Nation screeder Eric Alterman, generally acknowledged (by us!) to be the biggest putz on the left or the right, has taken to the internets to explain away his recent arrest for refusing to leave the Spin Room during Sunday's Democratic presidential debate after attempting to cadge a few drinks at the open bar. (One can only imagine how many party hosts suddenly wish they had similar constabulary powers.)

I was arrested, as I now understand it, entirely on the basis of a misunderstanding. I was asked to leave a room. I left the room. The entire conversation that led to my arrest took place outside the room I was asked to leave.

My impression, in retrospect, is that the police officer wanted me to leave the entire building (even though I was credentialed to be there). But this was never made clear to me. I thought he was just continuing to hassle me for no reason.

When I was handcuffed and arrested, I was having a civil conversation with his commanding officer, trying to ask him to ask the guy to stop hassling me. The arresting officer, who did not actually work for the jurisdiction in question, continually interrupted my attempt at this conversation, until I finally asked him to please let me finish a sentence, at which point I was arrested.

The shmucky socialist goes on to lament the fact that CNN didn't attempt to contact him on his cell before running with the story ("Many people managed to reach me on my cell, and I don't think they even tried."). Hard as it might be to imagine, maybe Alterman's cell number isn't exactly right on the top of CNN's Rolodex. Also? Maybe they reported what they saw, in that weird journalistic way reporters have.

In any event, Alterman is perturbed (that is, incredibly thrilled) to be such big news. We bet he's wishing every old famous person in the world well right now, just so they don't knock the ferkakte Fabian from the front pages (of, you know, a couple weblogs).

Alterman's Arrest [The Nation]