Translation: Expect Anything, Barack Obama. All Bets Are Completely and Totally Off.

In an on-air graphic, above, yesterday, FOX News referred to Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, as “Obama’s Baby Mama!”

According to Salon.com‘s Alex Koppelman,

that description was displayed on-screen several times during the segment, which featured anchor Megyn Kelly and conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, an FNC contributor.

According to Politico.com‘s Michael Calderone, FOX blames “a producer on the program” for the aspersion, adding that they

“exercised poor judgment in using this chyron during the segment,” Fox’s Senior Vice President of Programming Bill Shine said in a statement to Politico.

In addition to being insulting, the phrase “baby mama” is also inaccurate. The Urban Dictionary defines “baby mama” as”the mother of your child(ren), whom you did not marry and with whom you are not currently involved.”

Although Shine doesn’t name anyone responsible, the show’s producer is Jessica Herzberg. A Fox staffer said that others internally were bothered by describing the potential first lady and very accomplished women — as the senator’s “baby mama.”

Obama married his wife, the former Michelle Robinson, in 1992. Their two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha, nicknamed “Sasha,” were born in 1998 and 2001, respectively.

Writing in a piece titled, of all things, “Oh No They Didn’t,” Salon.com columnist Joan Walsh harshly criticized FOX’s racist dig:

Where do you even start when criticizing Fox’s slur? … Are they racist, or just clueless? Isn’t there racism even in their cluelessness, if somebody didn’t know what “baby mama” means, but used it anyway? Even at Fox, won’t somebody have to apologize? Am I wasting my time even thinking about that?

Even on a day when Maureen Dowd found time to “worry” about the coming attack on Michelle Obama, while at the same time passing along an ugly rumor about her (that would never have otherwise found its way into the New York Times), this was shocking.

And yes, those of us who’ve spoken out about the sexism faced by Hillary Clinton have to be vigilant about the vicious personal attacks we know await Michelle Obama (hell, did I just say “await?”)

Last month, in an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Obama famously said, of the Republicans, that they, “should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record.” However, “if they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family.”

Apparently, FOX man-upped and took the challenge.

So far, it appears that the Obama campaign has not commented on the slight.