"Are we on seven-second delay?"--Mark Halperin on Morning Joe, prefacing his criticism of Pres. Obama's performance at the health-care summit.
Halperin was surely being facetious, but the point about MSNBC's pro-Obama predilection was made.
The Time editor went on to rather comprehensively pan PBO's petulant performance. His comments were preceded by a clip of Pres. Obama rudely reminding Sen. John McCain of just who had won the presidential election.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: I just wonder whether that was really in the President's best interest, whether the entire episode yesterday was in the President's best interest?
MARK HALPERIN: Are we on the seven-second delay?
SCARBOROUGH: Ah, yes.
HALPERIN: I thought, you know, he in that scene and in a few others I thought he was a little too, maybe . . .
SCARBOROUGH: Petulant?
HALPERIN: Dismissive, petulant, some might say arrogant. You know he called most of the members by their first names, I think maybe to try to sort of be ingratiating and friendly. But it did seem to some--me--a little condescending.
Triple kudos to Halperin: 1. rightly criticizes PBO's condescending performance; 2. gently chides MSNBC for its pro-Obamism; and 3. ultimately offers the criticism as his own rather than relying on the technique-that-Couric-made-famous of attributing it to "some."
