I was watching public television while waiting for a videotape to rewind. A video of a stocky man singing in front of a string and piano quintet appeared.

The announcer intoned: "There are only a few true heroes of 9/11."

The stocky man continued singing, "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis. And the announcer said, "Daniel Rodriguez is one of them. As a New York City police officer, he was among the first on the scene of Ground Zero."

More singing, unctious and the worst kind of bel canto.

Announcer continues: "Now he's lifting America up through song."

At this point I retched and turned the television off.

Okay, it appears this guy is the real thing and was respected as a singer before the attacks. But, my God! Am I the only one who sees this commercial (on public TV, no less!) as the worst kind of cynical and opportunistic marketing? Calling himself a "true hero" while hawking his CDs and concerts...

There's no baby yet. Move along.