Fired from CNN, Rick Sanchez could rise again

During a Thursday interview with Sirius radio promoting his new book "Conventional Idiocy: Why the New America Is Sick of Old Politics," Sanchez took a few shots at comedian Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show," calling him a bigot, and insinuating that CNN and most media are controlled by Jews.

Sanchez, who worked in Atlanta and New York, was gone from the struggling cable news network by the next day and then became the butt of a long stream of jokes.

David Letterman dedicated a Top 10 list to excuses Sanchez might have used, including "No. 4: Was trying to impress Mel Gibson."

While Sanchez has yet to comment on his disappearance, his wife, Suzanne Sanchez, mentioned on her Facebook page that the anchor had already apologized to Stewart.

Stewart, who has frequently poked fun at Sanchez on his show (he called Sanchez's show, "Rick's List," "extremely pokeable"), devoted a segment to the Sanchez comments on Monday, comparing him to the lovable but brainless boss played by Steve Carell on "The Office." Stewart also concluded that he thought Sanchez had a "good heart."

Others thought Sanchez might have created the furor with a goal in mind. "I think Rick had an agenda," said Battista, a 22-year veteran of CNN who left in 2002. "I think he knew exactly what  he was doing, that he was angry about losing that 8 p.m. time spot."

Sanchez filled in as a temporary anchor during the evening time period but was never given the more desirable position permanently. In his interview with Pete Dominick he complained that he was wasn't treated as first-rank talent, partly because of his Hispanic heritage. Sanchez was 2 years old when his  family left Cuba for the United States, and his parents worked at blue-collar jobs to support the family.

"An anchor is what you give the high-profile white guys, you know," he told Dominick.

Those comments were "ill-advised and probably dead wrong," said O. Ricardo Pimentel, former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. "I’m not sure how one continues after you’ve said that about your bosses."

This was an especially bad example of foot-in-mouth syndrome, said Michael Castengera, a senior lecturer at the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. "As a manager, I might say, ‘Rick, if you have that many problems with your employer and think that badly of them, then why are you there?'"

Yet if Spitzer, who resigned from office after admitting repeat visits to high-priced call girls, can rehabilitate his image, Sanchez can do the same, Battista said. Someone is probably offering Sanchez a radio talk show right now, she added.

And Spitzer did pretty well during his Monday night debut, she added, "though it's hard to get past that whole image of him romping with prostitutes."