Sliwa on Imus: 'Have a Little Humility'

Don Imus hasn't returned to the airways yet, but he's already managed to anger one person: Curtis Sliwa, one-half of the WABC morning team that got displaced to make room for the returning shock jock.

Sliwa's still on from 5 a.m. until 6 a.m. for now, and in the final moments before Imus in the Morning kicked off, he griped about a quote Imus had given to today's New York Daily News.

"He is quoted in Rush & Malloy, and I hope he would not have said this, but he is quoted saying to Barbara Walters...that 'most programs are so ratings driven...people are so cowardly and terrified'" because they won't talk about Imus's hobbyhorses, like autism and "soldier's rights." (I can't find the article online -- maybe it's only in the print edition? It has been reported that Imus will be interviewed on Walters's "Most Intriguing People" special.)

Sliwa took this as a personal affront.

"I would think there would be a little bit of humility. You've just gotten back off the floor.... It behooves Imus not to take shots at the rest of us because it's this industry. You strive for ratings. That's what we're taught."

"For those of us who follow the orders from corporate headquarters, don't make pejorative remarks about us being cowardly or terrified, because if there's one person who's not cowardly or terrified it's Curtis Sliwa."