After reading some of the approving comments appended to the short blurb on Maddow's ascension, I feel these folks are not superior and disinterested in their balance, but cowed. Why Jon Stewart's "sneering" is bad escapes me, since it is 1) always fact-based, 2) entirely deserved, and 3) somebody has to be less-than-awed by power.

And Rachel Maddow is liberal, but she never is reflexively so. She points out irrefutable failures or inconsistencies, on both sides. That the GOP garners the lion's share of criticism is simply that they are the major screwups these days, and I will not accept the argument that this is a partisan view.

When someone is shooting at you, you do have to shoot back, but you can either use more bullets or simply be accurate. The latter is Rachel Maddow.

The Right calls CNN the Clinton News Network, yet a right wing radio talk show host, Glen Beck, has an hour show on CNN. Where is this on Fair and Balanced FOX?

CNN had been running part of a McCain speech to the VFW where he attacks Obama, its been on a few times and it runs uninterrupted for 2.75 minutes. I timed it. They didn't follow with an Obama piece. After they ran it last time, 2:50 pm, they went right to a Battle of the Sexes story.

Now they're running a clip of McCain bashing Obama from an oil rig in the Gulf

MSNBC once had Tucker Carlson, Joe Scarborough and Clinton hating, McCain loving, Chris Matthews all on with their own programs. Tucker's ratings were so low they fired him from the show but keep him on as an advisor. Scarborough is on in the morning and between 6 and 7:00am its bash Obama hour.

David Shuster (he of "Hillary is pimping Chelsea" fame) and David Gregory are all Obama all the time and most of it is negative.

If Obama is the subject, and you bring up bad news for him, and show clips of McCain bashing him, as many on Cable do, then your pushing McCain.

Olbermann makes money for them.

Rachel Maddow gets a show? That's a man bites dog story.

Actually, it's this kind of hysterical hyperbole over next to nothing that makes conservatives crazy.

In short, then, Zimmerman is arguing that Rachel Maddow shouldn't have her own show because Sean Hannity is an asshole. Great.

I think Maddow will be a wonderful host (and God knows MSNBC could use a smart woman), but how exciting is it really if she is just preaching to the choir?

Oh my God! MSNBC has become the Dyke News Network!

So if he likes Rachel so much and if "balance" is so much his thing, why isn't he ragging on FOX that they didn't try to hire her first?

Sounds like a silly concern to me. I admit to not having seen her but liberal or not, from what I hear, Rachel Maddow is just really good and smart, period. Or are there too many such folks on the airwaves these days?

I also think that Rachel is really good at critical thinking. I always want her to talk more and the other guys to shut up for a minute. She may see life from the left (which I desperately need living in Texas) but she gets there logically, not as a left robot as so many other lefties and righties I hear. Welcome, Rachael!

I don't think she will do that well. She good as a 10 minute commentator but, IMO, boring when the center of attention is on her.

I am very happy that Ms. Maddow got her own show. She is smart, well informed and unlike many in the MSM doesn't repeat dubious republican talking points in an effort to appear 'unbiased'. I really enjoyed watching when she filled in for Olbermann on Countdown. I think she'll do a fine job. And I love the fact that her show will piggyback Countdown...2 hours of objective news coverage. Kudos to MSNBC...imo they made a fine choice selecting her to do a show.

Why has he gone way past in your estimation fahrender? Because of his antipathy towards O'Reilly? Olbermann has always been irreverent and at times over the top when he states his 'opinion'. But when he reports on the issues he calls the R's out on their lies, when deserved, rather than giving their factually challenged talking points any credibility...which is refreshing coming from today's mass media. And even if he has 'diminished' himself (which is open for debate) he is still the main reason that people like Maddow, and hopefully many more, who are informed and intellectually honest will have a voice in the media.