As a reporter, Tom Brokaw is dignified and unflappable — but you wouldn't like him when he's angry. A USA Today article quotes a statement Brokaw made via NBC in response to Mitt Romney's new "History Lesson" ad. The TV spot, which began running in Florida this weekend, is mostly footage from a 1997 Nightly News report on Newt Gingrich's ethics violation. And while Brokaw is admittedly rather sassy in the footage, he doesn't appreciate having it used out of context in a campaign attack ad.

I am extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad. I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign.

Not to mention the fact that few people want to be reminded of how they looked in 1997.

Despite Brokaw's protests, the Romney campaign will not be pulling the ad until they receive a formal complaint from NBC. Meanwhile NBC spokesperson Lauren Kapp claims the campaign was, in fact, sent a letter demanding removal of all NBC News material from its ads. While these two play "he said, she said," perhaps Brokaw himself will somehow put a stop to this madness. If you've seen how sour this man's face gets, you know he means business.

And you do not fuck with Tom Brokaw's journalistic integrity.

[Image via AP]