SEEEEE-YA DAN

What is your favorite Dan Rather moment? Mine occurred when CBS obtained an on-air interview with then-VP George H.W. Bush. One of the conditions of the interview was that Iran-Contra was off-limits. Lee Atwater, the great GOP Jedi master of his day, correctly pegged Dan as a deal breaker and accordingly prepped Bush 41. When Dan veered into Iran-Contra on the air, H.W. hit back by reminding Dan of the time he abruptly walked off the set when the CBS Evening News was bumped by a tennis match. The exchange left Dan sputtering and gasping for breath. It is one thing to do a taped ambush for 60 Minutes that can be edited to show practically anything you want and quite another to do it for real.