But how are the ratings?

Greg Djejerian doesn't like what he sees:

I'm taking in the major Sunday talk shows this AM, and I have to say it is manifestly clear we are facing a real leadership crisis in this country. How the level of debate has become this dumbed-down, or hyperbolic, or clueless, well I'm not quite sure, but we very clearly have a real problem on our hands. This is a country whose political class is rudderless just now--pretty much on both sides of the aisle--as events are overtaking people's belief systems, modes of analysis, and general understanding of regional dynamics in the Middle East--and their impact on vital US interests. It's a rather alarming spectacle, to be sure.

I deal with this spectacle by refusing to watch the Sunday talk shows, which are wretched. Are they wretched because the usefulness of TV as a medium for serious discussion has declined, or are they wretched because creeping partisanship has left us with clueless leaders?