Dan Rather Returns to CBS News After Nearly Two Decades Away

Legendary newsman Dan Rather made his long-awaited return to the CBS News airwaves Sunday, 18 years after his controversial exit from the network after a story on George W. Bush’s military service that relied on what were later revealed to be unauthenticated documents. “Without apology or explanation, I miss CBS,” the 92-year-old said during a profile on CBS Sunday Morning. “I've missed it since the day I left there.” Of the scandal that ultimately derailed his career, Rather said it was his “lowest point.” The Sunday Morning crew also joined Rather at his home in Austin, Texas, where he pontificated about his legacy. “The closest you can do about legacy is not think about your work,” he said. “Think about what you did as a person. Those important questions of, who am I? Why am I here? What can I contribute? Those are the important questions, not how well one did or didn’t do as anchor or managing editor of the CBS Evening News.” At the height of his career as the anchor of that program—a seat he occupied for 24 years—he read the news to nearly 50 million viewers every night.