Some days, I’m glad I’m still safe and snug in journalism school, not getting told off by former presidents in front of all my friends.

A CNN reporter asked former president Bill Clinton to comment on accusations by an Obama supporter that Hillary Clinton’s campaign tactics resembled those of the notorious Lee Atwater. Atwater, a Republican strategist and advisor, is credited with pioneering a number of questionable campaign tactics, such as spreading reputation-destroying rumors.

The comparison was referring to alleged efforts by the Clinton campaign to appeal to voters on the basis of race and gender and to charge the Obama campaign with suppressing the vote in Nevada.

Clinton did not appreciate the comparison.

“They are feeding you this because they know this is what you want to cover,” he told the reporter. “This is what you live for. But this hurts the people of South Carolina, because the people of South Carolina are coming to these meetings and asking questions about what they care about. And what they care about is not going to be in the news coverage tonight because you don’t care about it.” (Full transcript.)

“Shame on you,” he said before being ushered out the door. Ouch.