Rosie will soon be out of View, but not out of earshot

I guess the suits that produced his program and booked the profits had never listened to him before.

Now ABC has, unwillingly, performed a much greater service to civilization.

The network was unable to come to terms with Rosie ODonnell, and so the loud and obnoxious ‘entertainer will soon be leaving that TV chatfest known as ‘The View.

ODonnell has been on the show for only a year. But in that time she has managed to start numerous feuds with other celebs and sorta-celebs, insult and out-shout anyone who didnt agree with her, no matter how trivial the subject, compare Christianity with radical Islam, annoy show creator and co-host Barbara Walters and, most recently, go after five Supreme Court justices because they are members of the Roman Catholic Church, whose articles of faith dont suit Rosie.

She also brought higher ratings and higher profits to the network.

Thats why ABC wanted to sign her to a three-year commitment. ODonnell wanted one year.

At least thats what the publicists are saying. Something tells me money might play a role in there somewhere.

Though she will be off ABC, dont think weve heard the last of Rosie.

For some weird, inexplicable reason, ODonnell is popular with a large audience. Dont ask me why. All I know is that she is, and that means money.

So there can be no doubt she will pop up somewhere else. But where?

I have the answer.

There is one place, and one place only, where Rosies native talent can flourish as it was meant to. One place where her brand of ... lets call it humor ... will be properly nurtured and appreciated.

Talk radio. Thats the place for Rosie ODonnell. Talk radio. They were made for each other.

She would fit right in. After all, look whos already there.

One immediately thinks of right-wing talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, whose combination of sharp wit and, at times, downright meanness took talk radio from an almost forgotten medium to a major force in shaping public opinion and even in politics. And there are plenty of others who followed Limbaugh to somewhat less fame and fortune, including Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage.

But, I can hear you say, talk radio is the rights stomping grounds. The left has never made an impact there. They couldnt even make much of a go with their own network, Air America.

Heck, even those in the middle of the political spectrum are practically nonexistent on talk radio.

All thats true. But theres a reason.

Thoughtful, independent voices be they conservative, middle-of-the-road or liberal struggle on talk radio. Rational arguments without rancor fly above the heads of the audience. Bores them silly, too. Talk radio is wrestling, not chess. The intellectuals are best suited to Sunday morning panel shows.

And liberals are terrible in the medium. Terrible. The audience hates them anyway, but the liberal hosts dont have the killer instinct to make that work to their advantage. They cant go for the throat and give better than they get like their right-wing brethren. They are just too well-mannered. They let others finish their sentences without interruption and thats a big no-no when you are trying to dominate a conversation. To survive in talk radio you have to step in, cut off and shout down your guest or caller whenever they get too close to making a valid point. Hannity, especially, has that tactic down pat.

Rosie could change all that. A liberal with a lifestyle and mindset that drive the right absolutely crazy, she would have a ready-made audience of people who listen just to hate her. Gay rights, abortion, the Iraq war, all things Bush, gun control she can spew hate-filled rhetoric with the best of them. She is tough as nails and can out-shout even the nastiest of the right-wing talk crowd. She doesnt care about being polite, being liked, being reasonable or even being rational.

In short, Rosie ODonnell is the Sean Hannity of the left. She might never knock Limbaugh off his throne, but she would come close. And she could easily outdistance the lesser lights.

She could probably beat them up in a bar fight, too. With one hand behind her back.