And That's The Way It Was (Oh, You Think This Headline Is Unoriginal? Fuck You!)

Walter Cronkite was one of the good guys. He anchored The CBS Evening News for 18 years and was the voice of current events during the end of one, and the beginning of another, generation. Before the "news" became synonymous with ideological politics and celebrity idolization there was Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America.”

He was married for 64 years, but remained a pimp even into his late 70's when he began dating Carly Simon's sister. She was an opera singer and I'll just go ahead and assume she was hot (for an old broad.)

His closing words as the anchor of The CBS Evening News:

"This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of The CBS Evening News; for me, it's a moment for which I long have planned, but which, nevertheless, comes with some sadness. For almost two decades, after all, we've been meeting like this in the evenings, and I'll miss that. But those who have made anything of this departure, I'm afraid have made too much. This is but a transition, a passing of the baton. A great broadcaster and gentleman, Doug Edwards, preceded me in this job, and another, Dan Rather, will follow. And anyway, the person who sits here is but the most conspicuous member of a superb team of journalists; writers, reporters, editors, producers, and none of that will change. Furthermore, I'm not even going away! I'll be back from time to time with special news reports and documentaries, and, beginning in June, every week, with our science program, Universe. Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away; they just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is: Friday, March 6, 1981. I'll be away on assignment, and Dan Rather will be sitting in here for the next few years. Good night."


Oh, I also feel like I should applaud CBS for interrupting their prime time broadcast to announce and subsequently eulogize Cronkite when the news broke of his death. I think it's also important to note that, as a newsman, Cronkite had the decency to pass away after, and not during, the death of Michael Jackson. He wouldn't have wanted to intrude his own personal experience into the news of the day.

And that's the way it is: Friday July 17, 2009. RIP