SCARBOROUGH AND MAHER

What a smooth, careful, precarious conversation Scarborough and Maher had in their Newsweek Q & A chit-chat, hitting at what was not going right with Obama, the Republicans, the Democrats, Health Care, and Afghanistan.

Reading in the current issue of the magazine, how they bounced off each other was fascinating -- extra fascinating as they threw in sour-candy tidbits -- about Bush and Cheney, Pat Buchanan and Lou Dobbs.

Joe S. and Bill M. are very different, and similar.

I enjoy Bill Maher -- his pleasant, purring, sincerely wanting-to-know questions, his clever comments (that let you know he's much cleverer than you). There's something about him that's dangerous, as if the man is out for blood, listening for weakness, ready to dive in and sting.

I've seen Bill Maher in his party mode in the days when I was able to watch him and always watched -- suspensefully waiting for his male-superior, slightly sneering, flirtatious, solicitous attitude toward various glamorous female guests.

Nowadays, he's still seductive. He makes me laugh. If anyone (guest or host) tries to avoid a clear yes or no -- pow -- his coup de grace is deadly accurate!

A very valuable man, Bill Maher --there's no one quite like him. (I'm sorry we don't have HBO.) I'm immediately interested when he's announced as a guest on someone's show. He usually tears off the clothes othe other guy (the good manners, the cover-ups of social intercourse), and makes it fun and nasty, like quickie sex -- when it's over, slam-bam thank you ma'am -- you're discarded.

Scarborough is another kind of male-superior seducer. "Morning Joe" -- it's a great title but I can't drink down what he says, as if it's hot, good, wake-up coffee.

I keep seeing, hearing, and feeling meanness in him. I dislike the "I'm the boss, I know better, " attitude he projects when talking with his co-host Mika Brzezinski. And her ignoring it, her way of shrugging it off is --well --it's sad and repulsive -- to see her primping, ignoring the insults as she checks herself in the monitor-mirror.

Aside from Joe Scarborough's political ideas, which seem to be sort of "Mitt Romney" Republican, he's become overbearing, and so cocksure of himself, that I can't watch him without muttering "You're wrong!" at his image on the television, and tuning in another channel.

The fact is, as soon as I have more time, I'll get HBO just so I can see Bill Maher's show on Fridays, 10 p.m. He's an independent thinker who quite often comes up with interesting, constructive ideas.

If Joe Scarborough keeps developing, unchecked, I can't watch him. I don't want to listen to a man who can't deal with women as "people." (Note, I didn't say "deal with women as equals.") His observations, his opinions, even his intelligent analysis of issues, pisses me off!