A quiet goodbye for Bruce Morton: After a piece during the 4pm hour of The Situation Room, “Wolf Blitzer announced that this was Morton’s last report for The Situation Room and that he was retiring from CNN. Blitzer wished him well and did a short tribute to him,” an e-mailer says.
“Beyond his years of solid, hard news reporting, Bruce brings something very special to television journalism, a truly unique voice, smart and wry, with a perspective you could only get by covering politics for five decades,” Blitzer said.
Morton, one of CNN’s national correspondents, has worked at the network for 13 years. Before coming to CNN, he worked at CBS News for almost 30 years, as a Washington correspondent and a commentator for the CBS Weekend News. Here’s his bio…
> Update: 7pm: TSR’s transcript is after the jump…
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Bruce, thanks very much. And I’m very, very sad to say that was Bruce Morton’s last report for us here in THE SITUATION ROOM. He’s retiring from CNN after 13 years at this network and almost 30 years at CBS News before that.
Bruce is a modest man. He certainly did not want us to make a fuss at all. But we couldn’t let this moment pass by without celebrating this truly talented journalist and his remarkable career. One of our colleagues likes to say that if there were a journalist hall of fame, Bruce Morton certainly would be in it.
Beyond his years of solid, hard news reporting, Bruce brings something very special to television journalism, a truly unique voice, smart and wry, with a perspective you could only get by covering politics for five decades. When we need a certain kind of piece we immediately know is Bruce material, Morton-esque, as many of us like to say right here.
That voice will be missed at CNN, here in THE SITUATION ROOM. It will be missed throughout the country. Bruce, we wish you well as you head into a new chapter of your life. But we hope though you’re moving on, you’ll come visit from time to time here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Bruce, good luck to you.