Rosie O’Donnell announced her departure from the view this week. We all kind of predicted this would happen but at least we know it is not due to the stoprosie.com campaign or because of Focus on the Family (extreme right-wing religious groups who discriminate against gays). We know now that the Rosie departure from The View was due to a contract agreement with ABC over the daytime show. Scarborough Country had been doing a real campaign against her even before the latest incident. I feel Rosie was picked on a little too much from the media and that our freedom of speech is limited these days especially when it comes to speaking up against Bush.

I am saddened to see Rosie leave the talk show but I am left with a bad taste in my mouth of a gay leader who is either being framed to say some of these things for ratings or really needs some lessons on respect. I disagree with Fox’s News Corp. and the conservative ideas of Rupert Murdock but for Rosie to make comments to him at a luncheon in front of so many high profile people during an introduction I begin to wonder what is going on. Why would someone give Rosie the podium to speak to such an introduction? It just seems to me that she is being setup to do this or she is clearly going too far at some points.

The View ratings have skyrocketed since she has took part in the show thanks to a feud with Donald Trump and standing up for Clay Aiken. Maybe its good someone stood up to Murdock who owns the Fox News channel but maybe in a way that makes him look bad (not the person speaking).

Rosie O’Donnell certainly has other businesses to run including a gay cruise and possibly a daytime show in the pipeline to compete with The View. I just hope she has not burned too many bridges in the post-Imus days that she cannot get herself back in sync.

Why Can’t Rosie be more like Ellen. We need some more gay and lesbian leaders and role models like Ellen Degeneres.