CNN Taking Another Trip Down the Road to Oblivion – And It’s Not a Round Trip

A Once Proud Network Becomes a Twice Proud Joke

CNN, the Cable New Network was a great idea.  News would be brought to viewers on a 24/7 basis, and the network would be only news.  With no other programming distractions CNN could devote extensive resources to news coverage, interesting and informative stories and it could present objective reporting in a way other networks could not.

But the implementation of the concept has proved to be too difficult, at least for the gang in charge of the network.  The CNN coverage on the Boston Marathon tragedy is now the stuff of Jon Stewart jokes, and the latest news is that the network wants to revive its unheralded and rightfully dead program Crossfire.  Crossfire, in which commentators and politicians sit around and yell stupid things at each other was killed in large part after Mr. Stewart went on the show and destroyed it.

So apparently CNN now wants to bring back the show in the worst possible way.  A trial balloon has been floated in which one of the most irrelevant commentators on the scene today and one of the most unknown talking heads on the scene today would host the show.

Which one is not Newt?  Anybody?

Earlier this month, news broke that CNN was looking to relaunch Crossfire, the famous debate show that pitted two pundits -- one liberal, one conservative -- against one another on the political issues of the day.

Sources now tell POLITICO that the network is in discussions with former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and former Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter about roles on the show.

"They are talking to Cutter and to Gingrich," a source familiar with the discussions said. "[Cutter] is in discussions; Newt is in discussions too," another source confirmed.

Really!  Is there anyone, left, right or center that doesn’t want Newt Gingrich just to go away, never say another word in public and just leave.  And is there anyone, left, right or center who has ever heard of Stephanie Cutter or has any knowledge of why she should get a gig on TV.  Actually, the fact that she would consider being co-host on a revived Crossfire with Newt Gingrich means that she is unqualified and unsuited for any TV show, or even to host the Ag report from Fargo.

The good news here, maybe a new Crossfire will hasten the demise of CNN, and it can be replaced by a real news cable channel, you know, like CNN before a bunch of buffoons ruined it.