# Dan Rather Sues CBS
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 19, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789 "2007-09-19T21:26:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/1 "2007-09-19T21:26:13Z")
[Rather Files $70 Million Lawsuit Against CBS](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/business/media/19cnd-rather.html)
[QUOTE=New York Times]
Dan Rather, whose career at CBS News ground to an inglorious end 15 months ago over his role in an unsubstantiated report questioning President Bush’s Vietnam-era National Guard service, filed a $70 million lawsuit this afternoon against the network, its corporate parent and three of his former superiors.
Mr. Rather, 75, asserts that the network violated his contract by giving him insufficient airtime on “60 Minutes” after forcing him to step down as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in March 2005. He also contends that the network committed fraud by commissioning a “biased” and incomplete investigation of the flawed Guard broadcast and, in the process, “seriously damaged his reputation.” As plaintiffs, the suit names CBS and its chief executive, Leslie Moonves; Viacom and its executive chairman, Sumner Redstone; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News.
[/QUOTE]
Well, this ought to be entertaining…
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### Author:  [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/2 "2007-09-19T21:32:31Z")
So, we can conclude that Rather may or not be a dog.
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### Author:  [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/3 "2007-09-19T21:46:26Z")
I remember the wisdom Dan gave me just like it was yesterday. He told me "They say California’s the big burrito; Texas is a big taco right now. We want to follow that through. Florida is a big tamale.” Fine wisdom that.
Regarding the case, I told 'em “Don’t taunt the alligator until after you’ve crossed the creek”, but he’s gone and got himself in water “hotter than a time square Rolex”. “But again maybe not, but again that’s like if a frog had side pockets he’d probably wear a handgun.”
\*Actual Dan Rather quotes
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/4 "2007-09-19T22:21:23Z")
Atta boy, Dan! Always one of my favorites. CBS has the bill collector at the door and their shirttail on fire.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/5 "2007-09-19T22:22:44Z")
“Biased?” “Incomplete?”
He thinks the memos were real, now, does he?
BWAHAHAHA!!!
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/6 "2007-09-19T22:39:50Z")
Maybe he should have a little word with OJ about how not to make things worse than they already are.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/7 "2007-09-19T22:45:58Z")
What’s the lawsuit, Kenneth?
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/8 "2007-09-20T00:30:39Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker]
“Biased?” “Incomplete?”
He thinks the memos were real, now, does he?
BWAHAHAHA!!!
[/QUOTE]
Well, he doesn’t seem to be actually alleging that . . . IOW, it’s probably not something he has to prove in order to win the suit. (I’m sure the LAPD is guilty-as-sin of framing O.J. Simpson by planting evidence – which does not mean he did not do the murders.)
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/9 "2007-09-20T00:55:10Z")
Oh, now, **BG** , let them have their fun, they haven’t won one in such a long time, they deserve the opportunity to gloat over the crushing defeat of the Liberal Media. Don’t be a Grinch!
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### Author:  [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/10 "2007-09-20T01:27:11Z")
Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about dear old Dan suffocating under the weight of his dignity.
Thank heavens for that.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/11 "2007-09-20T01:42:53Z")
Dan Rather sues CBS.
Will Rush Limbaugh’s head explode as he tries to figure out who to root for?
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/12 "2007-09-20T01:47:47Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou]
Dan Rather sues CBS.
Will Rush Limbaugh’s head explode as he tries to figure out who to root for?
[/QUOTE]
I suspect he will just sit back and enjoy the show. It’s win-win.
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### Author:  [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/13 "2007-09-20T02:19:52Z")
The odd thing about this lawsuit is the level of ingratitude Rather displays towards CBS which, in its investigation, had deliberately declined to declare the documents the obvious forgeries that they were but came up instead with some wishy washy statement about their authenticity not having been established.
As to whether Rather really believes the documents were authentic, the sad part about it is he almost certainly does. As does one of his equally deluded former colleagues, Mary Mapes, of whom CBS said in the linked 2005 article:
In a statement CBS News said: “Mary Mapes’ actions damaged CBS News as an organization and brought pain to many colleagues with whom she worked. As always, revisionist history must be tested against the facts.”
[ABC News Nov 2005](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1292736&page=1)
The article contains an extract from Chapter one of Mary Mapes’ book “Truth and Duty”. It starts off well:
> [@](#):
>
> I woke up smiling on September 9, 2004.
But then descends into a kind of parody once everything begins to unravel:
> [@](#):
>
> I knew what we were seeing was not a simple mistake made because of technical differences in the way the documents looked. This was something else, something new and fundamentally frightening. I had never seen this kind of response to any story. This was like rounding a corner in the woods and spotting a new creature, all venom and claws and teeth. You didn’t know what it was, but you sure knew it was out to get you.
Karl Rove, perhaps?
Serious question here.
Are delusional truther type beliefs based on insanity or stupidity?
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### Author:  [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/14 "2007-09-20T02:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be]
Are delusional truther type beliefs based on insanity or stupidity?
[/QUOTE]
I’ve forgotten the difference. Ever since 2002, that line has gotten blurrier and blurrier.
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### Author:  [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/15 "2007-09-20T02:46:29Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be]
The odd thing about this lawsuit is the level of ingratitude Rather displays towards CBS…\
[/QUOTE]
Which dutifully and doggedly kept his biased (Hi, **luci**! 😃 ), overwrought (_“Courage!”_), nonsense-spouting ass on the air all these years since Cronkite, despite the fact that he perennially drew a last-place audience among the big three networks. I have no love for CBS, but my opinion of Rather has sunk even lower than before. Didn’t think it would be possible, that.
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### Author:  [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/16 "2007-09-20T03:10:03Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be]
The odd thing about this lawsuit is the level of ingratitude Rather displays towards CBS which, in its investigation, had deliberately declined to declare the documents the obvious forgeries that they were but came up instead with some wishy washy statement about their authenticity not having been established.
[/QUOTE]
This is what I was thinking…they backed him beyond what was reasonable, in my opinion. He ought to be grateful they didn’t hang him out to dry on this one.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/17 "2007-09-20T04:28:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena]
This is what I was thinking…they backed him beyond what was reasonable, in my opinion. He ought to be grateful they didn’t hang him out to dry on this one.
[/QUOTE]
Perhaps they will, now.
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### Author:  [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/18 "2007-09-20T05:26:45Z")
Didn’t he insist, at the time, over and over again, that the reporting **wasn’t** biased and that he wasn’t leaving because of the “scandal?” Sure, I understand the politics of the situation and personal dignity would require him to say something like that, but isn’t it a little hollow to say, “I was lying **then** , but this time, I mean it?”
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/19 "2007-09-20T05:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach]
Didn’t he insist, at the time, over and over again, that the reporting **wasn’t** biased and that he wasn’t leaving because of the “scandal?”
[/QUOTE]
I think he meant only that **his** reporting wasn’t biased; doesn’t forestall him from casting blame on the network as a whole.
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-sues-cbs/419789/20 "2007-09-20T05:34:01Z")
Hey, everybody! The tighty righties are partying! Getting _down_! Wearing their drab. colorless native garb and flinging shredded spreadsheets into the air with marginal abandon. Doggies!
A little disconcerting though, like watching Al Gore do the Funky Chicken.
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