T. Boone Pickens on "60 Minutes" this weekend

Remember those golden days of broadcasting? Back when you could switch on the TV and see something other than wall-to-wall attack ads?

Boy, I can almost recall it like it was yesterday ... (scratching chin as harp music plays and we dissolve to...)

"We can make ourselves energy independent ... the single greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind ... join me at PickensPlan.com."

(harp music, dissolve back to)

Hey, wait! I'm not dreaming! T. Boone Pickens is back!

Yep, the latest folksy billionaire to take his plan to the people has earned himself a probably inevitable segment on "60 Minutes" this weekend. Pickens, who spent a reported $50 million of his own money buying TV ad time, has been pretty scarce on the airwaves these days as buyers willing to pay ridiculous premiums take up most of the commercial inventory remaining between now and Nov. 4. (Not that I feel sorry for ole Boone. With the gas reserves he owns, he stands to make a hefty ROI should America embrace the Pickens Plan. But, as a colleague noted recently, "He's doing the right thing, just for the wrong reason.")

"60 Minutes" was the other outlet, besides "Larry King Live," that helped launch H. Ross Perot's presidential bid in 1992.

Here's the email Pickens just sent to his army, or as I call it, mailing list.

Hey Army-

60 Minutes on CBS is taking a look at the Pickens Plan this Sunday! They wondered if this is about politics but I told them what you know – this is about doing what’s best for America and ending our dependence on foreign oil once and for all.

Check your local listings and make sure you watch. A whole lot of people are going to learn about our plan on Sunday! ...

Keep spreading the word – we are going to make America energy independent because of you. -Boone