Rather disappointed in Baghdad Dan.

As I watched the CBS Special; 'Dan Rather, a reporter remembers' I thought about his quote after the bad comb-over of the Rathergate debacle.

"I regret every nanosecond when I let anybody at CBS News down, and even more, when I let the audience down. It's painful to me."

Dan, when was the last time you finished first in the evening news ratings? You have consistently let down your viewers (they are leaving you), your news department ( ad sales have plummeted) and most of all yourself. In your drive to tell a story about the news you have let your opinions drive your storytelling.

"I have my weaknesses," admits Rather. "I've made my mistakes, but the one mistake I've tried hard not to make is to say, 'OK. I know which way the wind is blowing, and I'm gonna tailor my reporting to fit that.' Ain't gonna do that. Haven't. Don't. Won't."

It seems obvious to me that the boys and girls at West 57th want to make their own weather. If the wind is blowing in a direction they don't happen to like, they can always make up a story and change the air currents.Your job is to read the news off of a teleprompter, that it. It's not to drive the news cycle by inventing stories you wish in your heart of hearts were true. Your gig over at 60 minutes Wednesday is supposed to be your link to hard journalism, where you get back to your roots as a get out your pad and pencil and get the story. I love the way you threw your four comrades under the bus and would not take the blame directly. Courage Dan, courage.