. >> in raw footage of a 1999 abc interview with sam donaldson in window rock, we came across this unguarded moment, between takes, senator mccain pointing out the natural beauty around them. >> wildflowers, aren't they pretty? >> you got 19 inches of rain. >> you see the purple ones? the older you get, t me appreciate wildflowers and beauty. >> is that true? >> absolutely. >> senator mccain spent nearly all of his long legendary life serving his country. three decades in the united states senate. a quarter century in the navy. >> a u.s. navy pilot with a rather prominent name was shot down during a raid against north vietnam. >> while flying bombing missions over north vietnam, he was shot down, captured and tortured. surviving nearly six years as a prisoner of war. but he always denied being a hero. >> i steadfastly reject that label. heroes of my life are those whose names are engraved on the wall down at the vietnam war memorial on the mall. >> he was reluctant when people said, you're a war hero. john mccain, by being shot down by a soviet missile over hanoi, did not consider that he ha

like, marine dowd did this, judy woodruff did that, sam donaldson did this. i was beginning to worry as president, the man who won the cold war had watched tv all day. what i realized, somewhat in consultation with tim, part of what happened is he had everything in his briefcase. so he had the white house news sum entry the tape recorder. so he would be on marine one or air force one and pull everything out and start looking at this and be reading this great transcript of everyone who'd been attacking him all the time. so he would just react to it that way. that's the reality. how many of you all love being criticized? maybe you're better than i am, but, you know, it's just -- and that -- to me that's the importance of the work you all do. it's that you all humanize people who are at risk of becoming momentumal and therefore less accessible and character's destiny. the greeks were right. you all are custodians of the means by which we can access a usable past. >> and -- and picking up on that, jon, there was one vision of this early on, thomas jefferson's per

sam donaldson, i think i get my big mouth from him. sam knew how to throw a question. i watched them, i worked with these people. today, i'm somewhat ashamed in what i see. sometimes in that room some people want to be friends with the administration. we are now conservative reporte reporters, liberal reporters but i pray that i stand right here as that person who used to watch walter cronkite and say that's the way it was. trying to be fair. these are questions that are on people's minds. if sarah would have called on me today, what did you think about the poll numbers, sarah, and she would come up with something smart. it's not a coincidence that all these poll numbers are saying the same thing. when it comes to freedom of the press, i am biased. i worked hard for this. i continue to work hard for this. some of the worst days of my career have been in this administration. they wanted me gone. they wanted me fired. they wanted me to give up. why? because i choose to continue to ask questions. i think about what my aunt said, sometimes you got to hit a bully one good t

in 2018 we don't have sam donaldson anymore in 2018 we don't have dan rather anymore. i'm talking about people in that room. i grew up watching helen thomas go after questions -- from ronald reagan sam donson i get my big mouth from him because he knew how to throw questions. i watched him. i worked with these people. and today i'm somewhat ashamed of what i see. sometimes in that room some people want to be friends. with the administration -- we are now conservative reporters. liberal reporters. but i pray that i stand right here as that person who used to watch walter cronkite and said that's the way it was. try aring to be fair -- these are questions that are are on people's minds. if sarah would have called on me today what do you think about the poll number sarah and she come up with something smart. it's not a coincidence that all of these poll numbers saying the same thing. [laughter] when it comes to freedom of the press -- i am biased -- i worked hard for this. and i continue to work hard for this. some of the worst days of my career have been in this administr