Dan Rather's career is over. Despite CBS Execs. statements that he had been talking with them about retiring since last summer, we all know why Rather will no longer be at the helm of the CBS Evening News.
CBS has determined that Rather is much more like the first definition of "anchor" found in the hyperdictionary:
1: [n] a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
than either the second or third:
2: [n] a central cohesive source of support and stability; "faith is his anchor"; "he is the linchpin of this firm"
3: [n] a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast to which several correspondents contribute
Rather's biased bungling of the fraudulent story on George Bush's Guard duty has created huge swells of public criticism and distrust, that are battering the already listing CBS "ship." Just as a ship in danger of being swamped will cut away an anchor that has become trapped on the bottom, CBS is cutting away Rather in an attempt to escape the storm he created.
In a statement released earlier this week, Rather said he is looking forward to his new "assignment" as an investigative reporter for both editions of 60 Minutes. Unfortunately for Rather, his "career move" to Sixty minutes will be viewed in the same way as the 60 Minutes stop watch, recently put on display in Smithsonian Institution's popular culture collection, as a symbol of a story that will soon be over.
