The David Shuster mess was one of the subjects discussed on CNN’s Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz today. Transcript follows…

KURTZ: The youngest member of the Clinton family has been slimed. In a discussion of Chelsea Clinton’s role in her mother’s presidential campaign this week, MSNBC correspondent David Shuster had this to say…

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DAVID SHUSTER, MSNBC: Chelsea is out there calling up celebrities saying, support my mom. And apparently she’s also calling the superdelegates.

Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?

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KURTZ: Pimped out? Excuse me? What an awful choice of words.

But when the Clinton campaign cried foul, Shuster stood his ground. That is, until his MSNBC bosses found out about it the next day and apologized to the Hillary camp. Soon afterwards, Shuster said he was sorry as well.

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SHUSTER: In describing this effort, I used a phrase that was inappropriate. And I apologize to the Clinton family, the Clinton campaign, and all of you who were justifiably offended.

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KURTZ: But the Clinton campaign was not mollified. Communications director Howard Wolfson told me the comment was “disgusting” and “beneath contempt,” and said Hillary might pull out of a scheduled MSNBC debate in Cleveland which Brian Williams and Tim Russert were to moderate in two weeks.

Shortly after that threat on Friday, MSNBC suspended David Shuster for an undetermined period of time.

Joining me now here in Washington, Michelle Cottle, senior editor of “The New Republic,” and Jim Geraghty, contributing editor at “National Review.”

Michelle Cottle, was this an overreaction by MSNBC? I noticed that the suspension came after that threat by the Hillary Clinton campaign to possibly boycott future debates on that network.

MICHELLE COTTLE, SR. EDITOR, “THE NEW REPUBLIC”: Well, you know, the Clinton campaign is not stupid. They know that they’re worth a lot of money to the network. And if they pull out of those debates, it’s trouble.

So, I mean, it’s a tricky issue when you’re talking about anything that’s sexist, and especially when you’re talking about somebody’s child. So, I think, better safe than sorry, they were going to do something like this.

KURTZ: The blogger Ann Althouse had a headline saying this was not that big a deal — “NBC wimped out over ‘pimped out.’”
There are some bloggers out there saying, what’s the big deal?

JIM GERAGHTY, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, “NATIONAL REVIEW”: You know, Howard, I want to thank you having me on the one time I’m going to defend Hillary Clinton and the Clinton family and just say, apparently Shuster graduated from the Don Imus school of tact and diplomacy and sensitivity here.

Look, I guess the big question is, how long is this suspension going to go on?
If this is for two days, to tell him, sit in the corner, don’t use that word again, try to think before you speak, and don’t use sexual connotations when describing Chelsea Clinton, then fine. If this goes on for two weeks or for some sort of lengthy period of time, then I think we may wonder whether — you know, anybody can say something stupid and have a slip of the tongue and say something they regret.

COTTLE: And this didn’t happen in a vacuum. I mean, let’s not forget this is MSNBC.
And when, like, EMILY’s List and the Clinton campaign went berserk, it’s because they’ve also watched Chris Matthews be really snotty and snarky and sexist about Hillary Clinton. This is also, you know, the network that brings us Joe Scarborough, who I believe is the one who was commenting on Mrs. Fred Thompson working the pole at some point, or am I getting — am I misremembering that?

KURTZ: He was talking about an exercise routine.
Now, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann did not let his colleague off the hook. Here’s what he said the other night.
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KEITH OLBERMANN, MSNBC: It was still an utterly inappropriate and indefensible thing to say. The Clintons have every right to be furious, hurt and appalled.

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KURTZ: And, by the way, Hillary Clinton has written a letter to NBC News president Steve Capus saying that no temporary suspension or half-hearted apology is sufficient. So they’re clearly working this issue.