Howard brought balls-out comedy to radio. He's a descendent of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin. He may offend, but there's always an affectionate edge to the condescension.

True, he's also boring at times, politically unsophisticated and even a little mean-spirited.

But, alas, he speaks a truth that "cultured" society automatically tends to discount. From his relatively uncultured perspective, he's not afraid to critique the hypocrisy of the gay rights movement and the moralism of Jerry Falwell at the same time. He loves deflating the pretensions of the media elite.

The tender way he discussed his own personal troubles this morning is testament to his intellectual honesty. He says he's committed to repairing his marriage and won't violate the sacral bed. I believe him.

He makes the absurd seem reasonable, and makes you wonder why you laugh at ethnic jokes, sex jokes and religious jokes in the first place.

But beyond all the moral reasoning--this is life, not a Michael Sandel lecture--the man and his show are funny. Very funny. More funny than a fulminating ideologue. The pleasure is voyeuristic and guiltless. I'm not ashamed to like Howard Stern.