This post is late, but ...by George!

Short and late. This blog post (yeah, blost) is running two days late due to freelance assignments filling end-of-week time during which I usually write in this space. Now, I rarely spend ink (laser or ink jet) on politics anymore, but this week I have to say a few words about politics, well talking heads anyway. Back in the 1990s when my newspaper beat included government and politicians, and even before that time, I listened to almost every presidential speech, including mea culpas, enough congressional campaign blubber to cover every whale on the planet and finally, at the end of each campaign season, loads of rousing victory hoorahs and somber boohoos of defeat. When my political beat was eliminated abruptly (not by me), my focus on political minutiae dwindled, though I always made certain my votes were cast with knowledge. However, in all the years before, during and after I covered politics, I have tried to avoid the pundit programs. They all drove me bonkers. I'm not sure if blame falls on the talking heads themselves or panel moderators, but the blah blah blah always turned annoying. Until recently, we (husband Murray and I) had not found a serious political talk show handled with panache, intelligence, patience and civility, one that covered the entire partisan spectrum. But by George, we finally discovered the one Sunday morning political hour worth watching. George Stephanopoulos, former Clinton Administration whiz kid, has evolved into an absolutely compelling political talk show anchor. The hour-long program, "Sunday Morning with George Stephanopoulos," is an informational gold mine as it tackles politics, people, questions and hot button campaign issues with a variety of segments. Guests represent the full American political spectrum . Toward the conclusion of the fast-moving morning hour, Stephanopolous respectfully presents the list of notables, including members of our military, who have died in the past week. Then, following a brief commercial break, he concludes the hour with "Sunday Funnies," wacky political snippets from the late night hosts ... smiles to start the week. Morning television on any day has never been on my agenda. But with Stephanopolous at the helm, Sunday morning TV has come to life. Check it out: http://abcnews.go.com/thisweek.