Much has been made of the “middle” role CNN has taken in the cable news landscape. The position was made evident today in a new segment on American Morning. CNN contributor John Avlon (author of “Independent Nation”) will name two people “wingnuts” each week — one from the left and one from the right. This week’s picks: Cynthia McKinney and Michele Bachman.

He explained in a blog post on CNN.com. “It builds on a simple premise — the far-right and the far-left are equally insane,” he wrote. “What’s a Wingnut? It’s someone on the far-right wing or far-left wing of American politics — the professional partisans and the unhinged activists — the folks who always try to divide rather than unite.”

Check out the premiere segment below (via, via):

An Israeli patrol boat struck a pleasure craft carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza. Also on board, CNN’s Karl Penhaul. The Dignity was severely damaged when it pulled into the port of Tyre, Lebanon.

The Dignity was carrying 16 passengers — mostly physicians and human rights activists, but also former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Penhaul.

Penhaul said two Israeli patrol boats had shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision. One of the patrol boats shined its spotlight on the Dignity while the other, with its lights off, “very severely rammed” the boat, Penhaul said.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the military had radioed the vessel to warn them against proceeding to Gaza because it is a closed military area.