On the July 7 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, host Lou Dobbs referred to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom as a “little darling” three times while criticizing him over San Francisco's policy regarding undocumented immigrants. Dobbs also referred to Newsom as a “precious darling” and said that Newsom “owes the folks of San Francisco, all of us, an apology for his immaturity, his irresponsibility, and for just being such a precious fraud.”

Dobbs has repeatedly used the phrase “little darling” or “precious darling” to describe people and organizations:

• On the June 23 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs referred to an environmental group suing to stop the building of a border fence between the United States and Mexico as a group of “little darlings.”

• On the June 16 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, discussing a 5-4 Supreme Court decision, Dobbs referred to justices in the majority as “little darlings.” He also referred to them as “liberal darlings.”

• On the June 10 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, Dobbs referred to “the little darlings at The New York Times.”

• On the May 28 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs referred to “so-called mainstream journalists” as “little darlings.”

• On the April 24 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, after a report on contaminated doses of the prescription drug heparin imported from China, Dobbs said: “Well, what are the little darlings going to do about it?” Dobbs added:
  

  I mean, we've heard this story year after year after year. Eighty-one people have died as a result of those heparin contaminants, and we have this kabuki dance that goes on in Washington. We've got retired official after retired official. Why aren't people being fired? Why aren't resources being added to the FDA and to other agencies who have regulatory responsibilities? And why in the world is anyone seriously taking self-regulation as some sort of reasonable approach when lives are at stake?

From the July 7 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight:

DOBBS: And the idea that this mayor, this -- a man I've referred to as a “little darling” because he's so doggone precious, Gavin Newsom, thinking somehow that a illegal alien is somehow free of responsibility for paying off human smugglers, that drug dealers are somehow free of responsibility for breaking our laws and devastating lives throughout this country. It is incomprehensible that a community and a city as wonderful as San Francisco could support that kind of just utterly intellectually fraudulent and irresponsible action on the part of any public official. It's extraordinary.

CASEY WIAN (CNN correspondent): Even in San Francisco, they're questioning this policy, this decision. The San Francisco Chronicle, the hometown paper there, was the one who broke this story first, Lou.

DOBBS: Our congratulations and commendation to the Chronicle for outstanding journalism. Thank you. Appreciate your terrific reporting as always, Casey. Casey Wian.

Well, Gavin Newsom, the good mayor, finally forced to set things straight concerning the absurd sanctuary policy. Newsom, of course, has launched a number of attacks against me as well for opposing San Francisco's sanctuary city status and because he doesn't like the fact apparently that I support the rule of law. Listen to what the mayor, the precious darling, had to say about me, a short while back.

NEWSOM [video clip]: We have been very concerned in the last year and a half or two years with the renewed vigor by the federal government and ICE to adopt more aggressive strategies for immigration raids. We are very concerned about a lot of the language, the incendiary language, that has been used in the last number of years, both in Congress and on right-wing radio and on cable TV, where careers are literally being saved and salvaged like Lou Dobbs.

DOBBS: Well, obviously, it's Mayor Newsom who's focused on his career. And it is a career that apparently needs some salvaging since he is so irresponsible and immature as to carry out intelligent and principled public policy.

So, the man I can't really refer to in much of any other expression rather than just little darling. I could use other language, but he just strikes me as a little darling, Mayor Newsom does. He, in my judgment, owes the folks of San Francisco, all of us, an apology for his immaturity, his irresponsibility, and for just being such a precious fraud. It doesn't really work, Mayor Newsom. You can forget about it. It worked for a while in San Francisco, but I believe your time is up.

That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight and the question: “Do you believe Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco should publicly apologize for endangering the safety of U.S. citizens by shielding criminal illegal aliens?” Yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results here later in the broadcast.