Rather Shabby

Published Jun 15 2006, 03:25 PM by webteam

I know Rather bashers out there aren't about to shed a tear, but I think this is shabby treatment of a man who was for many years the face of CBS News.

Here's an excerpt from Howard Kurtz's piece:

Rather has said several times that "my best work is still ahead of me." He is described by friends as hurt and puzzled by the attitude of CBS management.

Now in an ideal world, it would be nice if these guys had a little more self-awareness and could envision themselves --at an advanced age -- doing something else in life as opposed to insisting that they haven't lost an inch of their professional fastball. When I interviewed Rather right before his exit as anchor last year, I was taken aback at how unwilling he was to even contemplate retirement or relaxation as an option. That's sad in many ways, but it doesn't merit an unceremonious boot out of your life's work.

Some CBS staffers are sad about the turn of events, viewing it as a difficult moment for a man who once interviewed world leaders and went into war zones for the network. They question why the network can't find a suitable place for Rather in light of his long service to CBS.

I agree.

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