22 years ago today: The George Bush/Dan Rather showdown

[alp227]

Run time: 10:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy45grGpB6o   Posted on YouTube: January 17, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 25, 2010 By DU Member: alp227 Views on DU: 1092

 
On January 25, 1988, CBS Evening News anchor repeatedly pressed Vice President George H.W. Bush in a live interview about the Iran-Contra affair. This is one of Rather's most notorious moments in his career, gathering the anger of conservatives. If you search dan rather bush intervew on Google, the top results are right-wing sites RatherBiased.com, Media Research Center, and Accuracy in Media:
- http://ratherbiased.com/bush_attack.htm
- , NewsBusters (Media Research Center's blog)
- Dan Rather Video Bias Contrasts, MRC
- An O'Reilly Ambush Interview for Dan Rather?, AIM

MRC first criticized Rather in its February 1988 MediaWatch newsletter.

Rather preceded his interview with a report summarizing the Vice President's role in Iran/Contra briefings. I found it on Youtube a year ago but can't find it because the user might've deleted it or tagged it inaccurately. I'll add a link later if I find one.

On this video, "Videotape courtesy CBS News" occasionally flashes in old-school TV typeface. I guess it's because CNN replayed the interview and then showed results of a poll. At the way end of the video is a clip of Rather elaborating on this interview the next day.

For a liberal view on this interview, here's a column by David Corn that he wrote shortly after Rather retired from the evening news. Corn is the author of The Lies of George W. Bush.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

1. What has happened to TV journalism?

Can you imagine David Gregory giving an interview like this, maybe I could if he was interviewing a Democrat.

[no limit]

5. I wasn't around back then, but the fact Rather had to explain himself after that

tells me journalism was pretty fucked up back then too.

[Gregorian]

2. Just watching it. It looks like Mr. Piece of Shit couldn't even meet with Rather in person.

Reminiscent of Baby Bush and Uncle Dick holding hands at the 911 Commission.

Now that I'm finally able to watch the rest of it, the first thing I noticed is that Bush let a little secret out about that monitor on his desk. We can see that this is not an interview with Bush, but an interview with Bush and all of his advisers hiding behind a monitor on a desk. This is bullshit. And it tells us that the Bush was nothing more than a puppet propped up on a chair. I find this dishonest at best. Anyways, I'll continue watching it, even as filthy disgusting as it is to watch.

[timtom]

3. What happened???

What happened to a press that asks questions demanding truthful answers?

(This is pretty much a rhetorical question.)

[Cleita]

4. I remember that when it happened. Back then CBS with Dan Rather

was my TV news of choice. My DH and I loved how he stuck it to Bush trying to make him answer honestly. Today, I don't watch CBS news. Maybe one of their programmers will read this.

[Gregorian]

6. The lack of interviews like this is a direct result of corporate cash.

And we just made our world that much worse again with the latest Supreme Court mis-decision.

[zoneseeker]

7. du

needs history section