In his classic style, somewhat circular and filled with historical and cultural asides, Brian Williams signed off his MSNBC broadcast, The 11th Hour, for the last time Thursday evening.
His last three and a half minutes with his audience was as much a warning to all Americans about the current state of our country as it was a trip down memory lane. Williams, at 62, said he does indeed intend to take time off to find out what real life is like away from the cameras and lights, but offered that he will probably be drawn back.
Of course, in the last week, there has been lots of speculation that Williams might be a perfect replacement for the recently ousted Chris Cuomo at CNN.
We should mention that in the ever expanding universe of insider speculation about a Cuomo replacement a new name has popped up: Norah O’Donnell of CBS. This idea probably should not be ignored given recent reporting that CBS is looking to make an anchor change for the CBS Evening News and the very public suggestions that CNN should use the Cuomo departure as an opportunity to add a woman’s voice and presence to its prime time line up.
