Probably the same mindset that led them to interview Kirk Cameron, 80s teen heartthrob, passionate Christian fundamentalist, and erstwhile "Left Behind" actor, about the birds falling from the sky in Arkansas.

They have 24 hours to fill.

I think Bruce Henry nailed it. With CNN forget about grand conspiracies and go with dissociative thinking every time.

Maher has mistaken stream of consciousness blathering for intelligent discussion. Again. The guy is an irredeemable sphincter.

I'm not sure it's appropriate to use mention Bill Maher and "consciousness" in the same sentence.

At least Kirk Cameron had something intelligent to say, and actually was trying to calm people down instead of riling them up.

Yeah, Kirk surprised me, too.

That's a person in a position of authority.

Last time I checked Palin was a private citizen holding no office.

Bruce, then why are you slamming him in your first comment?

Slam? What slam?

I simply implied that 80s hearththrob Kirk Cameron is about as qualified to pontificate about birds falling from the sky as noted snarky asshole Maher is about the Tucson shootings.

Both guests were booked for no other reason than filling up 24 hours of airtime.

Bill Maher is no comedian. He used to be. Letterman used to be very funny. Now they are both mean, cranky old men. George Carlin, whom I was a huge fan of turned into the same old cranky guy. So, we cannot excuse his comments as "comedy". Sheriff Dupnik? Now that is comedy. This guy dropped the ball and he tried to deflect the narrative. Nice try, but watch what will come out. Momma fixed her son's legal problems and the Sheriff knew it. ww

The only person impressed with Bill Maher's intellect is Bill Maher.

Bruce, Was Kirk Cameron asked on the program to give a scientific reason for the birds falling from the sky or to answer Theologic questions about the birds as a symbol of the End Times. Which he has been talking about for many years. So yes he was qualified to answer the questions he was asked and not a loon like Bill Maher.

Maher is center right of the Senate dems and about on par with Joy 'Bison' Behar. In other words, not a laughing matter, but a sick individual.

Kirk seemed as puzzled as myself that he was asked on.

But yes, he has been talking about the Rapture for years. And Maher has been talking about politics for years.

In both instances, though, as "experts" these two were in over their heads.

I'm not slamming Kirk Cameron, nor am I defending CNN's choice of guests, Rodney. Why are you trying to pick a fight with me?

My point is that CNN, like FOX and MSNBC, has 24 hours to fill and must fill it with some talking head or another. All three have their share of unqualified gasbag interviewees, in my opinion.

I am not "picking a fight" (Why the violence) but CNN asked Kirk Cameron to talk about an area that he is well known on, and asked him questions about it. Where as you have agreed that Maher is a loon and where trying to compare Kirk tohim, thus claiming that he is a loon. If CNN had asked Kermit the frog the question about the birds instead of Kirk then your comparison of the two as weird choices to represent as experts would be valid but as it is in his field of study Kirk Cameron is an expert maybe not the top in his field but he is also well known.

.... Someone help me understand the "mind"-set that would put Bill Maher on to discuss anything of import ....

How about starting with the Murdoch Marxists - the producers and on camera O'Reilly and van Susteren and Rivero and Shepard Smith-show creeps, for example - at FoxNews and around the world at every other outpost of the Murdoch empire - the loathsome Philip Adams springs to mind - who, in their every mindless mass shouting, use similarly dependably lock-stepping Goebbels' graduates and Fascist Party Talking Points promulgators as Maher.

Alicia Menendez ... shake ... and Kirsten Powers ... shudder ... are as bloody awful as is Maher, as, to different degrees, are Lis Wiehl and Mara Liasson and Peter J Johnson Jr and Susan Estrich and Juan Williams and Bob Beckel and Ellis Henican and Alan Colmes and Laura Schwartz and their fellow-traveling and/or otherwise usefully-idiotic talking points-parroting ilk.

I am sure Kirk was booked far in advance of this tragedy. And I am not a CNN fan. ww

No, I didn't agree that Maher is a loon. He is a pompous windbag who, even though I sometimes (not always) agree with what he's saying, gets on my nerves. And his writers often offer a clever turn of phrase, or two, in his "New Rules" segments on his HBO show. In his off the cuff remarks he often says shit that's "outrageous-for-the-sake-of-being-outrageous, offensive-for-the-sake-of-being-offensive," which I find off-putting, no matter what side of the political divide he's on.

And I don't mean to slight Mr Cameron, Rodney. I liked his work in "Growing Pains," thought his character was a lovable scoundrel and he played it well. I know he later found religion and became what I call, in my sarcastic moments, a "Rapture Nut." But hey, to each his own. And if you say he's a noted expert on possible explanations for why birds fall out of the sky, I'll take your word for it. Although, if I recall correctly, he said, in that CNN interview, "I'm not the go-to guy for why birds might fall out of the sky," or words to that effect. As I said, he seemed surprised to be there. But he did, as you said, speak intelligently and calmly, and I was surprised. I thought he'd be kookier. He didn't seem kooky at all. Matter of fact, Cooper tried to bait him into saying something nutty, and he didn't.

Maybe I was just taken aback because I'd never seen him asked for an expert opinion before. Maybe we should thank CNN for enlarging their circle of talking heads. But then we'd have to not whine when they asked snarky assholes like Maher on, too.

Bruce, I never said Kirk was an expert on the birds falling out of the sky, but since he is a "rapture nut" questioning him about the birds falling out of the sky as a sign of the end times falls into his area of expertise.

Yes, you did agree that Maher was a loon, because you compared him to somebody that you consider a nut.