When I started 'CNN,' I made the decision to stay out of endorsing candidates, and let the doers make up their own minds about politics, that it wasn't going to come from me.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I made a decision when I ran for president that I wouldn't whine about my coverage in the media, and I never did.
While the rest of the cable news world moved to opinion, CNN allowed me to stay true to my hard-news roots and supported me with a true commitment to old-school journalism.
CNN has given me a platform to share my experiences. My Web site, YouTube Channel and Facebook page have exposed me to thousands of voters who share my concerns. My lack of seniority has not impeded my ability to communicate in any way.
I'm constantly meeting people who said that they cast their first vote for me, or that they cut their eye teeth on the 1972 campaign, or that they didn't vote for me but admire my positions.
But it was very hard for people to separate me out from Hillary Clinton. All their ads were Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, and me. They said I was more liberal than these guys, and that if I went to Washington I'd be supporting their agenda. I found that extremely difficult to overcome.
When I entered politics, I took the only downward turn you could take from journalism.
I've personally backed off from direct political involvement.
I wasn't interested in politics. My attitude about it was, I can't make a difference no matter what I do. And the truth is, I don't even care enough to try.
But I learned first-hand how the news media operates by watching how they interpreted, changed, and misrepresented my intentions.
When I was a publisher of CNN, I took responsibility for the actions of the network.