Dan Rather is leaving. It's about time. I'm tempted to compare him to the guest who stayed too long in Bob Seger's "Famous Final Scene," but since no one watches Rather's program any longer his departure has but symbolic significance. By the time Dan Rather sought to pawn off forged documents as military records in his attempt to derail Bush 2004, few people put much faith in him. And those who did watch his program mainly did so not for news but to have their views validated. Some critics are complaining that Rather refuses to admit Rathergate's role in his departure, but let's face reality: Rathergate had nothing to do with this septuagenarian's retirement. To me, that's the real scandal. A network news show acted as the auxiliary of the Democratic Party in airing false documents damaging the Republican candidate, and as of two months later no one takes the fall. This would be a big scandal if it were a traditional business, a church, or a government official. But since the news media is weary of covering scandal within their own ranks, they've given CBS a pass.

What's the frequency, Kenneth? I don't know, but it won't be tuned to CBS anytime soon.

The truth is, the network news casts are quickly becoming irrelevant. Most everyone has cable, and no one with cable watches the networks for news. Even those who wish to "have their views validated" are more likely to turn on CNN instead of waiting for Rather's once-a-day 20 minutes of "news." The fact that FOX News had higher ratings during the debates than all three networks combined says it all.

Happy Thanksgiving Dan, Brian and Short.

Back at ya Brad. God bless you and the family.