The answer to that question is apparently, there's this other button over here.

The 7 second delay mode can do two things on TV broadcasts. It can bleep out profanity or any other unwanted materials. It can also be activated to encourage a guest on a show to freely speak his mind, if the guest isn't sure about appropriateness of his comments.

That's what analyst Mark Halperin was encouraged to do on MSNBC show Morning Joe .

When asked about President Obama's press conference on Wednesday, Halperin jokingly asked if MSNBC was on a 7 second delay because he wanted to characterize how the President behaved.

He was about to move on from the joke when the two MSNBC hosts immediately interrupted and jumped all over him.

How do you think he behaved?

We have it, we can use it, right [producer]?

Sure, come on, take a chance.

Yeah, go for it, let's see what happens.

Host Joe Scarborough said: I'm behind you, you fall down, I'm going to catch you.

Egged on, Halperin uttered the infamous I thought he was kind of a d*ck yesterday phrase.

Scarborough immediately told the producer to delay that comment. Except the producer didn't because he pressed the wrong button. The d*ck comment was aired live.

What was the producer's defense?

There's a lot of buttons here.

Now, Halperin has been thrown under the bus. He is suspended indefinitely from MSNBC and has since apologized profusely.

Never mind that the producer was supposed to actually know how to do the job, in the words of MSNBC co-host Mika Brzezinski.