Katie Couric: Mother Courage

The destruction of the old, powerful, liberal, crusading CBS News is in full swing.

Katie Couric , who takes over as host of the Evening News and figurehead of the news division in September, has laid down the law when it comes to traveling to world hot spots like Lebanon:

Hell, no, she ain’t gonna go.

"I think the situation there is so dangerous, and as a single parent with two children, that's something I won't be doing," Katie was quoted today.

After ABC News foolishly put its fledgling anchorman in harm’s way, almost killing him and scrapping the division's plans for a youthful, coed future, maybe Katie’s playing it smart. But she’s not a newswoman. She's a spunky personality and celebrity as news host. You can expect to see Katie moderating phony "town meetings" at the sites of school shootings, and even traveling to interview the mother of the next JonBenet. She just won't be buying a Burberry or flak jacket.

And though she will not be long for the job, Katie is deliberately setting new rules for the game, and setting the standard for a news operation that will deliberately be indistinguishable from Access Hollywood, which broke this historic news.