Maybe Pat O'Brien Should Interview Gadhafi

Charlie Sheen gave a lot of embarrassing interviews on Monday, but my favorite was with Pat O'Brien, the former "Insider" and "Access Hollywood" host, who has taken refuge in the weird environs of sports talkradio.

I can't really do the fawning nature of the exchange justice, so I'll link to it, as well as my latest Foxsports.com column, in which I talk about Sheen's magical mystery tour through sports radio before Monday's equally bizarre segue to TV.

You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll think that maybe CBS should try trading Sheen to Libya for Gadhafi and a dictator to be named later.

And one serious note about the coverage (including like-minded pieces by Los Angeles Times critic Mary McNamara and New York Times columnist David Carr) that has suggested CBS and Warner Bros. didn't really get upset until Sheen aimed his wrath at exec producer Chuck Lorre: Can't we assume that all this was cumulative? As long as Sheen showed up for work and did his job, the network was limited -- contractually, if not morally -- in what actions it could take in regard to his personal behavior. Yet if after putting up with all that he makes it clear he can't work with the very people who have been protecting him, then how could they hope to proceed at this point? Ousting the producers, seemingly, wouldn't have come close to solving the problem.

Admittedly, CBS and Warner Bros. haven't exactly been pillars of courage in dealing with Sheen. Networks and studios seldom are with their pampered stars. But in terms of the timing in halting further production for (at a minimum) the rest of this season, it's hard to see what options they had left.

Just a thought.