Andy Rooney - a Man of His Words

Andy Rooney is 88 Years Old, and Still Says it like Andy Sees It

Anyone who has watched "60 Minutes" on Sunday evening, all the way through, knows who Andy Rooney is. If not by his name, then surely by his face. He's the one who looks like a wizened old owl, that gives his commentary at the end of every "60 Minutes show.

Mr. Rooney may look old, because he is getting up there in years. Born in 1919, Andy Rooney has been through a few decades of news. Since he began at "60 Minutes, back in 1978, Andy has always looked the same; broken in. He has the look and feel of a journalist, who has, "been there, done that". And, he has, been there and done that.

I have always liked Mr. Rooney's cantankerous, no nonsense style of reporting. He is never at a loss to express his opinion, as Andy sees it. I have always thought, this man gets away with murder. Any other news agency would have fired him years ago, for being as outspoken as he is. Whoever it falls to, that has the position at CBS, of censoring Andy Rooney, must have an alligator skin.

A few short years ago, Mr. Rooney was on the Imus Show on MSNBC, and drew some criticism for some comments, considered racist. It wasn't the first time Rooney was in a controversial soup over his comments. Imus himself got into some very hot water over the same issue.

There have been times Mr. Rooney has offered public, on the air, apologies for insulting one group, or another. Yet, when he does apologize, it is never given as a retraction of his belief. If Andy Rooney is sorry, at all; he's only sorry you cannot see his point of view.

The Army drafted young Andy just in time for World War II, in 1941. The "Stars and Stripes" picked him up as a reporter to cover the European Theater. This shaped him into a seasoned reporter, in short time. Rooney was one of the first journalists to see the German concentration camps and write about them.

After the war years, Rooney found himself as a different kind of writer, for Arthur Godfrey's show "Talent Scouts", for CBS. Andy and CBS became close friends. He has been with CBS since 1941.