The Halftime Travesty

As my first and final comment on the deplorable incident during the Super Bowl halftime show, I offer the following from The Center for American Progress. (I have abbreviated the names of the immediate culprits, as the publicity which they so desperately crave will not be provided by me.)

As has been well documented by now, CBS refused to air an ad about the ballooning deficit by Moveon.org during the Super Bowl last night, charging it was too "controversial." Instead, as the WP writes, they chose to air "sexy and violent commercials that included jokes about flatulence and bestiality." And the topper? The climax of the halftime show, when popstar JT yanked down half of singer JJ's costume, clearly exposing one of her breasts. (Despite CBS apologies, "there were reports that MTV had hinted during its afternoon programming that JJ's appearance would be one for the record books.")

In a column, Moveon.org's Eli Pariser said, "Outrageous as it may sound, CBS has decided that ads selling erectile dysfunction medicines and toilet paper are appropriate for Americans, but serious discussion should be banned."

What did Americans get instead? A broadcast that led media critic Tom Shales to conclude, "Maybe the Super Bowl will have to move from the broadcast networks to the Playboy Channel if its commercials are going to be so dirty that they embarrass parents watching with their kids."

But at least no one had to think. That would have been "controversial."