I'm Guessing No

When Alan Colmes announced that he was leaving the Hannity and Colmes program, I was more curious as to what Colmes was thinking. What prompted him to leave now?

However, the question should have been more geared toward who Colmes' replacement is going to be. I had alluded to Kirsten Powers, but that wouldn't exactly be raising the bar. The question should be, does Hannity have the sand to stand up to a powerful "liberal"?

Turns out Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune made that the topic of a recent article.

Good. I've long felt that Colmes was to Hannity what the Washington Generals are to the Harlem Globetrotters -- symbolic opposition.

Hannity is quicker, louder, angrier, funnier and more confrontational and self-assured than the comparatively mild, cerebral Colmes, therefore he's the dominant and more compelling half of the team.

I'd love to see Fox News Channel audition some of the liberal pundits out there who'd give Hannity a good match every night: Ed Schultz, Mike Malloy and Randi Rhodes come to mind. Al Franken, if he loses in the Minnesota Senate-race recount.

I would suggest Rachel Maddow, but she's such a rising star on her own at MSNBC that even a prime-time pairing with Hannity would be a big step down for her.

The truth is, Hannity is the centerpiece of the show. That's how Roger Ailes set it up, and that's how it's been for 12 years.

Sean would never be able to last with Randi Rhodes or Franken. His utter disdain for those two alone would cause his head to explode, just like that scene in Scanners, should they be sitting across the desk from him.

Zorn almost lost me with the second paragraph. Hannity is only funny to himself, and the only thing he is quick with are his references to Ronald Reagan and whatever the hot talking-point is from his daily memo. Just being boorish doesn't make you a great host. Therein lies Hannity's weakness.

If pitted against any on the list that Zorn has referenced, Hannity would be reduced to a stuttering, fumbling, freshman. He's in his element because he is in control. The show would loose practically it's entire audience if there were a strong, liberal counterpart there.

But one is left with another question when thinking about this. If a "liberal" signs a contract with Fox"News", can they still be considered a "liberal"?

I'm Suprised He Lasted This Long

It appears that Alan Colmes isn't going to be Sean Hannity's punching bag anymore.

"I approached Bill Shine (FNC's Senior Vice President of Programming) earlier this year about wanting to move on after 12 years to develop new and challenging ways to contribute to the growth of the network," Colmes said. "Although it's bittersweet to leave one of the longest marriages on cable news, I'm proud that both Sean (Hannity) and I remained unharmed after sitting side by side, night after night for so many years."

Hannity added, "Not only has Alan been a remarkable co-host, he's been a great friend which is rare in this industry -- I'll genuinely miss sparring with such a skillful debate.

It is to be expected that Hannity would say "something nice" to the press. However, I'm not buying any of it. Not even Colmes' graceful exit-stage-left routine.

Colmes has been getting stronger in his rhetoric the past few months. His replies to guests are becoming more direct, more pointed, more powerful. In other words, I'm guessing that he's tired of having to deal with all of Hannity's clap-trap and the people that are far too willing to swallow it whole. I'm impressed that he lasted 12 years.

So, who's going to be the new doormat?

Sean Hannity, the popular conservative commentator, may become the sole host of the program, according to one source close to the network who insisted on anonymity while speaking about private deliberations.

Ah, the "anonymous" source.

My guess is that it's going to be Kirsten Powers. She can be a fairly rational voice for the Democratic cause. However, she is far too easily sucked into the "I have to make Hannity look good" role and simply goes through the motions and ends up making the party she allegedly is there to represent look pathetic. Then again, she could be just another "pretty face" like O'Reilly has on his program.

Only time will tell.

Regardless, good on you Colmes. Now, go out and stir things up.

You can check out Alan Colmes' blog "Liberaland" to see what he's got rumbling around his head.

An Urband Legend?

Michelle Bachman is crazy.

To call her insane is to give her entirely too much credit and pretty much be insulting to anyone that is insane. She is just bat-shit crazy. The one thing I can't wrap my mind around, the one thing I can't understand, is how a woman as crazy as her was re-elected.

John Amato @ C&L has some video up from Bachman's recent appearance on Hannity and Colmes where she lies right to Comles' face about her "investigating anti-american congress members":

Colmes: You said you were concerned during the campaign that Obama had anti American views and you said the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look at the people and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America

Bachmann: Actually that's not what I said. It's an urban legend that was created and that's not what I said.

Yeah, Michelle, you did:



Michelle has this consistant, shocked look to her that is quite unlike anything that I have seen. Perhaps this stems from the fact that she herself can believe that the people of Minnesota's 6th Congressional District were fool enough to vote for her.

Then again, maybe she subscribes to the Madagasscar penguin school of communication:

Sean Hannity : So Easily Led, Even John Bolton Can Drag Him Around

I can't stand Sean Hannity. Anyone with half the amount of arrogance that he displays on a normal day would get my knickers in a pinch. But, Hannity is just a breed all his own. To call him "sycophant" is to give sycophants a bad name.

He's the guy that ALWAYS is eager to point out a 'flip-flop'. No, not the footware of choice for beech-goers in the summer, but what normal people would call a 'change of heart due to realizing that you made a bad choice to begin with'. That kind of 'flip-flop'. It's pretty much the favorite word in the Fox"News" lexicon.

But, this is just too hillarious. Have you ever seen someone pivot from one side to another so fast?

Did you catch it?

It's too good to miss.

you can feel Hannity going, "Oops, I didn't expect him to say that. Gotta recover. What was it that Reagan used to say?"

But, one can't help but get dizzy from the spin that is coming from John Bolton. More on that later.

Fucking classic.