On Friday, Parker/Spitzer co-host Kathleen Parker announced that she is leaving the show. In a guest column, John Ziegler, radio host, Palin confidante, and the filmmaker behind Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted, offers his commentary on Parker’s departure from CNN.

Yesterday, CNN’s Rick Sanchez lamented the fact that Fox News got a front row seat, because “don’t you have to be a news organization to get that seat?” It was unclear what Sanchez’s goal was with those comments, but whatever he intended, they garnered him the illustrious “Pinhead” award on tonight’s O’Reilly Factor, and the worst attempt at “not gloating” on TV in some time.

This Shirley Sherrod story has really brought out the aggressive side of CNN. Earlier in the day, John King went toe-to-toe with Andrew Breitbart over the video released on Big Government that cost him his job. Later, Campbell Brown took down the vice president of the NAACP on their president’s statement that they were “snookered,” telling the organization, “you’re the ones to blame here.”

What do Ronaldinho, Didier Drogba, Fabio Cannavaro, Franck Ribery, Landon Donovan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Roger Federer, and Homer Simpson have in common? Yes, they are all stars of Nike’s “Write the Future” ad campaign and, with the exception of Homer Simpson, recently defeated athletes. Rumors of a sports curse around the ads are growing, and Rachel Maddow believes them.

We have CNN’s schedule for the 8pmET hour next week when Campbell Brown‘s out.

With all the speculation about what CNN’s decision will be for the hour, what can we learn from this varied schedule?

It’s probably safe to say that no other candidate to run for Alabama Ag Commissioner has ever made as big a cultural impact than Dale Peterson. You may remember him from his first campaign ad that in which he “told it like it is” that went viral last month, and took him from 5% to 28% of the vote. Alas, in a three-way race Peterson failed to make it the run-off. But good news! He’s back with another political campaign ad in support of his fellow candidate John McMillan (who is alleged to “gives a rip about Alabama.”)

Pioneering Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas was on hand yesterday for a panel discussion at the liberal America’s Future Now! conference, and spoke with authority about grassroots activism in the Age of Obama. I caught up with him after his panel to bounce a few media-related questions off of him, and he had some surprising things to say.

Fox News political contributor Juan Williams was greatly concerned when he watched President Barack Obama on Larry King Live last Thursday night– not because of anything the president did, but “did you see Larry King?!” In a conversation about the future of CNN on Fox News Watch, the channel’s self-reflective weekend media show, Williams lashed out at CNN for being a “snooze” and admitted shock when he turned to the channel and saw the energy levels of the president and King’s interview.

Immediately after thoroughly dressing down CNN’s Campbell Brown on last night’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann set his sights on popular Worst Persons fixture Glenn Beck, and he couldn’t have asked for an easier layup. Beck committed his umteen-zillionth violation of Godwin’s Law, this time aiming his Nazi comparison at a particularly poorly-chosen target. Olbermann executes the takedown perfectly, but blows it on the dismount with a petty, snarky reference to Beck’s struggles with alcoholism.

Keith Olbermann celebrated 30 years of CNN by giving outgoing 8pm host Campbell Brown the bronze in his nightly “Worst Persons in the World” pseudo-competition, for arguing that opinion journalism has made objective news more difficult to sell to a wide audience. Or, as Olbermann put it, “I like [Campbell Brown]… but this ‘I am a martyr to real news’ tour has to stop.”

Campbell Brown is leaving CNN, but not before the network finds an 8pmET replacement.

With Brown out for part of this week and next week, let’s look at who’s filling in and speculate about whether that means they’re being considered for the slot!

Brian Stelter of the New York Times takes a devastating look at Larry King, the host of the 9pmET CNN show that is in deep decline; the personality whose contract is up next year with the murky future; the 76-year-old who hosts an “old” program.

But what jumped out the most was a quote from Tom Dougherty that only loosely referred to King personally, and more broadly about CNN as a whole. It essentially asks: Who are you, CNN?

