I guess you just never can tell.

Little did Don Imus know when he arrived at work one morning a while back that he would be inadvertantly igniting a long-overdue national debate on a critical issue, while severely damaging his career at the same time.

I hosted entertainment-oriented morning radio shows for over a decade, and I know precisely how easy it is to let slip a comment (even if it's in jest) that can quickly come back to haunt you.  You utter millions of words over the course of four hours a day, five days a week, year after year.  And when you have enemies listening to every word, the clock is always ticking on your career.

However, Imus' dumb response to producer Bernie McGuirk's dumb comment on the women's basketball team (both protected by the First Amendment, lest the PC police cause us to forget) did much more than land a "shock jock" in career detention; it also motivated many to look at rap music, the hip-hop lifestyle and contemporary black culture with an understandably critical eye.  It has been the inspiration for countless television and radio debates on these topics, and has even led rap mega-producer Russell Simmons to publicly question hip-hop songs and lyrics.

As far as I'm concerned, the only negative to come from this (outside of the damage to the careers of a group of radio personalities I have long enjoyed and continue to support) has been the fact that Al Sharpton and his race-baiting ilk have scored a few points on the credibility scale.  The destructive Politics of Victimhood certainly was assisted here, hopefully only temporarily. 

American blacks will make their greatest strides when they're more likely to listen to Bill Cosby, Clarence Thomas and Juan Williams than to Sharpton, Jackson, et al.  At least this incident has increased that possibility.  Here's hoping.

So, thanks Mr. Imus.  I know you didn't mean to put yourself in this position, but you may have done your country a great service with your on-air mistake.  Best wishes for the future.  I remain a fan.