Imus Returns

It's not easy to defend the I-Man's "nappy-headed ho" comment, so I won't. But I will defend him against charges of being a shock jock. If you believe Don Imus is a shock jock, you haven't been listening the last few years.

Where else on radio can you hear:

• Long, insightful interviews with noted historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin and Michael Beschloss
• Pundits from the Left (Frank Rich, Paul Begala) and the Right (Laura Ingraham, Mary Matalin) in interviews that are far more dignified than the shoutfests on cable TV
• A show that reveres serious books. Oprah may have picked The Road for her book club this year, but Imus was raving about Cormac 15 years ago, after All the Pretty Horses came out
• Finally - and this is so rare in media today - a (nearly) actor-free zone. The only actor (besides assorted Sopranos) that has appeared on the show is Steve Martin - who may have first gained fame by putting a fake arrow in his head, but is also a playwright, a novelist, and a New Yorker contributor
• - is is a show that will spend 25 minutes talking to Goodwin about how Lincoln managed his cabinet - and never once mention Angelina Jolie's adoption practices. Tom Friedman can tout his new book on globalization - but Madonna doesn't get to tout her new children's book.

So, if you're an NPR listener who believes, having never listened to the show, that Imus is some sort of Redneck Stern - check out his show and decide for yourself...