Morning shows

Pandagon reports that "Good Morning America is catching up with Today in the ratings." I rely on these shows to provide background banter while M.— and I get ready in the morning (before either of us is awake enough to attempt conversation). My preference is clear: anything, anything, is better than Katie Couric. And Matt Lauer and Al Roker and just make it worse.

Now I learn that "conservatives really, really hate Katie Couric," which is usually enough to warm my feelings towards someone, but I don't feel a twinge. I can't stand the woman. She has the sensibility of a block of concrete and is just as dense. The only person worth watching on Today is Ann Curry, the news anchor.

The problem is that, lately, I've come to the realization that GMA's Diane Sawyer is a pinhead. Or she plays one on TV which, for present purposes, is all the same. And for the record: I've never held Diane's stint in the Nixon White House against her. My opinion of her has fallen strictly on her merits. And on the whiny tone of her voice.

It's the GMA supporting cast that saves the show. Charlie Gibson is a sweet, sweet man, and he has the occasional decency to express genuine indignation about the some of the inane citizens of this country that he is asked to interview. Robin Roberts is just awesome; it can't be a coincidence that, like Ann Curry, she's also in charge of the "3 minutes of news sandwiched between 57-minute buffers of parenting advice and segments on the best instant coffees."