Veteran journalist Dan Rather on the meaning of American patriotism

Before cable news and the internet, there was a time when millions of Americans started their evenings watching one of three news programs.

Dan Rather hosted one of them, The CBS Evening News, from 1981 to 2005.

Rather took over for the “most trusted man in America," Walter Cronkite. In this talk, he admits that for a while the promotion went to his head. He then explains how his wife Jean helped bring his ego down to Earth.

Then, the man who filled Uncle Walter’s shoes reflects on what American patriotism means to him. That’s the subject of his latest book, co-written with Elliot Kirschner, the bestseller “What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism.”

At the end of a long, sometimes rocky, often distinguished career, Rather speaks with emotion and deep conviction about what he believes to be core American values and what disturbs him about our times. He also tells a kicker of an LBJ story.

Tacoma Arts Live presented his talk at the Pantages Theater on January 19. KUOW’s Sonya Harris recorded the event.

Listen to the full version below: