Former CBS "Evening News" anchor Dan Rather choked back tears on several occasions today when discussing his decision to file a lawsuit against CBS and he left many audience members with a sense that he may call President George W. Bush as a witness should the lawsuit proceed to trial (and Rather said he hoped it would).

When asked by Carol Joynt, host of the "Q&A Café" held at Nathans restaurant who worked with Rather at CBS in the 1970s, whether "he'd like to" call President Bush as a witness in the trial, Rather paused, then said "I'd like not to answer the question," leaving both Joynt and audience members wondering whether the newsman has Bush in his sights." Joynt later told Yeas & Nays, "From the look in his eye -- and he gave me a definite Ratheresque look -- I got the impression he will call the president as a witness. Possibly both of them: 41 and 43. He implied the suit is not against them, but what the suit is about stems directly from his antagonistic relationship with them."

In the lawsuit, Rather claims he was unjustifiably squeezed out of CBS by network executives following a 2004 story about President Bush’s service record in the Texas Air National Guard. After evidence emerged that the story’s primary documents were possibly faked or forged, Rather stated on air that “if I knew then what I know now, I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.”

Joynt asked Rather if he believes the president hates him, and Rather responded by saying that "hate is a strong word." Then, he began to well up. "You've never met anybody who had more respect for the presidency than I do," said Rather, choking back tears. He stood by his 2004 story, saying "we got the truth, but we left ourselves vulnerable."

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Rather also grew emotional when he revealed that many of his family members and "people who love me very dearly" had urged him not to file the lawsuit. He ultimately rejected their advice, comparing it to difficult decisions he's made in the past to travel to war zones despite his family's objections. There comes a time, Rather said, when you have to say "it's just time to go." Rather later admitted that "I'm not in this -- mostly -- with anybody else."

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Rather said, "I have no complaints, news is a contact sport." Joynt quickly interjected, "Yeah but so are lawsuits." Still, Rather insisted that his lawsuit is not born out of resentment: "I'm not angry, I'm not bitter -- never have been. I'm a reporter … and this is a story." He denounced the "interference, intimidation and manipulation in newsrooms" caused largely by the corporatization and consolidation of news outlets and said that, despite the largely negative response his lawsuit has received in the court of public opinion, "people might come around when they find out what really went on."

Hear the .mp3 here.