On the February 18th edition of CNN’s In the Money, CNN business contributor Andy Serwer took a cheap shot at U.S. foreign policy during a discussion on lower than expected ratings for the Winter Olympics in Torino. CNN’s resident curmudgeon, Jack Cafferty, pointed to disappointing performances from some U.S. athletes as a possible reason for NBC's woes. This led Serwer to make this comparison:
Andy Serwer: "You know, it kind of reminds me, I hate to say this, but the performance of the U.S. Olympic team kind of reminds me of what we’re doing around the world."
Serwer continued, over the laughter of Cafferty and CNN correspondent Jennifer Westhoven, by calling the performance of the U.S. Olympic team "spotty" and "raggedy,"and made this surprising statement disparaging U.S. wins:
Serwer: "You know, we’ve got some unexpected victories, but, you know, kind of rolling my eyes, right?"
The transcript of the full exchange is behind the cut. (Hat tip: Free Market Project's Ken Shepherd)
Jack Cafferty: "So I can’t get into these Winter Olympics, and apparently, according to an article in one of the New York papers about the ratings, neither does the television audience across the country. The–NBC’s not doing as well. A lot of our key players went over there and, and, and they’re not getting it done. Bode Miller, apparently, didn’t perform well. The skater Michelle Kwan probably shouldn’t have gone to begin with. Then they couldn’t get her replacement out of New York cause of the blizzard. Got the woman’s downhill skier almost kills herself on a practice run. I mean, what do we got over there?"
Andy Serwer: "You know, it kind of reminds me, I hate to say this, but the performance of the U.S. Olympic team kind of reminds me of what we’re doing around the world. You know, it’s a little spotty, a little raggedy, a little unexpected. You know, we’ve got some unexpected–"
Cafferty: "That’s a good analogy."
Serwer: "–victories, but, you know, kind of rolling my eyes, right?"