I Was Trained to Ask Questions

Combative and high-strung, Dan Rather remains more reporter than anchorman

The scene on the floor of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago was chaotic, and Dan Rather, naturally, was in the middle of it. When CBS cameras located their roving floor reporter, he was involved in a shoving match with security guards. "Take your hands off me unless you plan to arrest me!" Rather shouted just before disappearing behind a mass of bodies. He popped back up seconds later, trying, between gasps, to explain the incident to Anchorman Walter Cronkite. "I'm sorry to be out of breath," said Rather, "but somebody belted me in the stomach during that."

Even then, Dan...

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