CBS Correspondent Roberts Apologizes For Crude Phrasing of Question
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CBS White House correspondent John Roberts apologized yesterday for describing Supreme Court justice nominee Samuel Alito as “sloppy seconds” during a White House press briefing.
Posing a question to the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, Mr. Roberts said, “Scott, you said that – or the president said, repeatedly, that Harriet Miers was the best person for the job. So does that mean Alito is sloppy seconds, or what?”
“Sloppy seconds” is a slang term that pejoratively refers to sexual activity with a person who has just been sexually active with a third party. It is often employed metaphorically as well, as in Mr. Roberts’s case.
In a statement to CBS Public Eye, a blog of CBS news, Mr. Roberts said, “Please be assured that there was no pejorative intent to my question. I was merely attempting to reconcile past statements about Harriet Miers with the president’s new nominee for the Supreme Court.” Mr. Roberts also reportedly later apologized to Mr. McClellan in person.
