"To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion… It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." — Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News, February 27, 1968
Cronkite's editorial was unusual because he:
- A
Had been a White House press secretary
- Bcheck_circle
Was the most trusted news anchor in America and rarely offered personal opinion on policy
- C
Was a known antiwar activist and frequent guest at SDS rallies
- D
Had served in the North Vietnamese Army
Explanation
Cronkite cultivated an image of objectivity, so his explicit conclusion that the war was unwinnable carried unusual weight; LBJ reportedly remarked that losing Cronkite meant losing Middle America.