I suppose Sibby and the Rightwingers will be dancing around at the death of someone who symbolized the power of the MSM: But sadly, Peter Jennings died night of lung cancer.  He was 67.

Like QB Joe Montana, no matter what the circumstance, Jennings was always cooler than the back side of a pillow on the air, no matter what chaos was breaking loose around him. 

I sat enthralled during his coverage of 911 on ABC.  His coolness yet utter humanity helped to both inform and soothe during an unprecedented day. 

I was working at KSFY-TV as the executive producer in 1995 when the murderous Rightwing Hillbillies Nichols and McVeigh blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  (BTW, what are we doing to stop Rightwing Extremist Terrorists under the Bush Adminstration?)  Jennings was the same as during 911.  Cool.  Calm.  Collected.  Informative.  Humane.  I was in awe.  I wanted to be that man.

He was a reporter's reporter and an anchor's anchor.  He was suave and handsome.  He had it all--talent, integrity, brains, looks.

Another one falls to *&^% cigarettes.  If someone of Jennings' strength couldn't beat them, that says something about their addictive power.  It is a tragedy.  It pisses me off to no end that the ultimate perversion of capitalism (paying to kill ones' elf) falls another one.  (Yes, this is personal to me.  Cigarettes are killing my mother as well.) 

With Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather gone, the old school anchors are all gone now.  God help us all who love TV news.

Right now, 11:54 p.m. CDT, CNN is going wall to wall about Jennings' death with interviews with his colleagues.