NEW YORK, Nov 28: A CNN switchboard operator was fired over the weekend by The news network, which allegedly defended a mysterious giant ‘X’ appearing over Vice President Dick Cheney’s face during an interview last week. “Tell them to stop lying, Bush and Cheney,” the CNN operator allegedly said to Preska Thomas, co-founder of the marketing firm Team Hollywood, ‘Bring our soldiers home’.

In a statement CNN said: “After we were alerted to a conversation the operator had with a caller in which the operator lost his temper and expressed his personal views. The behaviour was totally inappropriate.”

His comments did not reflect the views of CNN. “We are reaching out to the caller and expressing our deep regret to her and apologizing that she did not get the courtesy entitled to her.”