Walter Cronkite:"We Should Have Gotten Out a Long Time Ago. This Entire War Is A Disaster."

[kpete]

Walter Cronkite: Iraq War a "Disaster"
By Hank Plante
CBS 5 San Jose

"We should have gotten out a long time ago. This is a mistake, this entire war there, its a disaster. And the earlier we get out the better," Cronkite said. "It's a terrible disaster. Look at the loss of lives of our young Americans there and those who have been maimed for life, for what purpose? No purpose we can define."

What's more, he says, America will pay a future price for going into Iraq.

CBS 5 asked Cronkite if Americans were any safer because of the Iraq war?

"No, I don't think so. I think were probably less safe," he responded. "The entire Arab world has now put us down as an enemy. It's going to be a long time for us to take back any suggestion of friendship with those nations."

VIDEO: http://cbs5.com/video/?id=[e-mail]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022807B.shtml

[roguevalley]

1. the last time he weighed in on a way, it ended. GO, WALTER!

And that's the way it is ...

[AshevilleGuy]

19. It WAS a turning point for the Vietnam War!

I remember it well: people did really notice when he came out against that war!!

[Blue_In_AK]

21. I remember that newscast, too.

[lebkuchen]

26. What happened to that dog's hair?

[Ishoutandscream2]

2. Well, according to Anne Coulter

Cronkite is one of those "librul enemies" that undermine America. Amazing, isn't it? Only in Bush's America.

[walldude]

5. Not just her either

The names he's called these days are just unreal. Next to Murrow he's the most respected journalist in U.S. history, now they call him senile.

[jaksavage]

3. Fresh air

Finding agreement, from such a powerful, voice is a huge blast of fresh air to me.
Our society seems broken.

[sakabatou]

4. I still wonder why pople have rose colored classes on...

[Bobbie Jo]

6. The Most Trusted Man in American

nuff said...:patriot:

[WiseButAngrySara]

7. FOR WHAT PURPOSE, indeed! ....n/t

[EVDebs]

13. Seems like the old '73 Nixon plans to seize oil fields was simply 'tweaked' to read Iraq

Document reveals Nixon plan to seize Arab oil fields
'70s embargo sparked 'last resort' measure, says British memo
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/02/MNG8G427D61.DTL

[WiseButAngrySara]

14. Oh yes, we know to what purpose. Oil, Disgusting tradeoff for

lives. And yet those of us who oppose the insanity and immorality of this war are regarded as traitorous and not supporting our troops! And B* doesn't even support the troops that have died! The best support of our troops is to bring them home.

[EVDebs]

27. Gen. Odom of NSA, What's Wrong With Cut and Run ? Precisely !

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=299991&mesg_id=300077

[enid602]

8. Iran

Did Walter say how he feels about Iran?

[WiseButAngrySara]

9. k(pete)nr and a kick for Cronkite, a true American Patriot. ....n/t

[meuniermr]

22. Patriot? Bullshit.

Why should I listen to anything the voice of the Bohemian Grove owl says?

[Wednesdays]

24. Hiya Rim!

Enjoy your stay, however long that is. :hi:

[peacetalksforall]

10. Is there someone who is free and capable of stringing some of these

quotes together - and getting a link to it.

Carl Bernstein had a powerful one a few days ago.
Now Cronkite.

It would be interesting to have a second list with quotes by leaders in office.

[Hubert Flottz]

11. A reporter I always trusted to tell the truth.

I miss him.

[WritersBlock]

12. And that's the way it is. Thank you, Walter Cronkite.

That's a voice I trust; always have.

[Bozita]

15. Walter knows bullshit wars. He's a bit slow on the trigger, but you can count ...

... on him eventually speaking the truth.

I trusted him then. I trust him now.

[shadowknows69]

17. Slow on the trigger

the poor man is 150, there should be some contemporary journalists (besides KO) who have the guts to speak truth to power. IT'S THEIR JOB!!!

[Bozita]

20. Actually, Walter was sending flares before the US invaded Iraq.

The MSM did damn near nothing to give it air/ink.

Walter saw this one coming.

[EVDebs]

28. MSM didn't want to be 'cut off' like Helen Thomas

and poor ole Helen has more balls than these gentlemen in MSM put together !

[shadowknows69]

16. I can't believe this country needs Walter Cronkite to tell us again

but I'm glad he did. You are the idol on my altar of journalism Mr. Cronkite. Thank you for your service to your country. Sorry that phrase shouldn't be reserved for soldiers.

[karlrschneider]

18. Must...kick

:kick:

[symbolman]

23. Great Walt!!

He had the misfortune of meeting me in Alaska once :)

I caught him walking outside of a yuppie restaurant in Fairbanks and was talking with him and his wife near the banks of the Tananna river, and was holding my black cat in my arms. Suddenly my cat LEAPED onto Cronkites HEAD, did a spin and then flew off into the woods.

His wife pulled out his hanky as he was bleeding pretty bad on the top of his head, and I felt like a COMPLETE SHIT. I couldn't stop apologising, and he was VERY Gracious, both he and his lovely wife..

But on the way home each time I told the story, I had to end it with, "And That's The Way IT WAS.." and laugh, sorry, morbid humor runs in my family :)

I'm really glad be wasn't injured by that dumb cat, didn't leave a dueling scar on his face.

Geez think what I could get on ebay now for Chronkite BLOOD! :)

Joking, I loved the guy, he KEPT ME FROM DYING IN NAM, thanks to his statements it was nearly over when I was drafted..

[lebkuchen]

25. So this is why the market is tanking

When Walter speaks, people listen.

[Hidden Stillness]

29. Walter Cronkite has Always Been Great

Walter Cronkite has been a great journalist for a long, long time now, from reporting the news of Pres. Kennedy's death to the famous, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America," which may have even been stated to Bill Moyers, as I think Moyers has quoted it as if there, for years. Many people may remember that Walter Cronkite was devoting half of the "CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite," some 15 minutes, to explaining the then-unfolding Watergate scandal, the break-in at the Democratic Party Headquarters, (are DUers even aware that there has been another break-in at a Democratic Party office just a few days ago; New Hampshire I think), and was covering the story before Woodward and Bernstein. Just over the past few years, Cronkite has publicly criticized the Bush-Cheney Administration's secrecy and corruption, attacked the corporate media and its cuts of journalist/research staff (at conferences covered by C-SPAN, etc.), done a great and very informative video for Families USA on the "Medicare" Part D disaster, and criticized the influence of extremist archconservative attack front-groups. Cronkite is one of the last of the great tradition of covering a story, sticking with it, and going where it leads, even to famously criticizing on-air the treatment of protesters by Chicago Police at the 1968 Convention--a totally fair and equitable approach. It was a different world then, and the media was independantly-owned, with allegience only to its mission as a public trust, not owned by huge corporate conglomerates, having to produce for stockholders and global capitalist propagandists.

[mnhtnbb]

30. Uh, Walter, how about we should have never gotten into it?

[WI_DEM]

32. Cronkite spoke out against going in from the beginning.

[mnhtnbb]

33. Links?

[WI_DEM]

31. And that's the way it is.