A MEDIUM LARGE TRANSPORT DURING PUSHBACK DEFERS A FAILED #1 RADIO ALTIMETER BUT FAILS TO PLACARD THE RADIO ALTIMETER AND AUTOLAND STATUS UNTIL INFLT.

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ON JUL/XA/00; FLT XYZ TO SFO WAS DELAYED BY ATC DUE TO WX IN SFO. JUST A FEW MINS PRIOR TO OUR PUSHBACK; WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO MAKE OUR RELEASE TIME; I NOTICED THE #2 RADAR ALTIMETER WAS INOP. IN ORDER TO MAKE OUR RELEASE TIME AND BE EFFICIENT; I CONTACTED DISPATCH THROUGH A RADIO PATCH AND HAD THE #2 RADAR ALTIMETER DEFERRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MEL 34-20. I PLACED A WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK AND WE CONTINUED THE PUSHBACK AND TAXI OUT FOR TKOF. AFTER CLBING THROUGH 10000 FT; I PLACED A PLACARD NEXT TO THE RADAR ALTIMETER SHOWING IT INOP. ALL OF THIS WAS OBSERVED BY A MR ABC WVXX WHO IS AN AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR. HE WAS GIVING US AN ENRTE INSPECTION. HE WAS CONCERNED WITH PLACARDING THE RADAR ALTIMETER AFTER THE ACFT WAS FLYING AND WITH NO PLACARD ON THE CAT III SYMBOL SHOWING A DOWNGRADE TO CAT I STATUS. HE SAID THAT BOTH PLACARDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED AT THE GATE BEFORE DEP. HE COUNSELED US ON THIS AND I AGREE THAT HE WAS CORRECT. I ALLOWED THE RELEASE TIME TO SFO TO INFLUENCE ME AND RATHER THAN TAKING THE TIME TO ACCOMPLISH ALL ASPECTS OF THE MEL; I HURRIED AND DID NOT PLACARD THE RADAR ALTIMETER OR CAT III SYMBOL UNTIL AFTER DEP.