This Week, on the Road to Damascus

I watched ABC's This Week today, with Barbara Walters hosting. She asked fairly good questions of new Senator Scott Brown, but didn't follow up on his evasions. So far pretty much same-old, same-old. The round table discussion was a revelation though. It was by far the best that I have seen on any news show.

The cast of characters was mostly familiar: Paul Krugman, Ariana Huffington and Old Sourpuss George Will, but they brought in a ringer - Roger Ailes, chairman and creator of Fox News. Walters was unobtrusive, forgoing the usual chair at the focus, and interupted only occasionally and always to good effect. To my shock, Ailes was one of the most even handed and consistently intelligent commentators. Even more surprising, there was some real give and take among the panel, almost unheard of in the Stephanopoulis regime.

I have never previously been a fan of Barbara Walters, but maybe I now am. She has to deserve most of the credit for the improvement.

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