MSNBC suspends analyst Halperin for Obama remark (Reuters)

(Note: Use of strong language in the second paragraph)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cable news channel MSNBC suspended political analyst Mark Halperin on Thursday hours after he used foul language to describe President Barack Obama on national television.

When asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program what he thought of Obama's news conference on the budget the day before, Halperin replied: "Are we on the seven-second delay today?" before adding, "I thought he was kind of a d*** yesterday."

Realizing his remark was not bleeped out by the show's producers, he quickly apologized.

But the cable news network said Halperin was suspended indefinitely from his analyst role.

"Mark Halperin's comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air," MSNBC said in a statement.

During his news conference, Obama compared Senate Republicans to lazy schoolchildren as he urged Congress to get cracking on federal budget and deficit legislation.

Halperin said in a statement he agreed with MSNBC.

"I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate," he said. "My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it."

MSNBC has suspended others in the past, including talk show host Keith Olbermann last year for campaign donations to Democrats. Olbermann later left the channel.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Doina Chiacu)

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"He's already part of the NBC family, has a huge fan base and is very respected for his long term passions for politics," a network source tells me, adding that Alec is very high, perhaps even No. 1, on the wish lists of MSNBC bigwigs.

"Yes, it's something that I'm very, very interested in," Alec, 52, answered when the governor-turned-host asked if politics was a "game" he wanted to enter. "To quit (acting) now when it really feels good and doing it feels good would be an enormously difficult thing to do. However, I do believe that people want to believe that someone who deeply cares about the middle class ... would like to seek public office."

A friend of Alec's tells me that if he opts out of politics (and acting, of course), a career as a cable news opinion host would suit him perfectly.

"He's brilliant on camera and honestly cares about news and fighting for the rights of everyday people," my source believes. "Don't count him out. There was a time when everyone said Alec would never do a sitcom, only movies. Those same people are saying he would never run for office or host a political show."

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