Jesse's mouth

Here's a link to the blog post I did for the Register this afternoon about Jesse Jackson mouthing off about Barack Obama. When I wrote it I hadn't seen the actual video but relied on another blog for an approximation of what was said. When I watched it on TV tonight, it was more like "I'd like to cut his nuts off." And the apparent context had to do with reliance on "faith-based" rather than being a direct reference to Obama's Cosbyesque Father Day speech -- although O'Reilly said they hadn't shown the entire exchange, so maybe there was some reference.

As I noted, I would hardly be amazed if Jesse harbors some deep resentment against Obama. Jesse has spent his life race-mongering and trying to be a pioneer (at least in his own estimation), and now the first black with a real shot at being president turns out to be a vague let's-get-beyond-race kind of guy.

Having seen the footage, I'm a little concerned about ethics at Fox News. Jesse was obviously whispering to his fellow guest, making what seemed to be an effort not to be overheard. Yet Fox put what he had tried to make a private moment on national television. Do they routinely have hidden cameras in the green room, or was one installed especially for Jesse? Do they warn guests there's a camera there? I understand that when you're anywhere in a TV studio you don't expect perfect privacy, but this looks a bit like an ambush. It revealed a fascinating side of the good reverend, but I wonder how ethical that was.