Michael, it shouldn’t surprise that the “Nightline” ratings were down for this dry recitation of facts and pictures of our lost fighting men and women. But I think it is a surprise for the ABC gang, who thought the publicity would bring a boost. The boost may have caused the natural audience for this (gung-ho military supporters) to take a pass.
I spent an hour on my home-state Wisconsin Public Radio this morning on this topic, with rabid callers insisting that our soldiers are all “brainwashed” and the hostess wanting to insist the show was (a) objective and (b) a needed lesson to jolt people into questioning the war. I’m sure I sounded a bit feisty. I usually enjoy the well, pardon the pun, badgering. The host ended the show: “well, it’s nice to have a lively discussion once in a while.” It sounded like “that’s the last time I’ll have a conservative guest on for a while.”