Air America talker Randi Rhodes, a longtime hero of mine, has flipped from rabid Hillary Clinton supporter to even more rabid Clinton-basher in recent months. The network has suspended her because, as shown in the clip above, she called Hillary Clinton a “fucking whore” at a private, non-Air America event in San Francisco on March 22.

What the clip shows, more than anything, is that news people should avoid attempting stand-up comedy. Which is not to say she didn’t have the crowd laughing as she called Geraldine Ferraro a whore; Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Dick Cheney racists and anti-Semites; and then dropped a combo f-bomb/’ho-bomb on Hillary.

Here’s the official statement from Air America:

New York – Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station.

“Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts,” said chair Charlie Kireker.

Obama supporters see a conspiracy:

Brian Maloney questions the timing: “Consider this: the incident occurred two full weeks ago, on 22 March. What explains the delay in her removal? Certainly, there wasn’t a public controversy to deal with, almost no one not in attendance that night even knew about it.” He notes that Kireker is a Clinton supporter and that Rhodes has made even more outrageous statements about the likes of Mitt Romney without repercussions.

Rhodes has suggested the suspension is a breach of contract, and says her employers have “damaged my hard won excellent reputation in the broadcast industry.”