CNN apologizes for debate slip-up

I've been ignoring this whole dustup because it was nothing both sides don't do. They throw their little tantrums because people are just not nice to them. Then they demand an apology and a promise it will never happen again. But it will and we're on to another little dust devil.

CNN is chickenshit. Because a bunch of wingers are calling for someone's head, they capitulate and express regret. CNN did nothing wrong.

CNN expressed regret Thursday for allowing a Hillary Clinton adviser to ask a question at Wednesday's Republican presidential debate, even as controversy swirled about two other questioners who have declared their support for Democratic candidates.

Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, who asked why gays should not be allowed to serve openly in the military, is a member of Clinton's steering committee on gay-and-lesbian issues, something her campaign disclosed in a news release in June.

"Had we known that, we probably wouldn't have used the question," said David Bohrman, CNN's Washington bureau chief, who produced the debate. He added that "you could spend hours Googling everybody. What we cared about was that he was real." CNN deleted Kerr's question from a rebroadcast of the debate.

The New York senator's campaign said in a statement that "Gen. Kerr is not a campaign employee and was not acting on behalf of the Clinton campaign."

Kerr, a Californian who said he became openly gay after 43 years in the military, was one of 5,000 people who submitted videotaped questions through YouTube. CNN also placed Kerr in the St. Petersburg, Fla., audience, where he followed up by calling the current "don't ask, don't tell" policy "destructive."

Moderator Anderson Cooper acknowledged the error involving Kerr after Bill Bennett, the conservative author and radio host who is a network contributor, raised it during a post-debate discussion. Bennett said Thursday that his radio producer e-mailed him information from a National Review blog.

"It shouldn't have ever happened," Bennett said. "You've got to vet that sort of thing."

Since when does a citizen, any citizen, not have a right to ask a civil question of any candidate? We aren't talking about vetting here, its censorship.

CNN should have said they don't care what affiliations the guy had. He offered an intelligent question and it deserved an answer so they used it. Jesus H Christ on Absolut*, if a candidate can't take a little heat in a debate, he sure as hell isn't qualified to rule a fucking country.

HRC or any candidate's planting shills to ask questions they want to answer is far worse. No one wants candidates to stack the deck, but CNN says its sorry it didn't do that for the GOP.

* Technically I believe Jesus was more into a nice Bordeaux. But I'm just guessing.

Via The Seattle Times.