The news that Campbell Brown would be leaving CNN also came with the announcement she would be staying on until a replacement at 8pmET was named.

CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein said that would happen “in the coming weeks,” but it’s never too early to speculate. Get out those wallets – time for another edition of Mediaite Oddsmakers.

Mediaite broke the news yesterday afternoon that Campbell Brown was leaving CNN. But her wide-ranging, extremely honest statement released around 7pmET became the biggest part of the story.

Here’s a look at what she said – and the overwhelmingly positive reaction.

Mediaite has learned CNN has granted anchor Campbell Brown‘s request to be let out early from her contract.

She has agreed to stay on and anchor the 8pmET hour until a replacement is found. Updated with statements.

I interviewed now-suspended MSNBC anchor David Shuster a few weeks ago, and looking at it in hindsight, that conversation takes on new meaning. The interview took place around the same time Shuster was supposedly shooting a pilot for CNN, and at the time, was remarkably charitable to the position of Andrew Breitbart and James O’Keefe in modern journalism. Was he polishing his objectivity cred for CNN?

Will Washington survive this weekend’s health care vote? The news has been packed with stories this morning about the pressure the Dems are under to pull together enough Yes votes for this Sunday’s epic Health Care vote. Double that for Bart Stupak who is holding on to his No vote come hell or highwater. No Air Force One rides will sway him! Or will they?

The whispers that former foreign policy adviser during the Bush administration Dan Senor will be running for New York Senate as a Republican are getting louder – and that means preemptive follow-up questions.

Senor’s wife is CNN anchor Campbell Brown, and the New York Post is asking what may happen to her role if Senor decides to jump in the race. Update: Greta defends Campbell.

John King‘s new CNN show at 7pmET will launch sometime…soon, and he and CNN have found a creative way to make the announcement of when that will be and what it will be called – Twitter clues.

That’s right, stay tuned to Twitter for the details about the delayed launch of one of the most important CNN products in the last couple years.

CNN’s Campbell Brown may have made her name during the last election as one of the leading women in television journalism, but it’s her husband Dan Senor who is now making headlines in politics. A former foreign policy advisor during the Bush administration, Senor is currently at the center of speculation for a Senate run against Republican Kirsten Gillibrand.

CNN, like all the news networks, is devoting major resources to the Haiti earthquake tragedy and we’re seeing excellent reporting.

But through a series of Haiti-related occurrences, questions are being raised about the murky line between journalism and becoming part of the story.

Television people are an extremely cynical type. They will see through the biggest line of BS, mostly because its familiar territory. But the story unfolding in Haiti has transcended skepticism – the stories and imagery of destruction and destroyed families have brought the cable news world news to its knees. And when video of sick or troubled child appears before a parent, television standards of dispassionate reporting no longer apply. Case in point? Campbell Brown, mother.

NBC’s decision to put Jay Leno back in the 11:30 slot has revealed the worst side of media critics: taking for granted any successful or smart decision, while relishing the chance to boo every mistake. In any other world this sort of experimentation and admission of failure would be lauded. Instead the entertainment media has gleefully bared its gnashing teeth with “Zucked this up!” headlines. But if these guys are suddenly free to admit they’ve made bad decisions, which TV personalities should be most concerned?

While discussing the healthcare reform bill with The Nation’s Chris Hayes on Countdown last night, Keith Olbermann spied the CNN headline “Dems Dropping Like Flies,” an example, he laughingly said, of “how neutral and completely journalistic they work it over there.” It didn’t stop there, though, as Keith peppered the remainder of the segment with shots at CNN’s overstatement of the rashlet of Democratic retirements.

The failed Christmas attack on Flight 253 has inspired both politicians and opinion journalists to quickly attempt to identify who is most to blame. And it seems like the first to have fingers pointed at her in this story is Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security. But predictably, one can find whatever analysis conforms with one’s own opinion on any of the three major cable news channels. So we’ve edited together punditry from three commentators representing the Left, the Right and the Center, all in one video.