Neil Cavuto and Ann Romney – each of whom suffers from MS – held a poignant conversation on Your World on Monday (3/5/12) about what it’s like to suffer from the disease and how it changes your life. And we would never have criticized the discussion if it hadn’t been used as a blatant political ploy to make the Romneys look more like regular folks struggling like the rest of us. In fact, after Mrs. Romney shared how the illness has given her a “larger capacity” for “understanding and sympathy” for other people’s problems, Cavuto came right out and suggested the couple do more to show that humanistic side of the family. Even more astonishingly, she said she would “take that as good advice.” So it was with a big dash of skepticism that we received her comment, “I don’t even consider myself wealthy.”

When Glenn Beck retired from real tee vee, it didn’t take very long to learn who would replace him as the Fox “News” Conspiracy Theorist.  Step right up Eric Bolling, who apparently never met a conspiracy he didn’t like, except those about 9/11.  How wacky is this?  He promoted the crazy Birther Conspiracy, even after President Obama released his long form birth certificate!!!  As far as he is concerned this whole Fluke-Limbaugh-Contraception Controversy is nothing more than a White House plot to make the GOP look intolerant among women, as if they needed the help.  Yesterday on The Five, after an intro in which he called Sandra Fluke President Obama’s “foot soldier,” Bolling promised to “connect the dots.”  OMG!!!  That’s what Beck always said!!!  It must be true!!!

While the community that cares about women was appropriately appalled by Rush Limbaugh's misogynistic attack on a woman who spoke out in favor of women's reproductive rights, the right wing rallied around Rush. As the mouthpiece for the right wing, Fox "News" mounted a defense of Rush that consisted of attacks on Sandra Fluke's credibility and alleged licentious behavior. Truth was the first casualty. Bill O'Reilly brayed about not wanting to pay for Fluke's birth control which isn't an issue unless he has health insurance from Georgetown. Fr. Jonathan Morris claimed that Fluke wants government funded (not what she said) birth control to pay for all the sex she's having (she didn't speak about herself). Hannity and Kirsten Powers played the moral equivalency game by attempting to say that Limbaugh's sexist comments were no worse than Bill Maher's. Yesterday, on Fox & Friends Laura Ingraham defended her soul brother of hate. In addition to playing the now right wing standard "tu quoque" game, she also disparaged the women of "The View," and made the jaw dropping claim that there is no GOP war on women. But Laura's a devout Catholic who wears a great big cross so we know that she tells the truth!

Circle your calendar, or set the Tivo, because PBS’ award-winning Frontline series has scheduled a documentary on the “News of the World” phone backing scandal that’s been roiling Britain’s ruling class for the past year.  In “Murdoch's Scandal,” scheduled for March 27th, “correspondent Lowell Bergman tells the story of the battle over the future of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's reputation and his family's fortunes.”  After James Murdoch resigned as CEO of News International, Bergman appeared on “The Takeaway” (Public Radio’s morning show) and explained it is so important to get to the bottom of this scandal and why it could top Watergate in the Political Hall of Shame:

“Fair and balanced” Fox News trotted out Fox News contributor Ambassador John Bolton – smack dab in the middle of its Super Tuesday Republican primary coverage – for a little war mongering against Iran, a little bashing of President Obama on the same subject and an endorsement of Mitt Romney as the best candidate for going to war dealing with Iran.

Ohio is too close to call right now. Santorum won TN and OK, Romney won VA, VT and MA and Gingrich won GA. ID and ND polls just closed. Sarah Palin is on Fox right now spreading her venom disguised as insight. What are you watching? Share your thoughts and observations. I'll be updating in the comments.

As usual, Jon Stewart is willing to say what the rest of the timid media is not - and it's hilarious. Starting with his title description of Rush Limbaugh as, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Gross." Stewart says. "Reimburse me for the Iraq war and oil subsidies and diaphragms... are on me." He's also got some devastating commentary aimed at some Fox News pundits such as Bill O'Reilly, Father Jonathan Morris and especially Megyn Kelly. Funny and true!

You can barely watch a Fox News discussion about President Obama without hearing the right-wing hatriots attack him for “apologizing for America” and “not believing in American exceptionalism.” Yet when it comes to Israel, the pundits openly side with that country over their own. Case in point, Sean Hannity’s discussion with Newt Gingrich last night.

Let me start by saying that I like and respect Kirsten Powers. She is still officially the News Hounds “Best in Show” for her courageous confrontation with Megyn Kelly for using the bogus New Black Panther Party  “controversy” to turn President Obama into a “scary black man.” But, unfortunately, I can’t find anything positive or constructive about Powers’ decision to jump into the Limbaugh/Fluke fray with a gratuitous attack on the left.

The Fox “News” Channel is having an existential crisis, questioning everything it holds dear.  The Rush Limbaugh maelstrom continues to spiral out of control despite the non-apology apology issued by Limbaugh over the weekend.  More advertisers have dropped Limbaugh, some knowing full well he had already issued his non-apology; Peter Gabriel has demanded his music be removed from Rush’s show; at least one station has dropped his show entirely; and it’s creating a major, but amusing, distraction among the GOP presidential candidates, as they straddle the line between not appearing to condone Limbaugh’s unhinged attacks on Sandra Fluke and not offending the Ditto God.  This new and unfamiliar climate creates a massive problem for an entity like Fox “News” and every single one of its personalities.  If the previously untouchable Rush Limbaugh was forced to issue a non-apology apology—and even that didn’t staunched the bleeding!!!—then everybody at Fox “News” has to be wondering how safe they are.  Consequently, Fox “News” must do everything in its power to tamp this story down.  Case in point: Today James Rosen whitewashed the Limbaugh story on the supposedly objective “Happening Now,” part of Fox’s non-opinion block of shows.