Obama calls Kanye a jackass.

I agree.

NEW YORK – President Barack Obama's candid thoughts about Kanye West are provoking a debate over standards of journalism in the Twitter age.

ABC News says it was wrong for its employees to tweet that Obama had called West a "jackass" for the rapper's treatment of country singer Taylor Swift. The network said some of its employees had overheard a conversation between the president and CNBC's John Harwood and didn't realize it was considered off the record.

The network apologized to the White House and CNBC.

Harwood had sat down with the president to tape an interview following his appearance on Wall Street on Monday. Although they are competitors, CNBC and ABC share a fiber optic line to save money, and this enabled some ABC employees to listen in on the interview as it was being taped for later use.

Their attention was drawn to chatter about West, who was widely criticized for interrupting Swift as she accepted an award at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards to say that Beyonce deserved it.

WORD

When you are the President, there is no such thing as "off the record".

ABC's apology shows tremendous White House influence over that network. We should go ahead and put it under government control.

obama should apologise to Kanye West, the Republicans in the Senate, the Republicans in Congress, all Republican American citizens, for his loud and obscene behavior.

JonR

I heard Jim Wilson called Kanye West a liar and Kanye threatened to "pop a cap in his azz". Subsequently, Congress decided to censure Wilson and create a day of honor for Kanye. Forthwith, Sept. 12th shall now be known as free speech night for jackasses.

Doesn't appear to be anything I can add to what's already been said:)

You know, the real Idi Amin would have had Kanye executed. Ergo, the designation of "Jr."

... oh no ... now we'll have to have a "Malt Liquor Summit" ...

... and "on the record" ... I have to agree with Obama on this one ... West WAS acting like a jackass ...