The good news about Huckabee is that he has a generally attractive TV presence -- likeable in a slightly-rumpled, friendly sort of way at first. I add the "at first" part, because he can get quite a nasty little edge to him when he starts tearing into someone on the commentary part of the show as he did Saturday with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The reason for the attack was a remark the Nevada Democrat had made in jest earlier in the week at the opening of a Congressional Visitors Center. Reid joked that in the old days, in the heat of summer, "you could literally smell the tourists coming" to visit the Capitol Building.

"Those smelly tourists are the bosses!" Huckabee said with great indignation.

Huckabee's right, of course, though, I wonder if he isn't being purposefully tone deaf to Reid's intention of trying to make a friendly joke.

Look, there is plenty to criticize in Huckabee. In one sense, the entire program is essentially an infomercial for Huckabee 2012. Saturday's show was set in a bookstore, and Huckabee was shameless in promoting his book, Do the Right Thing. He told viewers how it was doing on the best-seller list, and he gave it away as prizes during the audience participation parts of the show.

Let's not even talk about the part of the show where audience members came forward and asked Huckabee such questions  as, "What's your ultimate  favorite Christmas carol?"

Instead let's focus on the legitimate and important question as to whether news channels and programs should be providing partisan politicians such a forum.

Theoretically, I am dead set against the practice. But after seeing Huckabee, I have to admit that I am not that upset with the show. Let's not forget Jesse Jackson had a show on CNN back in the day when he was a Democratic contender. And is there a cable channel or syndicator in the country who wouldn't let Sarah Palin join its lineup?

I am far more troubled by Ehrlich sitting on the news set of an ABC affiliate, as he does at WMAR, interacting with news anchors and commenting on politics and news.

Why? because he is being allowed to wrap himself and his highly partisan words in the mantle of the credibility and impartiality that such news operations are supposed to embody.

And that is especially problematic in his case, because as governor, Ehrlich showed an absolute disdain for the press and the public's right to get information from a variety of sources when he blocked access to his administration and state government to a reporter from the Sun whose coverage did not meet with Ehrlich's approval.

And I am not choosing Ehrlich at random. First, he perfectly fits the issue that Huckabee's show raises. Second, other folks have noticed.

Here is an email sent to the Sun by Dennis Rosen, a reader: "I went on the WMAR website to find an article, and notice ex-gov Robert Ehrlich has a column. I find it disturbing that a TV station basically has a political ad for him in their website.... The blurring of news, opinions, and politics in this country is frightening...."

I don't find it frightening, but it is definitely something to monitor -- to see whether the public or the candidate's ambition is being served by TV.