Dan Rather included in '48 Hours' Kennedy report

Over the past few weeks, this curious and rather sad side drama enveloped ongoing coverage of the JFK assassination anniversary: Would Dan Rather be airbrushed out of CBS News' coverage of that tragic long-ago day altogether?  In fact, he was not: He appeared on Saturday's quite-good "48 Hours" special edition, "As It Happened."

Rather had a major role that day 50 years ago for CBS' coverage, even though he was not yet a CBS News employee -- he'd join a year later. Among Rather's firsts that day: He was one of the first to have seen the Zapruder film, and one of the first national TV newsmen to report that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Rather -- I'm reasonably certain -- was the first network newsman to confirm the president's death (ABC and NBC had thrown their air over to affiliates in the middle of the day, and come on with wall-to-wall coverage after CBS, which had been airing "As the World Turns").

In any event, he was not included in CBS' planned coverage of the 50th -- lingering bitterness over the wrongful-termination lawsuit he filed against CBS. The omission got a lot of attention, and even got a  reaction from Rather, who last Thursday told a reporter on a conference call in response to the omission:

And voilà -- Saturday night. Here's the broadcast again, if you missed it. Rather arrives at the 16-minute mark.

Meanwhile,  for those who can get AXS TV, Rather's special airs tonight: "My Days in Dallas: A Remembrance With Dan Rather" which premieres Monday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.