MSNBC suspends Halperin for Obama comment

MSNBC Thursday suspended a prominent on-air analyst for using a vulgar term to refer to President Barack Obama. The incident quickly drew a rebuke from the White House, which called the comment "inappropriate."

Mark Halperin, editor at large for Time magazine and senior political analyst for the cable network, was speaking with the hosts of "Morning Joe," Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, shortly after the program began Thursday, and asked whether the 7-second delay button was working because he wanted to characterize the president's demeanor during his Wednesday news conference. Assured that it was, he then referred to the president using the term, which prompted a howl from Scarborough.

The camera then switched to the control room, where a producer joked that there was a lot of buttons, and he wasn't sure which one to push. Halperin's comment went out on live TV.

Halperin apologized on the air, but was suspended "indefinitely" moments after the show ended.

In a statement, MSNBC said: "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. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst."

Asked whether the gaffe was part of a gimmick or joke on the show, MSNBC referred back to the statement.

Halperin issued his own statement, which read, in part, "I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the president, to my MSNBC colleagues and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it."

MSNBC has suspended a number of on-air personalities -- even Scarborough, briefly -- over various transgressions.

Halperin did not return a call placed to his home.