Radio: Enter Talking, Stage Left

At times, the talk can get rawer. Maron speculated that Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance and allowed them to occur to rally the country behind him. Maron also came close to equating born-again Christianity with fascism. When a caller urged him to show a little sensitivity, Maron replied, "Maybe I should be more sympathetic to people with organized delusions."

Air America can be as insightful and inciteful as right-wing ranters. Now it must learn, in a hurry, to provide what Limbaugh has from the start: great radio. "I am not a radio professional," says Franken. Well, become one! Garofalo and co-host Sam Seder, who have the sharpest rapport in the bunch, neared audio meltdown on Thursday with blown cues, inaudible phone calls and talk that stammered to a halt. Too often the network is Air Amateur.

Let's hope those are just birthing pains. For a raising of both political consciousness and the political temperature--America needs Air America.