No Pundit Left Behind

Well, maybe just one, for now.

Now would be a good time for Sinclair Broadcasting to take a stand, to prove once and for all that they aren't just the Bush administration's jingoistic lackey. As of right now, they seem content to prove exactly the opposite.

Sinclair, you'll remember, was the conglomerate that refused to air Nightline when Ted Koppel read the names of every U.S. soldier killed in Iraq so far. They also tried, shortly before the election, to air an anti-Kerry documentary, claiming it was legitmate news, rather than partisan propaganda.

I'd like to think of the Armstrong Williams scandal as "strike three and you're out," though it seems unlikely they'll show any real remorse for their stunningly unabashed lack of journalistic integrity at this point. As for Williams himself, he has tried to rationalize his actions by saying No Child Left Behind was an initiative that he fully supported anyway, but three years ago he obviously wasn't feeling the love for it quite so hard. I guess $240,000 is enough to show you the good in almost anything.