Former NBC News military analyst Ken Allard quits after ten years because of Bill Arkin and the refusal of NBC to condemn Arkin’s comments.  From Allard’s commentary in the San Antonio Express (via Hot Air):

When you don’t have skin in the game, war becomes a matter of sheer personal preference. Channel clickers are wielded, the soldier overlooked or, as we saw last week, even maligned as a mercenary without provoking a career-ending scandal.

It is, therefore, possible to argue that NBC is merely undergoing a delicate arabesque in anticipation of changing audience preferences and the long- hoped-for Democratic restoration (although journalists generally seem reluctant to raise the tough questions that should punctuate the 2008 campaign).

But has anyone else noticed the network’s precipitous retreat from journalistic and ethical standards? Not only were no apologies given and no pink slips issued for Arkin’s outburst, but on his MSNBC show last week, Keith Olberman went out of his way to defend this “valid criticism” of our military.

In January, Conan O’Brien was allowed to escape without apology after airing a particularly tasteless gay skit deriding Christianity: “Oh, Jesus, I love you, but only as a friend.” (Just try doing that sometime using Mohammad’s name!)

[snip]

And so with great reluctance and best wishes to my former colleagues, with this column I am severing my 10-year relationship with NBC News.

But Mohammad cannot be mentioned in the United States unless he’s praised.