Rest in peace, Walter Cronkite

The death of Walter Cronkite may just be the death of respectable journalism as we know it. He was called "the most trusted man in America." Archie Bunker called him a pinko. His tearing up while announcing the death of President Kennedy could be considered sincere or pretentious, depending on who you talk about.
Cronkite was one of the first journalists in America to say the Vietnam War was unwinable. Two weeks ago, Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense and architect of that war, died. Many conservative people I know say McNamara should have never been in the position. But some people may say that Cronkite should have never said what he said about Vietnam even though McNamara has publically admitted himself mistakes he made.
Many Americans believe the government should have some control on the media. I'm not one of them.
William Randolph Hearst helped start the Spanish American War in 1898. He ran a smear campaign against hemp and marijuana to control his his interests in the timber industry, thus getting the growing of both illegal in America.
Cronkite was more or less removed by CBS in 1981, at a period in which the news became more sensationalized. He was 64 at the time and some say he was getting too old for the way things were becoming. I wonder what Cronkite would have thought about the media storm following the death of Michael Jackson.
I always wonder what he would have thought about all the people on the TV picking sides with political parties. Bill O'Reilly, Keith Oberman, Glenn Beck, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Dan Rather, Rush Limbaugh, Chris Matthews, Shawn Hannity.
First Tim Russert and now, Cronkite. You won't find any more objective or impartial anchormen out there now.
Which is a shame.
Someone had to announce the news of Kennedy's death. The assassination of an American president is an awful thing and Cronkite expressed the feelings of many Americans when he got choked up, cried a little and carried on. He also expressed the excitement of many Americans when he cried tears of joy when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon.
Both were critical moments for America. One was the lost of its innocence. Another was an assurance that everything was going to be alright after the political and social upheavals of the 1960's.
Cronkite might have been a pinko to some but he just said what was on many Americans' mind about the Vietnam War. He also said this in 1968 when LBJ, a Democrat, was President.
But Cronkite was a journalism first and he remained objective. When he said, "And that's the way it was" he meant that's the fact.
There'll probably never be another man like Cronkite who sat in front of millions of Americans and reported it the way it was, instead of the way he wanted it to be.
Rest in peace, Uncle Walter.