dan rather, originally uploaded by Mr Biscuit.

Dan Rather has lost his marbles. The former CBS newsman, whose botched reporting on President Bush’s (fake) National Guard records ended his career, is suing his old employer for $70 million to “restore his reputation.” You’ve got to be kidding. Former “60 Minutes” producer Josh Howard put it best:

I think he’s gone off the deep end.

Rather’s critics will tell you that happened years ago. The lawsuit is purely a publicity stunt to generate a few headlines and make Rather feel relevant again. After all, Rather looks down on such frivolous suits — or at least he did when he was in the anchor chair.

Perhaps I’m being too mean to Rather. I might not be where I am today had it not been for his shoddy reporting three years ago.

My story about the fake National Guard documents, written when I was at Cybercast News Service, was the first journalistic account of the incident (hours after bloggers began raising questions). When it was linked on the Drudge Report, my life changed forever. From that moment forward, I recognized the power of the Internet as leveling force in politics and journalism.

Dan Rather didn’t recognize it at the time (remember the repeated denials?) and apparently is still living in disbelief today. At least we can laugh about.