And Nina Totenberg ISN'T a pundit?

Today NPR fired Juan Williams (the only African American male on the air at NPR).
NPR fired him after the Council on American-Islamic Relations ("CAIR") issued a strongly-worded complaint about his recent "irresponsible and inflammatory" comment on Fox News.
Fasten your seat belts before you watch this "outrageous" comment:

But, NPR hastened to add, it didn't fire Mr. Williams because CAIR commanded immediate "action" against him (although it "may have been a "factor").
Nor was it because of the substance of his comment: that he has a moment of worry or nervousness when he's on an airplane and sees someone in Muslim garb, a person who has chosen to identify himself "first and foremost as Muslim."
No, NPR incredibly claims, the real reason it fired Mr. Williams is because he has turned into a . . . pundit!
Okaaaaaay. And NPR star Nina Totenberg isn't?

From NPR's internal email:
NPR News analysts have a distinctive role and set of responsibilities. This is a very different role than that of a commentator or columnist. News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that�s what�s happened in this situation.But while we're on the subject of objectivity, what does NPR stand for, anyway? It's certainly not "Neutral Public Radio." Just watch this oh-so-clever spoof on the "Tea Party" that NPR posted on its website.
A website, I might add, that you help to fund -- to the tune of $422 million, this year alone. (This CBS link references the specific page on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's financials. But, alas, NPR's parent corporation has taken the page down.)
If Rs and Independents weren't already fired up to vote on November 2nd, they are sure juiced now.

Labels: Cair, Fox News, Islam, Juan Williams, Muslims, Npr, Taxpayer-Funded, Vivian Schiller