The Miss USA pageant organizers have to be breathing a collective sigh of relief after the all-too-public outing of the reigning queen’s alcohol abuse and all-around naughty behavior.

As might be expected, the mainstream media are having a field day with the story (i.e. showing and re-showing the former Ms. Kentucky’s bikini-clad body strutting around the pageant’s stage. Say what you will, but the girl’s got a serious six pack).

Never one to skip a media opportunity, pageant owner Donald Trump is once again in the spotlight, having deigned not to fire the misbehaving miss.

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, the queen’s meltdown is pure gold for an organization and event perceived to be out-of-step and irrelevant.

Thanks to Tara Conner’s misconduct, the pageant can claim to be as sleazy, tawdry and salacious as  any other sports or entertainment brand. And, the scandal will do for next year’s show what tens of millions of dollars of advertising could never accomplish: attract viewers.

As for the image besmirched and seemingly contrite Miss USA, her career is set. Just imagine the book, film and TV offers that will come flooding in!

It’s all just another sad commentary on how low our moral and ethical standards have fallen (and, as Chris ‘Repman Jr’ Cody might say, also provides fresh fodder for the Islamic fundamentalists who love to decry the decadence and decay of American society).

Thanks Deb for your POV on this.