Perhaps 2011’s Most Incomprehensible Interview, Courtesy Of CNN

In light of the commencement of airstrikes on Libya earlier in the day, CNN asked: what, if anything, will Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi do to fight back? Anchor Fionnuala Sweeney welcomed Libya scholar Ronald Bruce St. John for his opinion…if only anyone had been able to hear it.

Honestly, throughout the two-plus minutes St. John and Sweeney corresponded via Skype, the only aspects of St. John’s opinion we’re sure of are the parts Sweeney filled us in on. St. John thinks Gaddafi will indeed put up a fight against the airstrikes, but beyond that, the Skype connection, which went in and out almost literally every two seconds, didn’t allow us to hear much more.

There was something about doing something “in support of the people” at some point, and something about how England and France have taken “the lead role” in the airstrikes, ahead of the U.S. What there wasn’t, amazingly: any acknowledgement by Sweeney of the obvious technical difficulties. Not that it wasn’t clear to anyone watching, but one might expect to expect to hear a standard, “We understand we’re having some trouble with the audio; we apologize.” Watch the interview – and maybe hear a word here and there from St. John, but rarely a full consecutive sentence – below.

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