Nothing is more squirm-inducing these days than watching grown-ups engage in nudge-nudge wink-wink talk about marijuana. But that’s what viewers of CNN were treated to when CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Jessica Yellin were discussing the August 2007 arrest of Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank‘s partner James Ready for pot possession.

It starts when Yellin rightly mocks Frank for saying “he would not be able to recognize a marijuana plant because, quote, ‘He’s not a great outdoorsman.’” Then Yellin asks Blitzer if he would be able to spot a pot plant if he saw one. Blitzer stammers, “I’m not sure I would know. I could smell it. I know what it would smell like. But I’m not sure…let’s check in with Lou Dobbs.”

(Note to Wolf: If you really don’t know by now what a pot plant looks like — after hundreds of videotaped reports over the years documenting massive marijuana-growing busts — you should get out of the news business now. Now.)

Blitzer then says, “You could smell the marijuana, Lou, but you probably couldn’t recognize a plant. Am I right or wrong?” Dobbs seems to put an end to the embarrassing nonsense when he replies, “Well, you’re dead wrong. I would recognize it rather readily.” After giving Frank credit for providing some unintentional comic fodder to the adult world, Dobbs concludes, “By the way, you and Jessica I think got out of that just in time to save both your careers.”

Lou, please tell us you were kidding.