Is CBS going to bail on this spring?s NCAA tourney in favor of blanket coverage of a possible war in Iraq?

There are reports that CBS is contemplating handing over the tourney's broadcasting keys to such novice cable networks as MTV and TNN in favor of 24/7 Iraqi war coverage.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer runs an opinion piece by Mike Seely in which he decries the possible CBS move.  Seely says the decision by CBS to not fulfill its contractual obligation to bring the NCAA tournament to the masses should be met with protest similar in nature to the recent onslaught of anti-war rallies.

He says to those for whom March Madness is an annual oasis from everyday struggle and global paranoia, network pre-emption is as sure a sign as any that the terrorists are winning their war on America's way of life.

Furthermore, if CBS were to wiggle its way out of covering March Madness, it would signal both breach of contract and economic discrimination.

The NCAA also gets slammed as being way too timid for being willing to go along with such a wartime handoff.