Here is part of what Cronkite said on February 27, 1968: (h/t to Ellie and to C&L for this video)

To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.

Yesterday, Mr. Cronkite and David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, published a joint statement at CommonDreams.org, calling for the removal of US troops and bases, turning over all responsibilities to the Iraqi people, and agreeing to help rebuild a ravaged Iraq.

http://firedoglake.com/2007/12/05/walter-cronkite-our-troops-must-leave-iraq/