The passing of this most trusted man in America is so sad. He had a long and fruitful life.

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During World War II, Walter Cronkite was a print/wire service reporter for United Press. In December 2004, sixty years after the Battle of the Bulge, he recounted his experiences as a reporter stationed on the front lines of that epic battle, smack in the middle of it. His piece on NPR recounting those chaotic days remains one of the most compelling things I have ever heard on the radio.

~Russ

Well said, all. We've lost so much. I'm glad he lived a long and full life and saw his country turn the corner from the Bush disaster to President Obama.

P.S. I remember hearing that report in 2004, Russ. I remember exactly where I was then. It was a driveway moment when I couldn't leave the car, even though it was not home but at Parkwest hospital while I was dropping of a *ahem* "sample." Yeah, I know--thanks for the imagery.

To me, Walter Cronkite was all about the words. The man did his research and could tell the story in a way that should still make modern television journalists (or all journalists, really) jealous. He was trusted because he knew that the best way to tell the story to Americans (and the world) was to simply tell it and not worry if he was hitting the "right demographic markets" or worrying if he was sounding "too educated."

I miss him and Frank Reynolds.

When they tried to put wind power generators within sight of his house he opposed them, as did some of the Kennedys and some other bigwigs. He apologetically acknowledged the contradiction (hypocrisy?), but said that nevertheless he liked things like he liked them. That was the real Walt.

What he had going for him was that the majority of viewers during his tenure were unsophisticated if not ignorant and his bias veiled. Today, when looking at old footage of his news shows, his liberal prejudice is transparent...the old hack. Not that there is anything wrong with that--as long as you don't try to make him into something else.

Oh yeah, and Walt eventually, after retirement, acknowledged his liberalism and his efforts to cover it up.

In fact though, his reporting in the early part of the Vietnam conflict was very statist and was a major source/cause of the general public supporting the war until the Americans were in it not just up to their necks but over their heads. (Not that they did not deserve what they got in the end, fleeing the country like the flim-flam artists and war criminals they were. If there had been proper war crimes trials, old Walt would have been right up there on the dock with Bobby McNamara and company.)

The fond memories of Walt say less about Walt than those who hold these memories.

There are no heros.

was a major source/cause of the general public supporting the war until the Americans were in it not just up to their necks but over their heads. (Not that they did not deserve what they got in the end, fleeing the country like the flim-flam artists and war criminals they were. If there had been proper war crimes trials, old Walt would have been right up there on the dock with Bobby McNamara and company.)

Your over-reaching generalizations and accusations do a disservice to those who lived during those times and dealt with those issues.

Just twenty years after a war that possibly could have been avoided had not so many world leaders been so unwilling to confront the dangers and horrors of a Nazi Germany, it's true many made many wrong decisions, for the right reasons during the Cold War.

But I guess they could have avoided it all if only they had known then what you know now.

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.
President Abraham Lincoln 1862

So I guess it was public ignorance that allowed liberals to control our country from the end of poor, under appreciated Herbert Hoover's admin through most of the 60s and 70s. Damn good thing Saint Ronnie came along and eliminated the Fairness Doctrine so that Rush, Buchanon, Liddy, Hannity, Beck, Hume, Coulter, North, et. al., could educate us to the ways of small, zero debt gov't that sees the true value of free markets.

There are no heros.

Apparently there are no wingnuts who can spell. Or did you mean you're hungry for a sandwich?

The Most Trusted Person wasn't, unfortunately, trusted by his government. After Cronkite declared in 1968 that the Vietnam war was "unwinnable," it continued for another five years, with huge losses on both sides. With all the media tributes and coverage of Cronkite's death, I didn't hear a word of serious analysis on this issue.

Far be it for me to argue with someone who apparently believes the world would be better if it had adhered to Pat Buchanan's views.

Walt eventually, after retirement, acknowledged his liberalism and his efforts to cover it up.

Cronkite did a damn good job of this "covering up." Can this be said of today's anchors?

Lord, you're an angry little man, JWB.
Once again, I'm reminded of the pissed-off mouse attempting to rape the elephant. He somehow gets himself up there in a position to do the deed and starts humping away. The elephant grunts and the mad mouse hollers "Hurts, don't it!!!"
I believe the reputations of Lincoln and Cronkite will survive your assault.

JWB is nowhere near as entertaining as The Coach and The Coach was an amateur.

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From Recipes Tried and True , 1894
Pick, soak, and boil the birds with the same care as for roasting.
Make a crust as for chicken pie; lay the birds in whole, and season
with pepper, salt, bits of butter, and a little sweet marjoram; flour
them thickly; then strain the water in which they were boiled, and
fill up the vessel two-thirds full with it; cover with the crust; cut
hole in the center. Bake one hour and a half.

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While the almost universal praise for the late Walter Cronkite is understandable, I recall receiving in the mail an extended ad from Philip Morris featuring the most trusted man in America as an advocate of smoking. This was after his retirement, when I very much doubt he needed the money. A smoker myself, I of course had no objection to Cronkite's puffing on his pipe--but did he really have to work for the tobacco industry?