The New Guy at NBC

Brian Williams started his run as anchor of the NBC Nightly News last night replacing Tom Brokaw who sat in that chair for 22 years. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me who that put in that position because I haven't watched a network newcast in probably 15 years. If something's happening and I want to know about it, I check Fox News. The closest thing to a network news broadcast I watch is Special Report with Brit Hume which I TiVO everyday so I can skip through stories that don't interest me.

Brian, however, does deserve a little credit for two things. Although he's made some typical dumb liberal statements (such as "it should be a crime to drive an SUV"), he is a little more down-to-earth than his predecessor. In fact, Brian is a NASCAR fan as well as a frequent listener to Rush Limbaugh.

You may not know this, but when NBC broadcast their first NASCAR race from Miami in 2000, Brian was the on-site host. He wasn't just picked because he's a pretty NBC face - he's a fan and friend to many in NASCAR and wanted to be part of a historic broadcast. He's not part of the regular NBC NASCAR team, but he was there on day 1.

I've also heard him call in to Rush's show a time or two and he readily admits that he's a fan. This information was recently on Newsmax.com:

"Rush Limbaugh has a place in American history he has not yet received his due for," Williams told ABC Radio network host Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

"There were millions of Americans who were out in the wilderness and had no one who shared their voice," the NBC'er said. "And he came along and gave birth to a whole bunch of things."

Williams called Limbaugh "a leader in the business" and said he regards it as "my job to listen to Rush."

You have to give a break to anybody that likes NASCAR and Rush. Let's see if some of the conservative values of both institutions rub off on Brian.