Obama's Take on Kanye
Perhaps President Barack Obama needs to note when something is off the record before telling it like it is. Prior to taping an interview with CNBC's John Harwood in September 2009, the president and reporter engaged in a little bit of pop culture chit-chat, including a discussion of what Obama thought of Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. When someone asked, "Why would he do that?" Obama frankly responded, "He's a jackass" to a room full of laughter. While Obama followed his comment with, "I'm assuming all this stuff ..." making a hand signal wto imply that what he was saying was off the record, he probably should have finished the sentence. Three ABC news employees, who were able to listen in on the interview via a shared fiber optic line, tweeted out Obama's comment, which took off online. ABC News later apologized for the breach.