This quote, brought to my attention by my friend DD, is almost too funny to be real.
[CBS News’] investigation may not satisfy critics, who have already called for anchorman Dan Rather and Heyward to step down. Heyward has said he wants to see the panel’s investigation before making any personnel decisions.
“A strong leader like Dan Rather ought to say the buck stops here and take the fall,” said Michael Paranzino, a Washington government affairs consultant who set up a Web site, BoycottCBS.com, to protest CBS’ planned airing of a miniseries on Ronald Reagan and has kept it running.
It’s great when conservatives demand that strong leaders accept responsibility — not in government, of course, but at major news organizations.
I wonder if Paranzino happened to catch The Daily Show the other night…
Stephen Colbert: There’s got to be some accountability. Dan Rather is the head — the commander-in-chief, if you will — of his news organization. He’s in the ultimate position of power who made a harmful decision based on questionable evidence. Then, to make things worse, he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake, choosing instead to “stay the course” and essentially occupy this story for too long. This man has got to go.
Jon Stewart: Um, we’re talking about Dan Rather.
Stephen Colbert: Yes, John, Dan Rather. CBS is in chaos, unsafe, driven by internal rivalries. If you ask me, respectable, reputable outsiders need to be brought in to help the rebuilding effort.
Jon Stewart: At CBS News.
Stephen Colbert: Yeah, at CBS News. What possible other, unrelated situation could my words be equally applicable to? Now, people need to be held accountable: the commander-in-chief, the vice president, the secretary of defense, the national security advisor…everyone at CBS News needs to go.
Would Paranzino even appreciate the humor?