Rep. Etheridge and the "Gotcha" Video

In a video posted today on YouTube, Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) demonstrates how NOT to react to a kid with a video camera who confronts you on the street.



I have been keeping an eye out for the news of who is behind this escapade, but the fact that the "students" never reveal their names or the name of their school tells me that this encounter was a setup.  However, regardless of the intent of the "students," could Rep. Etheridge possibly have reacted in a worse way?  A simple "contact my office if you wish to conduct an interview" would have been fine.  Coming as it does so soon on the heals of the Helen Thomas incident, you would think that the Congressman would have had a better response than to slap the camera to the ground and physically assualt the guy who asked the question.  I expect that this incident will be widely reported by conservative bloggers and completely ignored by the mainstream media.

Follow up:  Rep. Etheridge has posted an apology for the incident on his website.