mislead. Surely Dan Rather must know this. A brief, simple mea culpa the week after the Killian documents aired would have made it all go away.

But now it's come to this. It's a damn shame.