McCain - Preempting Show Honoring War Dead "Unpatriotic"

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s plan to preempt tonight's broadcast of ABC News' "Nightline'' show, on which Ted Koppel is to read the names of all U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, was criticized by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain as "unpatriotic.''

"Every American has a responsibility to understand fully the terrible costs of war and the extraordinary sacrifices it requires of those brave men and women who volunteer to defend the rest of us,'' McCain, an Arizona Republican, said in a letter to Sinclair Chief Executive Officer David Smith.

Two other lawmakers, Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, and Representative Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat, also criticized Sinclair's decision. McCain, whose committee oversees broadcast policy for the Senate, supported President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq last year.

Sinclair yesterday ordered its ABC affiliates to preempt the "Nightline'' broadcast, saying the program is politically motivated.

Executives of Sinclair are financial supporters of Bush and the Republican Party, and the company's employees give almost exclusively to Republican candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records.

CEO Smith gave $2,000 to Bush in December, the maximum individual contribution allowed. Vice President Frederick Smith gave $25,000, also the legal maximum, to the Republican National Committee in February, according to FEC filings.

In his letter to Smith, McCain called Sinclair's action "a gross disservice to the public and to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic,'' he wrote.

ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., said yesterday the broadcast "is an expression of respect which simply seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country.''

Koppel Defends "The Fallen"

After almost two and a half decades anchoring ABC News' "Nightline," Ted Koppel says he is surprised that anyone could think that his special "The Fallen," scheduled to air Friday night, is a ratings ploy or an attempt to make a political statement.

Another Comment on BuzzFlash

If it's disrespectful to name all those servicemen who have been killed in action, what in the world are we going to do with the Vietnam Memorial?

Lucy