CNN's "glitch"?

CNN has maintained that the "'X' over Dick Cheney's face" fiasco was the result of a "glitch", or a technical snafu. To be fair, most technical analysts said that CNN was likely correct. Well, apparently a CNN operator didn't get the memo. From Drudge:

A CNN switchboard operator was fired over the holiday -- after the operator claimed the 'X' placed over Vice President's Dick Cheney's face was "free speech!"

"We did it just to make a point. Tell them to stop lying, Bush and Cheney," the CNN operator said to a caller. "Bring our soldiers home."

The caller initially phoned the network to complain about the all-news channel flashing an "X' over Cheney as he gave an address live from Washington.

"Was it not freedom of speech? Yes or No?" the CNN operator explained.

"If you don't like it, don't watch."

Laurie Goldberg, Senior Vice President for Public Relations with CNN, said in a release:

"A Turner switchboard operator was fired today after we were alerted to a conversation the operator had with a caller in which the operator lost his temper and expressed his personal views -- behavior that was totally inappropriate. His comments did not reflect the views of CNN. We are reaching out to the caller and expressing our deep regret to her and apologizing that she did not get the courtesy entitled to her."

Kudos to CNN for doing the right thing, though it does make one wonder:

Just how different was this operator from his co-workers (other operators, on-air anchors, newshounds, etc.) at CNN? The institutionalized liberal bias we've come to expect from CNN can be easily referenced over the years, so was he perhaps simply more overt than his CNN brethren? If so, was he comfortable enough in his knowledge of co-workers' (and superiors') said liberalism to think that he would be shielded from repercussions?

If he was indeed this comfy, then he just got the Dan Rather - Mary Mapes rude awakening: welcome to the Information Age (and unemployment line), you schmuck!