Before you get all squishy over ex-convict James A. Traficant Jr. getting a radio gig on a Cleveland station, here's some information from someone in the know: Traficant, the corrupt former congressman from the Mahoning Valley who continues to bamboozle too many residents, is not an employee of Clear Channel, which own WTAM radio; he has neither part-time status, nor any other status with the company.

The arrangement Traficant has made to be on the radio on Satuday afternoons can best be described in two words: barter deal. What does that mean? Simply that the man who wears his seven-plus years as an inmate in a federal penitentiary as a badge of honor must sell air time in order to host the program. In other words, he has to find a way to pay for his show. And, Traficant's mindless gabfest will be pre-empted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So, don't buy all that prattle from his minions about this being a launching pad to national greatness. Sooner rather than later the novelty (as least for those who aren't living in the Valley) will wear off.