My Final (Maybe) Thoughts on Rathergate

I was watching The Beltway Boys on Fox last evening when a thought struck me. Something someone said made me think that possibly Dan Rather has not seen the last of his "punishment" from CBS.

You know that there are four people who lost their jobs at CBS because of the Killian memo fiasco. The panelists were discussing that there were others, specifically named were Rather and Andrew Heyward, who should bear more responsibility than they have.

Someone on the panel said that Dan Rather will be stepping down from his anchor spot earlier than his announced retirement date of March, but will still be reporting on the Wednesday night version of 60 Minutes - if it's still on the air. That got me thinking.

Rather steps down and is replaced by - whomever (has it been announced?). Sometime between leaving the anchor desk and beginning his new gig at 60 Minutes II, or whatever it's called, CBS announces its cancellation. Rather can't go back to the anchor desk, and he can't go to his "new job" because it doesn't exist anymore. Oh, they may throw him some bones and let him do some 60 Minutes reports on Sunday, or investigative reports of some sort, or even let him report from Iraq or whatever the new hotspot is. But they will be few and far between air times. CBS has effectively solved it's Rather problem.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen similiar things happen in my job. A person messes up and because it's not a fireable offense, or the person is close to retirement or has friends who are willing to go to bat for him (or her as the case may be, but usually he), they are transferred to another position. Now, that position may be "created" for just this person, or they are placed in a position where they are "out of sight, out of mind" and can't really get into trouble. The transfer isn't for punishment, but everyone knows that person did something they shouldn't have and usually it gets out what happened. When other employees hear that so-an-so has been transferred, the first question is, "what did they do?" Eventually, everyone knows, but until then, it's fodder for the gossip mill.

We recently had a sergeant transferred to our unit to work from eight at night to eight in the morning as a roving sergeant between the three juvenile programs. Now, the youths are locked down at nine, so there's not much going on, especially from midnight to five in the morning. On the surface, the position is necessary, because the sergeants in charge of the programs are not on the grounds and having a sergeant on duty is good. The staff can call on them when questions arise or they need something, or when an actual problem occurs.

However, we knew in this particular sergeant had been caught campaigning for the opposition in the recent election. This is something that all employees of an elected official have to be concerned about. There is nothing that says you can't campaign for the other candidate, but you need to be careful that you do it very quietly and discreetly. You do sow what you reap. This sergeant wasn't as careful as he should have been and was found out. He was transferred from a Monday through Friday seven-thirty to four office job to a twelve hour night shift job where he has no office, works one weekend and has the next off. Not too bad if you're single, but can be tough on families when you're working night shift. Everyone knew he was being punished, but he couldn't protest it because it was a "necessary position" he was transferred to and we all know that we can be transferred at any time for nearly any reason. He did have options. He could have retired, he could have gone up the chain and pled his case, or could have taken it and waited it out under the "this too shall pass" concept. That's what he did. He did his penance and was transferred after just a few weeks when it was determined that he was more urgently needed elsewhere. All is forgiven (but not entirely forgotten). He can forget about ever being promoted. He'll be "just another body" on the personnel rolls. And he's at an age where he probably wouldn't have been promoted anyway, unless it was as a reward for a long, faithful, and loyal career. When you've campaigned for the other candidate faithful and loyal don't count any more. As a sergeant, he had probably reached the top of his career anyway. Most sergeants retire as sergeants. There are only so many lieutenant positions available.

I predict that this will happen to Dan: he'll step down from the anchor desk; 60 Minutes II, which apparently isn't doing well in the rating anyway, will be cancelled; and Dan will be put into a position of being just another body at CBS. He may be allowed to report on events and investigate stories, but will never regain the luster of his previous life at CBS.

His punishment will be to be "just another body" and a reminder to the rest of the staff that they too, can fall from grace.