I remember how Lehrer's low key Texas drawl counterbalanced the aristocratic authority of Robert MacNeil's voice on The MacNeil/Lehrer Report and The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. When MacNeil retired in 1995, Lehrer took over the reigns of the program until his retirement in 2009. Lehrer occasionally made media appearances as a presidential debate moderator most recently in 2012.
Both MacNeil and Lehrer took a far more comprehensive, detailed look at the nuts and bolts of matters great and small and did so in a manner that did not insult the intelligence of the viewer. Canadians of a certain age will remember the ill-fated Meech Lake Accord. MacNeil and Lehrer explained Meech Lake far better than any Canadian news organization could.
Lehrer's passing in the midst of Senate impeachment hearings is a sad pause to an already sorry state of affairs. Like Woodward and Bernstein, MacNeil and Lehrer made their reputations during the Senate Watergate hearings in 1973 with their frank and thoughtful presentation of the corruption of the White House that was happening before our very eyes. In a time such as now where we have become cynical and desensitized to all that is around us the sobriety of Jim Lehrer (and Robert MacNeil) is sorely missed and even more sorely needed during this age of irrationality and intoxication. R.I.P.
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