Stand By Your Man

I haven't really paid too much attention to "CBS/Rather-gate". I was't shocked or impressed by incident or the findings of the investigation into it. From the beginning I thought it was much ado about nothing. Dan Rather trusted the people he worked with to provide him with honest and valid information. Much the same as the President trusted people who provided him with information regarding Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. Both men were failed by those they depended upon. I find it odd that there are people who feel Rather and his co-workers should be fired or chastised for their mistakes, yet feel no such action should be taken against the President and his administration. You might say the two are vastly different in their level of importance. You'd be right. One concenerd documents over 30 years old that had no real relevant value. The other concerned information that ultimately led this country into a war that we are still reeling from and where men and women are still dying. No one lost their life over the falsified documents that were pandered about by Rather and CBS. I also find interesting that it was only the documents that were proven to be false, not the information they alleged to. Because in fact the information itself was/is correct. Not much to argue about there.
I agree integrity and accountability should begin at the top. If you are going to hold Dan Rather responsible for the validity of the information provided to him by his co-workers, then I think it is only right and resonable that you hold the President responsible for the information that was provided to him by those in his administration. After all one is but a news journalist, the other is the President. Why should one be held more accountable than the other? Well, one of them is the President. He should be held to the highest standards. That of course is just my opinion.
I can't help but remember Dan Rather on September 11th. As he did his broadcast, more than once he had to wipe away tears. You could see and feel his pain in his voice. He was a man shook to his core by the events he was reporting. Not anywhere did I see such open and honest emotion from a news journalist. There were those who critisized him for that too.
If you really want to know how I feel, then go here.... Winding Road in Urban Area . Jaye says it so much better than I.