If ABC wonders why it's news programming has suffered at the hands of the cable news channels, they need not look any further than the debate in Pennsylvania the other night.

A recording of a recent phone conversation between Sean Hannity of Fox News and George Stephanopoulos of ABC has been released confirming that Stephanopoulos was taking cues (and writing notes, per his own statement) from Hannity on the kinds of questions he should be asking Obama in the debate.

If George Stephanopoulos' media experience is so lame that he needs help from a hack like Hannity in order to frame his questions, I can think of no better reason for ABC not to fire him immediately. The nature of his questions (and Charlie Gibson's, to some degree) for the first 45 minutes were so blatantly skewed in favor of Clinton's "attack machine" that it brings into question both ABC's and his decision not to recuse himself as a moderator - after all, Stephanopoulos was a high-ranking cabinet member in the Clinton Administration. Did the appearance of impropriety and conflict of interest even occur to anyone at ABC?

Heads should roll in that networks news department. If not, ABC has demonstrated that their news programming has devolved into the tabloid-like nature of Fox News. Why anyone with a sincere interest in the critical issues that face this great nation would give ABC news any credence by watching their network is beyond me.