ASPEN, Colo. – A panel discussion on whether cable debate shows like the recently canceled "Crossfire" have screamed themselves out of business wound up ending in ... a shouting match.
Panelists including comedian Janeane Garofalo (search), conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham (search) and former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart (search) were alternately cheered and jeered at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Saturday.
Garofalo rankled some audience members with her comment that not only does "the Republican message dominate the public conversation, but that in my opinion, 90 percent of it is false."
Ingraham retorted, "The American left is so unwilling to look inward to see what's wrong with their party."
The format may be part of the problem, said panel moderator Joe Scarborough (search), host of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country." "Crossfire" was on CNN.
"If we had 1 1/2 hours to debate Iraq (search), we'd have had a more nuanced discussion. How do you debate Iraq in three-and-one-half minutes?" he said.
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