First it made the politically ignorant sportscaster Keith Olbermann the host of a political show, where he regularly misrepresents opponents and spouts racist insults.

Now they may make someone even less qualified into a regular show host and commentator.

Riding a ratings wave from “Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” a program that takes strong issue with the Bush administration, MSNBC is increasingly seeking to showcase its nighttime lineup as a welcome haven for viewers of a similar mind.

Lest there be any doubt that the cable channel believes there is ratings gold in shows that criticize the administration with the same vigor with which Fox News’s hosts often champion it, two NBC executives acknowledged yesterday that they were talking to Rosie O’Donnell about a prime-time show on MSNBC.

During the nine months she spent on “The View” before departing abruptly last spring, Ms. O’Donnell raised viewership notably. She did so while lamenting the unabated casualties of the Iraq war and advocating the right to gay marriage, among other positions.

Under one option, Ms. O’Donnell would take the 9 p.m. slot each weeknight on MSNBC, pitting her against “Larry King Live” on CNN and “Hannity & Colmes” on Fox News.

Gee, maybe we can get the same sort of anti-Asian racism from Rosie that Olbermann deployed against commentator/blogger Michelle Malkin -- and which she was already famous for on The View.

And I can't help but notice that "ratings success" is defined by the network as consistently coming in behind both Fox and CNN on a nightly basis.

And I wonder, will liberals trot out the new MSNBC lineup as part of their case for reimposing the fairness doctrine, perhaps insisting that Chris Matthews be replace with an hour-long Rush Limbaugh show to balance out Olbermann and O'Donnell. Or will this be the model for "fair broadcasting" -- shows that the network publicly acknowledges are intentionally slanted to the Left.