Keep the sharp objects away from Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson couldn’t have picked a worse open microphone to express his less than complimentary and rather crude opinion about Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Jackson while appearing on the Fox News Channel program Fox and Friends last Sunday, was chatting before going to air with a fellow panelist, apparently unaware that the microphone was picking up what clearly REVEREND Jackson would have preferred was a private remark.



Fox held the tape until the Bill O’Reilly show today, unleashing the whispered desire to er,(neuter?) Mr. Obama. That apparently being Mr. Jackson’s preferred punishment for remarks Mr. Obama had recently made about the parenting skills (or lack of) of some black fathers.

With Fox apparently giving him a heads up that the offending comments were no only overheard but about to be broadcast, Jackson went into full contrition mode today, offering up an apology to Obama for his less than sensitive approach to reproach.

So troublesome were the comments, that even the Reverend’s own son, Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., has disowned the comments calling them divisive and demeaning, going on to suggest that Dad "should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself".

While we could question the rather loosely defined news compass over at Fox, which seems to have waited for its moment to unleash the offending comments, truth be told, Reverend Jackson really should know have better.
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For one thing, being the long time orator that he has become legendary for, he if no one else should have known the dangers of the "open mic" syndrome, even more importantly for him, he was on FOX for crying out loud.

A network that for many, nothing short of short concise Yes and No's probably should be uttered around anything resembling a Fox microphone flash, on the off chance it comes back to haunt you later, as this one clearly has.

Candidate Obama for his part hasn’t said much about the raging tempest, his campaign offered up a statement on the issue and reported that Mr. Obama of course has accepted the Reverend’s apology.

Though we suspect that they won’t be hanging out in the same dressing rooms upon their next scheduled media interview session and if they do, you can bet the Secret Service will be close by to check the cutlery trays….