Reply #6: Great, Pallas! Here's mine...

[pacalo]

"Mr. Rather may have been hasty in presenting the documents about the president's questionable military history, but he's a hero in that he tried to do what the Fourth Estate is supposed to do: investigate & report to the public.

"I ask you to consider this: If other news organizations & CBS affiliates buckle to the demands of partisan pressure to dismiss Mr. Rather, it would intimidate the media in such a way that they will feel stifled in doing their jobs effectively.

"Please consider that CBS Evening News' ratings have gone up 14% since this story broke. My guess is that I'm not the only one who admires Mr. Rather for taking a chance on getting the real news out to the people. Many of us have sons & daughters who would be at risk, should a draft be re-instated. We feel that if the president sanctions a character assassination of Sen. Kerry in regard to his heroic military record, then we have a right to know what his accuser's military record is. And if the president wins in November, I want to know what kind of man is sending my son into harm's way."