It was long past time for Dobbs to go

The news that Lou Dobbs has departed CNN certainly came as no great surprise last week. But the way it was delivered dealt another blow to the credibility of both the man and the network.

Given the albatross that Dobbs had become around CNN's neck, it's not hard to believe that the network would release him from his contract.

But it strains credulity past the breaking point that this parting-of-the-ways was entirely amicable. Hey, it happened in the middle of a work week, when Dobbs suddenly announced that he was delivering his final telecast.

He had nothing concrete to say about what his plans are. And CNN had to scramble to fill Dobbs' time slot.

If you believe Dobbs resigned of his own accord, you probably believe that Richard Nixon's resignation had nothing to do with his impending impeachment.

And yet we got the back-slapping, hand-holding, kumbaya kind of statement from CNN president Jonathan Klein, hailing Dobbs' "appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile and larger-than-life presence he brought to our newsroom."

"With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere. We respect his decision."

I'm not suggesting that Dobbs should be kicked on his way out the door, but it doesn't do a news organization any good when the boss is issuing statements no one believes.

The fact is that Dobbs had to go. Whatever you think of him and the views he expressed, he wasn't doing his job. He wasn't acting professionally. He was embarrassing his employer.

How many of us would hold onto our jobs if we did the same thing?

You can't deliver highly opinionated commentary and still deliver a credible newscast. And CNN — arguably to its own detriment — has resisted the trend of putting highly opinionated commentators in prime-time programs. As Fox News and MSNBC have done very successfully.

Dobbs' preoccupation — even obsession — with immigration policy appealed to one segment of the viewers. But it made him non-credible when it came to reporting.

I get it. I've been an opinionated commentator for almost 20 years. And I've certainly made no secret of my opinion about Dobbs. Back in July, I called him not only irresponsible but a nutcase.