After having been warned by millions of protesters that this man is nothing more than a hateful homophobe who seeks ratings through spewing Nazi-style death wishes, "America's News Channel" finally wised up and fired him today after he showed his true colors on Saturday's program (or "pogrom," if he had his way):

The incident that resulted in his firing began innocently enough. Savage was taking viewer phone calls about airline horror stories, and a male caller began talking about smoking in the bathroom.

"Half an hour into the flight, I need to suggest that Don and Mike take your ..." the caller said, before he was cut off and his words became unintelligible.

"So you're one of those sodomists. Are you a sodomite?" Savage asked.

The caller replied: "Yes, I am."

"Oh, you're one of the sodomites," Savage said. "You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it."

He asked for another phone caller who "didn't have a nice night in the bathhouse who's angry at me today."

These bums "mean nothing to me," he said.

GLAAD spokeswoman Cathy Renna said of Savage's firing: "It's about time.

"This latest attack made the clearest case for why Savage has no place on any reputable news network. MSNBC witnessed firsthand exactly the kind of verbal assaults GLAAD's been warning them about for the past five months, and to their credit, they backed up their promises to hold Savage accountable."

Now the question remains: can I put MSNBC back on my list of "channels I receive" despite being filled with Republican hacks Chris Matthews and Joe Scarborough in prime time, or should I just leave them out of sight and out of mind?

And, by the way, why doesn't Romenesko have anything on the Weiner's downfall?

Via Atrios, we find this link to fascinating new blog The Likely Story, where "Adam in MA" figured out the identity of the ambassdor sent to Africa to confirm that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Niger. The man, now self-identified as Joe Wilson, reported back to the Vice-President's office that not only had were the documents forgeries, but also that Iraq had categorically not tried to buy any uranium from Niger. After receiving this report, the administratio continued to press the forged Niger documents as "evidence," and when the forgery was exposed, the administration said it had other, secret evidence proving the Niger link true. In fact, the most expert investigator it sent said that there was no Niger link, and the administration ignored it.

Right off the bat, Wilson has credibility, but it's more fascinating to look at public statements he made before the military action began. He correctly predicted that Saddam Hussein would go underground like Osama and Mullah Omar, and look at what else he said:

Wilson also warns that the Iraqi leader's popularity could revive if allied troops occupied Iraq: "We have to operate on the assumption that six months into this occupation of Iraq, the Iraqis may well be disenchanted with having the United States as their so-called 'liberators.' And Saddam may actually become much more popular for them than he is currently."

Ridiculous? Check out today's Reuters story:

The mortar attack on Sunday night was the fifth in Ramadi in seven days, said Calvert. Rocket-propelled grenades have been the weapons of choice in recent weeks.

The U.S.-backed mayor's office was also hit by small arms fire and then grenade attacks a few minutes later, Calvert said.

U.S. troops are not taking any risks. They sit sideways in their vehicles with M-16 rifles ready for any assailant on the grim streets of Ramadi.

At the entrance of a heavily fortified palace complex once owned by Saddam, U.S. troops watched a truck tow a jeep with multiple bullet holes in its windshield.

"We want Saddam. Look what the Americans are doing. They are killing us. The attacks on Americans will get worse. It will be Jihad (holy war),'' said Yassin Mishaal.

Hmmm.

Not theirs - ours. This Washington Post article details one example of the Bush administration replacing seasoned, world-savvy public health and reconstruction officials with fundamentalist Christian, Republican-connected appointees who are far less qualified but extemely loyal to the Bush agenda.

You may ask, "What's more important - protecting Iraqi citizens and meeting their needs, or making sure the Americans running the country are fundamentalist Christians who will put the Bush administration ahead of what the people need?" Now you have your answer.