MSNBC host Joe Scarborough dropped what he calls an F-bomb on Morning Joe today, letting the profanity slip when describing Rahm Emanuel's hard-charging style as “flipping people off and screaming F-you at the top of their lungs.” Which might be inconsequential, writes Glenn Greenwald for Salon, except that Scarborough has relentlessly railed against profanity on American airwaves and pushed for strict FCC penalties against violators.
Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, pressed the FCC to fine CBS after Janet Jackson’s infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime show wardrobe malfunction. At the time he also complained that kids are “being exposed to the F-bomb from rock stars at award shows, from actresses at award shows. Unbelievable.” Following his logic—that an apology isn’t enough—his outburst should net MSNBC a big fine, Greenwald says. (More Joe Scarborough stories.)