'Vile' attack on Laura Ingraham leads MSNBC to suspend talk show host

Brash, loud and opinionated, talk show host Ed Schultz aspires to be the liberal counterpart of shock-jock Rush Limbaugh – an aspiration that remained unfulfilled until Tuesday, when Schultz made headlines with an venomous attack on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham.

Discussing Ingraham's criticism of Barack Obama's trip to Europe – including his pint of Guinness in Ireland – during tornado devastation in the Midwest, Schultz said:

President Obama is going to be visiting Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday, but you know what they're talking about, like this right-wing slut, what's her name?, Laura Ingraham? Yeah, she's a talk slut.

Ingraham – who bills herself "the most listened-to woman in political talk radio" – is a former Reagan speech writer and an avowed conservative – but Schultz's status as a left-leaning commentator on MSNBC did nothing to shield him from a wave of criticism from both left and right.

ThinkProgress, the liberal blogging arm of the Centre for American Progress, was quick to call on Schultz to apologise:

Ed Schultz, who has criticized conservatives for their sexism, should apologise to Laura Ingraham during his show tonight. And he should remember that there's more to building a progressive movement than attacking regressive conservative policies. Respect for women and women's issues is a core fundamental value, and should never be compromised.

Although Schultz made the remarks on his syndicated radio show, his apology came on his more prominent daily cable news show on MSNBC:

On my radio show yesterday, I used vile and inappropriate language when talking about talk show host Laura Ingraham. I am deeply sorry, and I apologize. It was wrong, uncalled for, and I recognise the severity of what I said. I apologize to you, Laura, and ask for your forgiveness.

In a lengthy and emotional statement direct to camera, Schultz went on to say: "I want to apologise to Laura I I want to apologise to my family, my wife, I have embarrassed my family, I have embarrassed this company.... this is the lowest of lows for me."

Schultz's fulsome apology followed a terse statement from MSNBC management, announcing his suspension for a week without pay. "Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," it concluded.

In all of this, Ingraham herself seemed unfazed, explaining with tongue in cheek: "First, I was surprised to learn that Ed Schultz actually hosted a radio show. Is it only available online?"

Today, Ingraham accepted Schultz's apology in the modern fashion – via Twitter: "Ed Schultz: Apology accepted."

Commenters on Ingraham's Facebook fan page weren't so charitable: "If he said that about any liberal woman he probably would have been fired."

In 2008, MSNBC anchor David Shuster was suspended by the network after saying that the Clinton family seemed to have "pimped out'' Chelsea during her mother's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination – but only after criticism from the Clinton campaign.