McCainmania, 2009 Edition

Steve Benen is all bent out of shape because the Sunday shows have John McCain on. A lot. This compares, apparently, to 2005, when the Sunday shows didn't feature John Kerry all the time. All of which has Benen really upset.

To which I'd reply: So what? Who cares?

Hey, I'm as happy to make fun of John McCain as anyone, but we're talking about the Sunday shows. Which just about no one in the real USA cares about at all, and I suspect very few inside the Beltway care about any more, either. Moreover, while I suppose people would have a right to be upset if the ideological balance of those shows was off (although I wouldn't -- I swore off the Sunday shows years ago, and haven't felt any loss from it), presumably McCain is just taking up time that otherwise would be spent on other Republicans. If anyone has a legitimate complaint, it's McConnell, or Boehner, or Romney, or whoever has been bumped to make room for McCain.

The only real thing that matters about the Sunday shows is that they are traditional venues for Washingtonians to communicate with each other through the press -- I think they're still the preferred launching site for trial balloons. If they want to fill the other 90% of the time with their favorite pet pol, more power to them.

[Update: it's not just Benen; lots of liberals are inexplicably steamed about this (TPM is giving it a prominent link, too). Go figure.]