CNN's Phillips to Iraq Commander Odierno: Is Your Job Career Suicide?

The day after Barry Bonds set a dubious record, CNN's Kyra Phillips [file photo] might have set one of her own. Rather than "Career Home Runs," file this one under "Tasteless and Inappropriate Questions Posed to a Soldier in a War Zone."

At about 3:40 P.M. EDT on this afternoon's CNN Newsroom, co-anchor Phillips was interviewing Lt. General Raymond Odierno, the MNF second-in-command in Iraq.

CNN Anchor Kyra Phillips: You know there's been a lot of shifting around in positions, a lot of positions lost, key positions. Do you think that this job that you've taken on could be career suicide?

LT. GEN. RAYMOND ODIERNO: Oh, I don't worry about that. All I care about is getting the mission done. As long as I feel comfortable with what I'm doing, as long as I feel comfortable that we're doing the right thing, that's all that really counts, and that's what I expect the American people would expect.

Good on the general for his even-keeled response. Shame on Phillips for asking a question that served no purpose other than to seek to discomfit a member of the US military serving in a war zone.

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net