Off-mic may not be the best time to Give 'Em Hell

During his whistlestop speech in Harrisburg, Illinois, one of Harry Truman's supporters shouted to him "Give 'Em Hell, Harry!", to which he replied: "I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." At least Truman had the courage to do so in their face and not from the comfort of a limo driving away before disconnecting his hot microphone.

As a result, this will be the picture (via the BBC) that will perhaps symbolise the practical end of Gordon Brown's political career: (barring a dramatic turn of events that would easily eclipse Truman '48)

This photo is of Brown listening to a replay of his comments on BBC Radio 2's noon news programme hosted by Jeremy Vine. During his visit, Brown expressed great remorse for his comments and later apologised to the woman he accused of being "bigoted".

As has been reported on both sides of the pond (because American media love to jump on quips like this, thank you very much TMZ), Gordon Brown was meeting residents in Rochdale, a town just north of Manchester, when he received a question from Gillian Duffy, a 65-year-old woman who (until recently) was a lifelong supporter of Labour. Duffy, who said she was only out to buy some bread, is now being seen as the catalyst of what could be the final nail in the coffin of Labour's chances of winning the election.

Her question? Immigration, specifically concerning the influx of people from Eastern Europe. Many of those nations are in the EU, meaning persons from Poland, the Baltic States, Romania, and others can relocate to the UK in almost the same manner someone can move from West Virginia to Iowa. While Brown attempted to point the finger at the media and staffers for not giving Brown the chance to answer the question, he didn't seem interested to answer it on that Radio 2 clip either. (And given what's going down in Arizona, with the prospect of it happening in other states soon, this question really needed answered.)

The gaffe (and now worst-yet breakout of Foot-In-Mouth Disease) could overshadow Brown's performance, and perhaps any worthwhile discussion, during this evening's debate in Birmingham on the BBC. (And, it won't be an opportunity for the SNP to waste most of the UK's time, as a judge in Edinburgh denied SNP's request to require the BBC to include them or block the transmission in Scotland, saying that their filing, "lacks the requisite precision and clarity."

On the bright side, it's been five minutes and Russia's still standing.