Rosie's Back

Rosie O'Donnell is coming to "The View." And am I glad.

I rarely watch "The View," especially once the funny and smart Meredith Viera left to become the new cohost on "The Today Show."

But I'll be watching now. Why? Because Rosie O'Donnell will be a cohost. Rosie has a knack for being genuine, warm, funny and honest when she is on television. But more than that, she doesn't create an on-air persona that is drastically different from who she is.

I like to hold up Rosie as a role model to my daughters. She is a successful woman who is, first and foremost, true to herself. When she has a problem, or makes a mistake, she accepts responsibility and works to fix it. She uses her fame to help children, and without a lot of fanfare, through the For All Kids Foundation.

She shops at Target, for goodness' sake.

She works hard to be a good parent, a loyal friend, and one of those comedians who can be contemporary, biting, and raunchy, but can also be very funny without the raunchiness.

For four years she had me watching daytime television -- I never missed the Rosie O'Donnell Show from the first to the last episode. After she ended her show, I stopped watching daytime talk shows. I don't even watch Ellen Degeneres, whose show is always delightful, and who I think is the funniest woman on the planet. But she's still not Rosie. (Hey, maybe now that the kids are in school, I'll have time to watch Ellen...)

So, welcome back to television, Ro, we've missed you. Maybe you can teach Elizabeth Hasellbeck that all parents are pretty much the same, regardless of political and religious differences, and lifestyles. And maybe you can balance Joy Behar's acerbic wit with your own brand of humor. And maybe you can make Barbara relax again.

And remind everyone that nice people can be funny, smart, outspoken and passionate.