Republican tobacco policies are determined by how much money tobacco companies give them. That is Dan Rather's belief. Also included in the section are some remarks about cigars, although they're not necessarily political.

"Another breaking story tonight with huge implications for the health of the U.S. economy and the health of smokers. The months-in-the-making multi-billion dollar tobacco settlement bill is dead. Finished. Senate Republicans, under heavy pressure and heavy money from the tobacco lobby, voted tonight to kill it."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, June 17, 1998.

"It [the big tobacco settlement bill] was originally supposed to earmark a broad new tax on cigarettes to bankroll anti-smoking efforts, especially those aimed at the young. All of a sudden this bill now has a Republican provision to bankroll election year tax cuts, especially the so-called marriage tax. CBS's Bob Schieffer is watching as big money buys a new tobacco bill."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, June 11, 1999.

"This was a big fight for you. You, in the end, lost the fight. The tobacco industry spent an estimated $40 million to $50 million on ads against you and, at the same time, poured soft money into the Republican campaign."
"Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said, 'It's OK to vote for big tobacco because big tobacco will come to the rescue at election time with issue ads,' soft money ads. Look corrupt to you?"
--Dan Rather to John McCain on 60 Minutes II, December 21, 1999.

"...about the time I came to this job on the Evening News, where if I had something to write that was more than a few seconds, I thought I could write better if I had a really nice cigar. At that time I probably smoked 14, 16 a week," "This is a very difficult conversation for me because [my wife] Jean Rather has been on me to stop smoking cigars entirely."
--Dan Rather interviewed in Cigar Aficionado, March 1996.

Coming up next: the "smoldering facts on cigars and health"
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, June 9, 1999.

"[G]ive up cigars altogether...they'll make trouble for you at home...(Don't ask me how I know this: just take my word for it)."
--Dan Rather in a syndicated column addressed to president-elect Bill Clinton, December 22, 1992.

Dan Rather went to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro in 1979. Castro gave him a cigar:
"I had treasured that cigar and I thought to myself, 'I'll wait till some time when I really have a good occasion.'"
--Dan Rather interviewed in Cigar Aficionado, March 1996.

Dan Rather was traveling in Afghanistan with guerrillas who didn't want him to smoke:
"And so, having brought my wooden matches and the cigar out, I put it back in its case and took out my Red Man chewing tobacco."
--Dan Rather interviewed in Cigar Aficionado, March 1996. print_file('footer'); ?>