Senator Stabenow's Conflict of Interest

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in an interview last week with radio host and former CNN "Crossfire" co-host Bill Press, said: "I absolutely think it's time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves."

When Press asked if he could depend on the senator to push for hearings on the issue, Stabenow said she had already discussed the matter with fellow senators "and, you know, I feel like that's gonna happen. Yep."

There is also an obvious conflict of interest: Stabenow's husband, Tom Athans, is co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA radio network and served as executive vice president of the Air America network — now bankrupt because so few Americans were interested in listening to it. Of course, Sabenow is highly unlikely to ever recuse herself with this conflict of interest.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said,"the public discussion was at a higher level and more intelligent in those days than it has become since."

Sen. John Kerry, said "the Fairness Doctrine ought to be there, and I also think the equal-time doctrine ought to come back."

Rep. Anna Eshoo, (D-CA), of the House telecommunications subcommittee, is also promising to work on bringing back a version of the Fairness Doctrine.