I sincerely believe that it used to be a schtick (he'd play the Devil's Advocate in an era when the show needed to drum up controversy and get people to call in). But over the years, he really started to drink his own Kool-Aid. At this point, I think he sincerely believes that he's smarter than everyone else and has a calling to let us backwater hicks in Utah know exactly how it is...
Couldn't have been happier when he was pushed out of the Zone.