CNN Host Calls Obama 'Cotton-Picking President'

Oops! During a discussion with CNN cohort Jessica Yellin regarding recent controversies surrounding President Obama and his religious faith, Rick Sanchez  used an old fashioned (and some might add racist) phrase that he immediately regretted, exasperating “he’s the cotton picking President!” Shortly after he made that comment CNN went to commercial, and immediately upon coming back from the break Sanchez offered a thoughtful apology and clarification regarding his very poor choice of words.

According to Phrase Finder, “the term ‘cotton-picking’ originated in the southern states of the USA, where it is usually pronounced cotton-pickin’” Newsweek Senior Editor Julia Reed came under criticism for making a similar comment while guesting on CNN’s AC 360 when she said that President Obama was “out of his cotton picking mind.”