I don't back down. I don't cave when the pressure gets too great from these partisan political ideological forces.
Dan RatherOn Capitol Hill, the Republican-controlled House voted mostly along party lines tonight to pass President Bush's federal budget blueprint. This includes his big tax cut plan, partly bankrolled, critics say, through cuts in many federal aid programs for children and education.
Dan RatherThey say California's the big burrito; Texas is a big taco right now. We want to follow that through. Florida is a big tamale.
Dan RatherBe careful. Journalism is more addictive than crack cocaine. Your life can get out of balance.
Dan RatherIn dealing with the press, do yourself a favor, stick with one of three responses: (a) I know and I can tell you; (b) I know and I can't tell you; (c) I don't know.
Dan RatherThe great lesson my mother and father gave me was almost invisible. It was a strong sense of being rooted.
Dan RatherFrom the streets of Cairo and the Arab Spring, to Occupy Wall Street, from the busy political calendar to the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, social media was not only sharing the news but driving it.
Dan RatherWe may see Michael Jackson's baby before we know the final outcome of this race for the House of Representatives tonight.
Dan RatherDespite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.
Dan RatherHave you ever had any anger about President Bush - who spent his time during the Vietnam War in the National Guard - running, in effect, a campaign that does its best to diminish your service in Vietnam? You have to be at least irritated by that, or have you been?
Dan RatherTonight, savagery in the streets of Iraq. Ten Americans die in a single day, four of them civilians murdered, mutilated and dragged through the streets....What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy it may be, for some, the only job they can find.
Dan RatherI've never believed in measuring one's worth by the size of his or her bank account. I prefer to look at distance traveled.
Dan RatherIt's the ratings, stupid, don't you know? They've got us putting more fuzz and wuzz on the air, cop-show stuff.
Dan RatherThe dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'.
Dan RatherI'm a believer in what your record is. I am what my record is - some of it good, some of it bad, some of it hard to tell.
Dan RatherAnd for whatever reason I've loved the news since I can remember. I loved it when I was in elementary school.
Dan RatherI have tried to remain a working, cutting-edge journalist and I don't do it the way everybody else does it. And I think that's the difference.
Dan RatherNow, I know you expected me to say that, well, I just kick back in the rocking chair, fished a little bit, listened to Willie Nelson tapes and watched old baseball games on the Classic Sports network. And, tell you the truth, I have done that for maybe about five total minutes.
Dan RatherWe are the "can do" country. We adjust to situations better than any people in the history of the world... We adjust to change.
Dan RatherI got addicted. News, particularly daily news, is more addictive than crack cocaine, more addictive than heroin, more addictive than cigarettes.
Dan RatherCatholic dioceses typically spent hundreds of thousands of dollars recklessly, then filed for bankruptcy. The goal was to avoid the money going to the hands of victims of predator priests.
Dan RatherHe [Mikhail Gorbachev] has, as many great leaders have, impressive eyes....There's a kind of laser-beam stare, a forced quality, you get from Gorbachev that does not come across as something peaceful within himself. It's the look of a kind of human volcano, or he'd probably like to describe it as a human nuclear energy plant.
Dan RatherIt's a legitimate point to debate. But it's part of the reality. It's happening, but it's also true they (looters) are in the distinct minority. I think there's a hero on every street corner in New Orleans, and I think the reporting has shown that. I think the balance has been there.
Dan RatherThey may have turned this up, whether you had the Paula Jones case or not. But again maybe not, but again that's like if a frog had side pockets he'd probably wear a handgun.
Dan RatherThe press is a watchdog. Not an attack dog. Not a lapdog. A watchdog. Now, a watchdog can't be right all the time. He doesn't bark only when he sees or smells something that's dangerous. A good watchdog barks at things that are suspicious.
Dan RatherI was really lucky to work at CBS news. I was blessed to be able to live my dream in many ways at CBS news.
Dan RatherStart-ups like UniversityNow, a network of low-cost, online colleges, allows students to work at their own pace and pay a few hundred dollars a month for a degree.
Dan RatherComedians, such as yourself, Jon Stewart and others, are a valuable supplement, and here's why: Good journalism at its best frequently speaks truth to power. What's happened with journalists - again, I don't except myself from this criticism - in some ways we've lost our guts. We need a spine transplant. What's happened is comedians, in their own way, speak truth to power and fill that vacuum that we in journalism have too often left, particularly post 9/11.
Dan Rather