In another awesome benchmark for journalists respecting the code of “off the record” (seriously, didn’t Judy Miller go to jail rather than do something like this?), the video during which Barack Obama called Kanye West a “jackass” for his behavior at this weekend’s VMAs has been leaked. Politico’s Ben Smith briefly posted the footage, then took it down when, in his words, “wiser heads” prevailed. But CNN had already scooped up the clip, seen here. It matches the audio footage that leaked yesterday, the provenance of which Intel Chris wrongly questioned. What’s handy about this clip is that you can now actually see the look on his face when Barack Obama realizes that even though the conversation was “off the record,” the tape would swiftly and irrevocably get leaked.
