Yes this has happened many a time to me also. I stopped watching the fox evening lineup for awhile but ive came back.
Do you know (or does anyone) who chooses the liberal and conservative guests. Is there a separate booker for each? It occurs to me that the booker for Colmes may actually be motivated to reduce viewership by booking such guests, even though it is contrary to his own interest as an employee. If you could get an intelligent, well-spoken liar, such as Lawrence O'Donnell, an outright lunatic (insanely obsessed with Schwarzenegger and others), why book a dull and moronic liar instead--unless you want to chase away the audience?