Gumbel is one of the most hateful, bitter partisans that I have ever seen in broadcasting. He makes no attempt to appear unbiased in his politics. Gumbel is the epitome of "unprofessionalism." He is rude to his guests, unkind to his colleagues, unfaithful to his wife, and disrepectful of the viewing public. With an ego as big as Texas, everything is about him.

Gumbel has not only been rude to those who appear on his shows, he has been obnoxious to his fellow workers. It has been reported that Gumbel single-handedly was responsible for Jane Pauley’s exit from NBC’s Today Show. In an internal memo, he lambasted the work of the immensely popular and definitely more likable Willard Scott. And as was his custom, he took the show’s ratings into the tank.

One of the most disgusting things I have ever seen in journalism occurred when I once saw him interviewing Pat Buchanan. Gumbel had just returned from vacation and Buchanan said to him, "Welcome back, Bryant."

Gumbel’s reply was something like this: "Too bad I can’t say the same for you."

It matters not what you think of Pat Buchanan. Common courtesy demands that a gentleman treat a guest with some respect, particularly when that guest has just made a polite comment about the host. But not Bryant Gumbel! The man is classless! He is bigger than the network; he is bigger than propriety: he is bigger than everybody.

In an interview with Tim Russert, Gumbel once stated, "In terms of my political views, I hold them in check. I don’t think that someone who watches is inclined to think that I’m one way or the other."

Really, Mr. Gumbel! The evidence would suggest otherwise.

He said that blacks have a right to be "suspicious" of the Republican Party because it is populated by Bob Barr, Pat Buchanan, Jesse Helms, and Jerry Falwell. Gumbel said Associate Justice Clarence Thomas does nothing but "rubber stamp Scalia." He said the president’s father, George Bush, had "exacerbated race relations in this country." When Robert Knight of the Family Research Council appeared on the show to speak out against homosexual Boy Scout leaders, Gumbel was caught live on camera calling the man a "f***ing idiot."

President George W. Bush has not escaped the patented and partisan tirades of Bryant Gumbel. While on the air, he said Bush had "done very little" to correct the problems on Wall Street and that the markets "now miss Bill Clinton and Bob Rubin."

No, Mr. Gumbel. I could not tell by your comments that you are a proud and unrepentant liberal. You hide your views so well, I could not determine who you voted for in the last three presidential elections. I am totally at a loss to guess which political party has your loyalties. If Gumbel is unbiased, then the Pope is a Baptist!

In case you have missed the point of this column--in case I have been too subtle--I do not like Bryant Gumbel. I will not watch him on television. I will not frequent a program that has him as a host.

As Bryant Gumbel leaves The Early Show, I have only three things to say to the only person on television more rude and obnoxious than Rosie O’Donnell: Good-bye, good luck, and good riddance!

Now that CBS has surgically removed this media hemmorhoid from their network, their troubles are all behind them.