Air America Host Boosts "Centrist" David Shuster for MSNBC Show

Now that Rosie O'Donnell is out of the running as host of a prime time MSNBC show, speculation has started anew about who will be named to host the program. Among the more amusing of these speculations come from Cenk Uygur, host of an Air America morning show. Writing in the Huffington Post on November 7, Uygur scans the field of candidates for the MSNBC slot:

I would love to say that the right person for the job is one of the progressives I know either at Air America or in the liberal blogosphere. And all of these people are incredibly capable and would do a terrific job if given the opportunity (Rachel Maddow, Sam Seder, Thom Hartmann, among many others, come to mind (maybe even a non-hosts like Josh Marshall or Jane Hamsher)).

I'm also tempted to nominate Jack Cafferty as a possibility, even though he is not a progressive, because he has so clearly taken on the Bush administration in a sane and rational way for the last couple of years.

Jack Cafferty is not a progressive (liberal)? That's news to the rest of us but Uygur's comedy goes into high gear when he finally focuses in on his ultimate choice:

But ultimately, I think MSNBC already has their man. MSNBC correspondent, David Shuster. He is obviously bright, completely versed on the facts, up on the news and capable of bringing a centrist, sensible point of view to MSNBC.

He has been terrific the few times he has filled in for other hosts. He's already in house. I would imagine he'll cost a lot less than a big name host like Rosie O'Donnell. It's my belief that he would be a voice of sanity on air and a good fit for the network.

Contrary to Uygur's disingenuously laughable portrayal of David Shuster as a "centrist," we have many examples here on NewsBusters of Shuster's outright liberal bias. One of Shuster's recent liberal antics occurred  when he exploited the name of a fallen American soldier to play a tasteless "gotcha" game with a Republican congresswoman.

Shuster is perhaps best known for his prediction that Karl Rove would be indicted in May 2006. Perhaps his liberal bias caused him to be so hungry for that indictment that he depended on highly questionable sources such as Jason Leopold for that particular "scoop" as John Gibson has suggested.

When a far left Air America talk radio host promotes someone for an MSNBC show, it is wise to note the motivation. And it also wise to scoff loudly when that Air America host tries to sell us on the notion that a demonstrably biased liberal is somehow a "centrist."