
As The Cable Game noted on December 4, Dan Rather has been making scurrilous charges against Fox News, that it's in collusion with the White House. He has no proof, of course, and I am sure that none exists. But if I am wrong, then Rather, the "newsman," ought to prove it. But of course, he doesn't, he keeps going around on other channels, such as CNN and HBO, repeating his reckless accusation. Last night on "The Factor," Bill O'Reilly challenged Rather to come on the show to, put up or shut up. Rather won't, of course, because he's a weasel, who was suckled by weasel-liberalism for the past half-century until he finally soiled his own nest in 2004 with those forged "Rathergate" memos.
Well, now Rather is creating a second scandal for himself, through more baseless slurring. We can call it "Rathergate II."
But beyond the sad pathetic case of Rather's decline and fall, here's a question aimed at the future: What about Rather's boss at HDNet, Mark Cuban? Why isn't Cuban taking some responsibility for his own wayward employee? By keeping Rather on, Cuban is destroying the credibility of his new-media news franchise.
Here's what TCG wrote about Cuban on 12/4, and it's still pertinent, since Cuban has not seen fit to rein in Rather:
"But in the meantime, here's a coupla questions for HDNet, including its owner, mogul Mark Cuban. Does HDNet stand by Rather's allegation? Do Rather's corporate bosses expect Rather to produce evidence to back up his charge? Or are they content to let Rather simply say malicious things about others, without even rudimentary checking?
"If HDNet doesn't rein in Rather, then HDNet is no better than he is. If you hire a Big Liar, then eventually you become a Big Liar, too."
Those words were true then, and they are true now. The ball is in Cuban's court.
So maybe Mark Cuban should go on O'Reilly.