Warren Bell is, that is, as a colleague of Warren’s (and mutual friend of ours) notes in an article in the Los Angeles Times today .

There are, however, many unreasonable dudes (and dudettes) in the United States Senate.

Yesterday, after making the trek to D.C., Warren was pulled from a Commerce Committee hearing today on Corporation for Public Broadcasting nominations.

Fact is: Warren’s a lightening rod because he’s unapologetically conservative. Opposition comes from the likes of Common Cause which pinpoints his “extreme partisanship.” What’s extremely partisan about my friend Warren Bell? That he would dare to say something like: “I support a woman’s right to choose what movie we should see, but not that other one. I am on the Right in every way.”

I don’t know about you, but I find it refreshing to know someone with a bit of a sense of humor and conservative instincts could be paying attention to PBS.

What’s amazing to me is that a) folks on the Hill and the Left seriously lack a sense of humor; b) that people get this worked up about one member of the CPB board; c) that professional comedy types in Hollywood actually think this claim passes the laugh test: that as a matter of course while working with a silly, funny sitcom, they were regularly debating federal subsidies instead doing retakes of some Jim Belushi antic.

I assume Republicans on the committee figure it will be easier for them to deal with Warren after the elections, but how sad that this is a fight they can’t get themselves to easily fight. Warren’s a good, smart guy and a TV professional. He’s perfect for the job. Yes, God forgive him, he’s conservative. But he also takes the whole nomination seriously and understands the importance of public policy and service.