Rooney: Schieffer "is embarrassing the hell out of CBS"

Larry King had a few minutes with Andy Rooney and came away with some gems.

KING: OK. Who is going to replace Schieffer?

ROONEY: Well, maybe Schieffer, you know, he's embarrassing the hell out of CBS.

KING: He's doing good.

ROONEY: The ratings keep going up. And they keep talking about replacing him for somebody. I mean, you know, they're talking about giving Katie Couric $20 million. I say take that $20 million you could buy 40 reporters, 40 new reporters. You could give them each $250,000.

I mean, there are hundreds of reporters who would jump at getting $250,000. So take that $20 million don't give to it Katie. Give it to a bunch of reporters and make CBS news the best news report in the world.

KING: Have them everywhere.

ROONEY: Have them everywhere. Open up the bureaus we used to have in Buenos Aires and Warsaw, Poland. We used to have them everywhere. Open those up again with that $20 million. Katie will be all right without it.

KING: And keep Schieffer?

ROONEY: Keep Schieffer, of course.

KING: Schieffer has a wonderful manner, doesn't he?

ROONEY: He does. And he's been so gracious about this Katie Couric coming in. You know, he doesn't -- he really doesn't give a damn. That's the thing. He likes his job in Washington.

If they said tomorrow, thanks a lot, Bob, he'd go back to Washington and be perfectly happy. He likes it. He likes what he's doing. And I think he's very pleased at the job he's done, which he should be. But I don't think it would break his heart if it ended.

Comments

[Leland C. Davis, Jr.]

I haven't watched CBS News for years but now it is top on my list because of the balanced coverage Bob Schieffer has brought to his listeners. Keep him on so we, the public,can enjoy his comments. Leland Davis, Jr.