AN employee at MSNBC's "Hardball" probably feels like hiding in a cave for a while after mistakenly flashing a graphic of terror lord Osama bin Laden as host Chris Matthews was discussing presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Monday. The Illinois Democrat's campaign staffers immediately called in to complain and Matthews issued an instant apology on-air. NBC News said it "reprimanded" the unidentified graphics department geek, but did not detail the punishment. It's been a tough 2008 for MSNBC. Earlier this month, reporter David Shuster was suspended for two weeks after accusing Hillary Clinton of "pimping out" her daughter, Chelsea. And Matthews was forced to say "sorry" last month for suggesting that Hillary's political stature was a result of husband Bill's philandering.

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