Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather appeared on CNN's Reliable Sources Saturday to discuss the execution of American journalist James Foley at the hands of the ISIS terrorist organization.
Rather said that it's all well and good for governments to refuse to discuss ransom with terrorists in these prisoner situations but, he claimed if Foley was a journalist in his organization he would be "looking to negotiate" for his release:
“Well, it’s one thing for governments, such as ours and the British government, to take a stand and say, 'We don’t pay ransom.' By making that right out front, the governments take the view it would discourage the taking of, the kidnapping of journalists. But, as was stated before to you, Brian, when it’s your son or daughter, when it is someone in your organizations you have worked with, it’s a whole different thing. And I can’t blame anyone for trying to ransom a journalist out. And I would say this: if some member of our Dan Rather Reports team was kidnapped, I would be looking to negotiate for ransom. And you can criticize that if you want, damn me if you want, but the loyalty to our people who work with us and take these great chances engenders loyalty back.”
Rather then turned his gaze on pundits who appear on cable news advocating for military action against ISIS. He says that until someone is "prepared to send your son, your daughter, your grandson, your granddaughter to that war" they have no right to beat the drums of war:
"Look, the war drums have been beating along the Potomac for some little while, accentuated in recent weeks and now in recent days. As a citizen - let me take my journalist hat off for a moment. But, as a citizen, this worries me a great deal...
All of these people on television - some of whom I have enormous respect for - it unsettles me to hear them say, listen, we, the United States, we have to - quote - "do something" in Ukraine, we have to do something in Syria, we have to do something in the waters around China, we have to do something about what is happening in Yemen, we have to do something in Iraq, we have to do something about ISIS, what they are talking about are combat operations.
My first question to anyone who is on television saying, "We have to get tough, we need to put boots on the ground and we need to go to war in one of these places" is, I will hear you out if you tell me you are prepared to send your son, your daughter, your grandson, your granddaughter to that war of which you are beating the drums. If you aren't, I have no patience with you, and don't even talk to me."
