"TALKING HEADS" TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING BUT IRAQ

The "talking heads" who are all over television are never at a loss for words except when it comes to talking about the war in Iraq.

These self-proclaimed experts can go on and on and on over the same minutiae having to do with Hillary, Obama and McCain, but when asked anything about Iraq they act like the cat had stolen their tongue.

The Iraq War has been turned into a sidebar story by the cable news outlets.

Hours and hours go by on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC and never is the Iraq War even given a passing mention, and if they do breakdown to mention something about Iraq it is usually in the "up-to-the-minute" news breaks at the half hour.

How the SAME "talking heads" can come up with so many words about Hillary, Obama and McCain and never say anything of value, but simply express their own opinion boggles the mind.

The "talking heads" have become the cable news version of a daytime soap opera. You could leave your television set off for a week and when you turn it on there will be the same "talking heads" saying the same thing they said a week ago.

The "talking heads" can't even get the number of GIs killed in Iraq right. They throw out figures like 3,000 or perhaps 4,000, but they don't know that 4,013 young men and women have been killed in Iraq since the war started in 2003.

And what is worse, the "talking heads" don't care.

A lot of the blame rests with the honchos who run the cable news outlets, but much of it comes from the fact the "talking heads" don't have a vested interest in the Iraq war. They don't have a loved one in the military, and chances are they don't even know anyone who has a son or daughter in the military in Iraq.

But toss out the words Hillary, Barak or McCain and the "talking heads" turn into a windup doll or an Energizer Bunny that just keeps running and running and running.

The most amazing thing is the anchors and pundits think Americans are glued to the edge of their seats just waiting to hear the latest pearls of wisdom from the "talking heads."

They are NOT. In fact, most Americans will tell you they are bored to death with the non-stop political news coverage offered by Fox News, MSBNC and CNN.

Hopefully when the election season is over, the "talking heads" will all be sent away to a rehabilitation program where someone will teach them just to shut up, sit back and listen.

Just once I would love to see a "talking head" turn to the host of the show and say: "Shouldn't we be spending a little more time talking about the war in Iraq?"

Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

Editorial comment by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE