Dan Rather Watermelon Comment: What Was He Thinking?

Dan Rather Watermelon I can't wait for the excuse distinguished newsman Dan Rather will give to explain why he even dreamed of putting the words "President Obama" "articulate" and "watermelons" in the same sentence during an interview this week.

He might fall back on the old "I was under the affects of medication routine" or he could just say he was tired from travel and was talking off the top of his head.

One excuse Rather can't use, though, is the old "I was misquoted" line, because his comment about Obama is there on the Internet for the whole world to read. Appearing on the Chris Matthews show this week, the veteran CBS reporter said of the President:

"And a version of, 'Listen, he's a nice person, he's very articulate,' this is what's been used against him, but he couldn't sell watermelons if it, you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic."

In the space of a 10-second sound bite, Rather commits two cardinal sins in the big book of racial faux pas. First, he talks of Obama being articulate, which in normal conversation is fine, but when aimed at a black man, means the listener is actually surprised he could string two words together without stammering.

Then, Rather refers to watermelon. He could have substituted fried chicken, chitterlings or any other food that supposedly brings black folks to their knees in delight.

To be fair, Obama's Vice President Joe Biden once referred to Obama as "articulate," so Rather should get a pass there...I guess.

The point isn't that Rather is some kind of closet Klansman; nothing is his career suggests that.

Rather, however, is too smart to simply forget that talking about watermelons and Obama was going to rub some the wrong way. What was he really thinking? I'm sure the truth is far more interesting than the excuse we will get.