Mika's Cheney-Darth Vader Mock Jolts Joe to Dial 1-800-NEWSBUSTERS

Sure, we know when we're being used. The folks at "Morning Joe" are well aware that if baring some liberal leg is likely to cause us to cover them, mentioning NewsBusters by name virtually guarantees that an item will follow here in short order. But if the MSNBC show wants to play the homely-if-roundheeled high school girl striving for attention, NB is happy, as the popular QB of liberal-media busting, to oblige.

And so it was that on this morning's episode, newsreader Mika Brzezinski, much like the girl at the beach who "accidentally" lets the bikini strap slip, made a transparently intentional "mistake," confusing Dick Cheney with Darth Vader. That in turn prompted host Joe Scarborough, in mock horror at Mika's exposure of too much liberal skin, to call for NewsBusters. The incident occurred during Mika's 6:11 A.M. EDT newsreading of an otherwise innocuous item.

View video here.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico treated to an amazing light show last night. Hot air balloons lit up the night sky for one of the most spectacular moments of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Spectator favorites this year included a dragon-shaped balloon, a flying house, and [pause for effect] the nefarious Dick Cheney -- I'm sorry -- Darth Vader.

JOE SCARBOROUGH [in mock horror]: What is this? Hey Chris [MJ producer Chris Licht, pictured here], Chris. Can you call our friends at NewsBusters?

BRZEZINSKI: I'm just kidding.

SCARBOROUGH: I'm serious [no he wasn't], that was in the middle of your newscast, for God's sake.

BRZEZINSKI: Come on, Lynne Cheney had fun with it, she went on the "Daily Show" with a Darth Vader [doll].

SCARBOROUGH: Quarantine those kind of comments to the editorial page.

WILLIE GEIST [to Mika]: You have to be more subtle about it.

SCARBOROUGH: Chris is blaming this on me.

BRZEZINSKI: You should be blamed.

SCARBOROUGH: Call 1-800-NEWSBUSTERS. And you know what, when I do that [the rare occasions when Joe criticizes Dems] call 1-800-MEDIAMATTERS.

BRZEZINSKI: You guys can't take a joke. Get over yourselves.

SCARBOROUGH: Make a joke about Democrats, some time, why don't you?

Note to Mika: when Lynne Cheney jokes about Darth Vader, it's self-deprecating. When you do it, it's just plain deprecating.

Now, if Bubbles wanted to break out a Mr. Peanut doll . . .