Cronkite's Bitter Pill

Walter Cronkite. Lived a long and active life. He read the evening news. He hosted programs on historical events, documentaries, and a game show using news events. He was married to the same woman, Betsy, for over 60 years. Major accomplishments by any standard. Obama has issued the mandatory "great loss" statement.

In the 1970s Archie Bunker referred to Walter as that "pinko commie." Remember All In the Family? Back when folks could laugh at bigotry instead of contacting lawyers and acronym agencies. Every family had a meathead, a cocky George Jefferson, a subservient dingy Edith, a bullish Maude.

Cronkite is credited with pushing the Watergate story to the forefront with the American public. Pushing on the public yes, because the vast majority was no more interested in Nixon's cover-up than they were in Clinton's blowjob. Although in the '70s, proving a politician was a liar was sufficient to oust him, by 1998, lying to the American public about being a liar and cheat was a political reality tv show.

Cronkite thought Dukakis could have won in '88 had he embraced his liberalism. Walter thought Jimmy Carter the smartest president, but he most admired FDR and the New Deal. By Election 2008 I don't think Walt was alert and cooperative enough to have a coherent opinion. He supported Clinton during his impeachment; sailed with Bill and Hill on Martha's Vineyard. Walt sailed his boat down to the Caribbean in the winter and back in the spring. In the summertime sailed offshore of his home in Martha's.

Cronkite, the man who could bring down a president and end an unpopular war - from a Missouri hick to the Vineyard's elite, a legend in his time - only in America - well, the old America, as Walter came to believe the US has to swallow a bitter pill for the "new order" America, where movin' on up is going to be real hard Weezy.

Cronkite has said a world government was mandatory: "The proud nations someday will see the light and, for the common good and their own survival, yield up their precious sovereignty..."

In his 1999 Norman Cousins Global Governance Award ceremony at the United Nations Walt said :

"It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government patterned after our own government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace. To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. That would be a bitter pill. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order. But the American colonies did it once and brought forth one of the most nearly perfect unions the world has ever seen."

There it is Bubba, from the mouth of the "most trusted man in America." It is gonna take a lot of world po-leece to enforce the laws and keep the peace, and push that bitter pill.

Probably Cronkite's most famous comments were in his February 1968 Vietnam broadcast : He said, "To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. … But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

The US proceeded to leave VN, but not as victors, not honorably, and not defending any particular ideology - neither honoring nor defending the tens of thousands of troops who died or were maimed, while guys like pro-Vietnam-war-turned-anti-war Cronkite fattened their portfolios, put on suits and went to Wall Street or became politicians or professors, authors, and/or executive directors or board members of foundations - world government cheerleaders to be brought forth when time to swallow another bitter pill on the road to a near perfect world union.

In January 2006, Cronkite said his statement on Vietnam was his proudest moment. It's been said it was the first time an anchorman declared a war over. When asked then if he would give the same advice on Iraq, Cronkite didn’t hesitate to say "Yes."

Yes, let's do it again folks. Let us have a media celeb-head declare the war over. How about Oprah? She can tell middle America - and like Walter, she was for the invasion before she was against it.

Personally, I think we need to kick ass and take names, of folks like Cronkite, pill pushers who hallucinate that global totalitarianism is the prescription for peace.