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Martin Bashir exits MSNBC in wake of Sarah Palin outburst

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Martin Bashir has learned something Alec Baldwin already knows: Even a cable news host can say too much.

MSNBC announced Wednesday that Bashir, a commentator and host of the 4 p.m. hour, is leaving after an uproar over his remarks last month about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Disputing Palin’s position that compared the national debt to slavery, Bashir during an on-air segment called Palin “America’s resident dunce” and then suggested a slave-like scatalogical punishment for her. (Entire video is below; warning: strong language.)

He later apologized for the remarks, which brought widespread condemnation. This week — after some time off over the Thanksgiving holiday — he officially resigned after three years at the cable network.

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“I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers — who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences,” Bashir wrote in a statement released Wednesday.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin wrote: “Martin is a good man and respected colleague — we wish him only the best.”

The London-born Bashir, who rose to fame with his ITV interview with Michael Jackson in 2003, was the cohost of ABC’s “Nightline” from 2005 to 2010.

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Bashir is the second top host to exit MSNBC after a scandal in recent weeks. Baldwin recently left in a “mutual parting” after he was accused of accosting a photographer with a homophobic epithet.

What do you think of Bashir and his exit?

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