TIME Editor Mark Halperin Calls Obama 'Kind of a D*ck' During Live MSNBC Show

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" prides itself on the relaxed and loose feel of its "sitting around the breakfast table, talking about the country" program.  There are even rumors that CBS is in talks to steal the show for their perennially lackluster morning programming slot.

Considering the kind of chatter delivered by the "Morning Joe" crew today, I wonder if CBS might reconsider their plans?

It was just after 6am and the discussion kicking off the day was dealing with President Obama's press conference from the day before. Regular MSNBC contributor and TIME Magazine editor Mark Halperin was asked his thoughts on the presser and he gave a rather unvarnished assessment:

[Content WARNING: clip contains an inappropriate reference]

The segment continued with some additional references to the "delay button" problem, but after a commercial break, Mr. Halperin was given the chance to apologize to the President:

"Joking aside, this is not a pro-forma apology, this is an absolute apology, heartfelt to the President and to the viewers, I became part of the joke, but that's no excuse. I made a mistake and I'm sorry and I should not have said it, and as I say I apologize to the President and the viewers who heard me say that."

Halperin's facial expression tells a great story:

MSNBC's official video posts from Morning Joe edited around the gaffe and the apology.

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The spontaneous "magic" that happens in first half hour of Morning Joe's three hour, daily show is often rebroadcast in the eight o'clock hour, it is doubtful that MSNBC will repeat the first half hour of June 30, 2011, but one never knows.

Update: "Morning Joe" did break from their typical format, starting the 8am hour with live programming (instead of the first segment of the 6am hour). The segment also featured a second and third apology from Mark Halperin.

Halperin has also added a Twitter apology. (I wonder if Obama "follows" the Time editor?)

Update: Halperin has been suspended 'indefinitely' by MSNBC.