The Washington Post gossip columnists Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger report today that Air America night-time radio host Mike Malloy sent a nasty response to an invitation to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference -- which Air America colleague Al Franken attended for a debate last year:

"Um . . . you're kidding, right? Why would I have any desire whatsoever to attend or participate in a convocation of neo-Nazis????? I had two uncles fight against you [expletive] in WW2. And, now, surprise! surprise! here you all are on US soil. Kindly get the [expletive] off my email. Thanks."

[CPAC Media Director Andrea] Saul said she was stunned by his response. "I'm all for a difference of opinion, but this is entirely uncalled-for, and all the more offensive when you consider that I'm Jewish, lost family in the Holocaust and had a grandfather almost killed during WWII." Her complaints to Air America execs have gone unanswered. A spokeswoman said the network would have no comment.

Malloy said yesterday that he shot off his e-mail after scanning the CPAC headliners listed on the invite. "I made the assumption it was from some right-wing nutcase, which I get scores of. I felt I was being baited by one of these groups," he said, "so I responded immediately."

To the extent he upset Saul, Malloy regrets his message -- but nothing else: "What I said inside the e-mail and what I meant is that the conference participants represent what we fought against in WWII. They're fascists."

This is not only ludicrous in terms of conservatives and anti-Semitism, but ludicrous in terms of conservatives and totalitarianism.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.