Rather Excellent Tales: The White House Years

1964 - 1974: Rather serves as the White House Correspondent for CBS News (with brief layovers as the Chief of the CBS London Bureau and as a war correspondent in 1966 - I forget what war he was covering). Two of the most celebrated Rather moments occur during this period:

• At the 1968 Democratic convention (a real train wreck if ever there was one), a quite petulant and cocky Dan Rather is manhandled by security (see the video here); and
• ...At a Houston, TX news conference in 1974, [Richard] Nixon fielded a question from a ABC reporter, but Rather, still CBS's White House correspondent, jumped in: "Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News. Mr. President..." The room filled with jeers and applause, prompting Nixon to joke "Are you running for something?" Rather replied "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?" The resulting firestorm of negative reactions got Rather in hot water, and nearly cost him his job (now where have I hard that tune before?).
  

FUN FACT: Rather established his rock-solid reputation for journalistic integrity in the White House years:

The loose journalistic ethics that have characterized Rather�s entire career were soon evident. �Rather would go with an item even if he didn�t have it completely nailed down with verifiable facts,� wrote Timothy Crouse in his best-seller about presidential campaign coverage in the Nixon era The Boys on the Bus. �If a rumor sounded solid to him, if he believed in his gut or had gotten it from a man who struck him as honest, he would let it rip. The other White House reporters hated Rather for this. They knew exactly why he got away with it: being handsome as a cowboy, Rather was a star at CBS News, and that gave him the clout he needed. They could quote all his lapses from fact�

Rather Excellent Tales: Birth of a Legend
Rather Excellent Tales: The College Years
Rather Excellent Tales: Heading on Down to Houston Town
Rather Excellent Tales: A Star is Born
Rather Excellent Tales: On to CBS