Like we mentioned, the events surrounding Dan Rather’s 2004 “60 Minutes II” report about President George W. Bush got transformed into the 2015 movie, “Truth.” The film received above average reviews from both critics and the public. The movie was based on accounts from Rather’s former producer Mary Mapes, who released the book, “Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power,” in 2005, indicating that she must have written it very, very quickly. The book rather sensationally frames the shutdown of CBS’ Bush report as a type of “digital McCarthyism” — as Goodreads quotes the book back blurb — that highlights collusion in the inner ranks of government to protect its own.
After that, Rather resurfaced recently in 2023 with the self-titled documentary, “Rather,” which charted the course of his rather long career in journalism, particularly the time period surrounding the “60 Minutes II” report. A year later he showed up on CBS for the first time in 18 years, but this time as a guest on CBS Sunday Morning. In his interview — available on YouTube — he reiterated how his departure following his 2004 report “still stings,” and said that he’s watched “60 Minutes” from time to time over the years.
As for the word that keeps coming up time and again regarding President George W. Bush’s time in the military — “truth” — no one could say for certain. Unless Bush himself comes forward and tells all, it’s likely that the truth will remain unknown.
