Double shame: I, too, am disappointed with CBS for pulling The Reagans, though I diagree that this was much of an educational loss to anyone interested in learning about Reagan. There's much to be said for and against the Reagan years, including letting his administration run important operations without his oversight. If CBS wants to produce a documentary that criticizes RR, I'll support it and watch it, with an open if critical mind. If the reported quote from the script re: Reagan's take on AIDS sufferers was accurate, I think it's safe to assume that this was not such an intellectually and historically accurate look at the man or the couple.

That said, I think it should have been shown, on CBS not Showtime, simply because this sets a horrible precedent for networks caving in to pressure. It says they don't have the guts to make controversial programs and put them on the air despite hurting a few feelings. I may not have liked their treatment of the Reagans, but I wasn't about to boycott CBS over it. And I think it's important that media outlets don't always censor themselves to the point that caution becomes the rule. It's boring and doesn't "move the ball" in an intellectual sense.

Aside from that, I don't like sacred cows, even if Reagan is a man I respect and admire, despite his flaws.