Bathtub Boy's favorite bit on television is to fire someone who doesn't work for him, baseball managers, anchors at other networks, whatever. He loves firing people and 'Worst Person in the World' is a favored venue for this activity.

It is also a venue that allows him to be especially unfair to political figures he doesn't like, so expect more of that.

But ... wait. Didn't ESPN II say he wouldn't be doing politics? And doesn't the TV Newser say BtB "also reiterated that he does not have any content clause in his contract prohibiting him from talking about politics"?

Ah, methinks we have the seeds of the next BtB firing!

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For old time's sake, here's a new installment of John Gibson's Blue-Blog-a-Palooza! The Gibson Players dramatize the drooling hatred for Ann Romney, taken word for word from the internet's most popular blue blogs. Click below to listen and enjoy...

• LISTEN: BLUE-BLOG-A-PALOOZA!

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The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann has completed his self-destructive descent into utter irrelevance, but perhaps you can think of something to say about the crash-and-burn career of the world's greatest demagogue. Olbermannwatch is here to give you that opportunity.

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John Gibson has a few words regarding the firing of Keith Olbermann. Mr Gibson worked with Oralmann for years and knows him as few others do. We have the audio for your listening pleasure:

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And he's being replaced by a corrupt ex-politician. Would it be nasty to say that's a step up for Current? Details here.

From Keach Hagey:
Source familiar says Olbermann was fired for failing to show up to work ,"sabotaging the network" and attacking Current execs.

Here is Oralmann's response:

• I'd like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV.
• Editorially, Countdown had never been better. But for more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally, while I've been not publicizing my complaints, and keeping the show alive for the sake of its loyal viewers and even more loyal staff. Nevertheless, Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt, instead of abiding by their promises and obligations and investing in a quality news program, finally thought it was more economical to try to get out of my contract.
• It goes almost without saying that the claims against me implied in Current's statement are untrue and will be proved so in the legal actions I will be filing against them presently. To understand Mr. Hyatt's "values of respect, openness, collegiality and loyalty," I encourage you to read of a previous occasion Mr. Hyatt found himself in court for having unjustly fired an employee. That employee's name was Clarence B. Cain. http://nyti.ms/HueZsa
• In due course, the truth of the ethics of Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt will come out. For now, it is important only to again acknowledge that joining them was a sincere and well-intentioned gesture on my part, but in retrospect a foolish one. That lack of judgment is mine and mine alone, and I apologize again for it.

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Do you remember back when Tony Snow passed away? The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann, who had called Snow every name in the book starting with 'baldfaced liar' and moving up, suddenly claimed he and Snow were good friends:

OLBERMANN: While we could not have disagreed more on policy, we were in frequent contact, even during his days as Press Secretary.

But in fact this was another one of those sudden revelations that always seemed to happen when someone prominent died. Keith would announce, out of the clear blue, what great pals they were, and how the deceased was a regular viewer of Countdown, yada yada yada. But in the case of Tony Snow, his friends didn't take Oralmann's self-puffery lying down:

But a true friend of Snow's says Olbermann had "no relationship with Tony, at all." In fact, Olbermann named Snow his "Worst Person in the World" on Jan. 9, 2007, accusing him of lying about President Bush's 2003 "mission accomplished" speech.

Bathtub Boy pulled this routine over and over. When Tim Russert passed away, Olby laid it on especially thick, making Russert his great supporter at NBC when in fact Oralmann's antics were repellent to a journalist like Tim Russert.

Tonight Monkeymann will revisit this peculiarly narcissistic tendency of his as he 'pays tribute' to his 'good friend' boxing writer Bert Sugar. And if you want a preview of who his eulogy will really be about, just check Twittermann's feed:

• He was my friend for 38 years.
• He launched my paid career.
• Bert never doubted my ability.
• He never stopped supporting my efforts.
• He never stopped being proud of me.
• He never stopped being my friend.

If Olby ever breaks the "m" or "I" keys on his keyboard, he'll be rendered speechless.

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Here, straight from the twitter account of the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann, are the topics scheduled for the first Countdown of March:

• Attack on Romney over the Blunt amendment
• Attack on Michigan GOP
• Attack on Clinton for endorsing the pipeline
• Attack on News Corp
• Attack on Sheriff Arpaio
• Attack on Rush Limbaugh for calling someone who needs $3000 worth of birth control pills a 'slut'

That last is rather curious, given Keith Olbermann's own record of misogyny. But say, isn't there something else missing? Some story that might have made news today? Can you figure out what that would be? And will it became the latest Dog That Did Not Bark on OlbyPlanet?

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After a string of absences, vacations, and days off that would make President Obama green with envy, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann is set to return to his candlelit podium tonight and resume his proper role as King of Kountdown. And you can expect every element to be back in place: attacks on Republicans, a fawning interviewing with Markos "Screw 'Em" Moulitsas, more smears of Arizona as he truckles to the Big Unions, and of course insults galore, aimed at everyone from members of Congress to Rush Limbaugh. It's the beginning of another week--The Hour of Spin times five. Abandon all hope ye who dare to watch.

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There's so much news breaking on the Oralmann front that we'll just give you the latest high spots and let you take it from there. Suffice it to say that the infamous, deplorable one is once again alienating everyone he works with and for, and in record time:

• The Wrap: Rift deepens between Olby and Current: 'Everyone is replaceable'
• New York Times: Olbermann and Current locked in a bitter struggle for control.
• Hollywood Reporter: Olby lawyers in negotiation with Current over his future role.
• Forbes: Keith Olbermann's days at Current are numbered.
• Mediaite: Emails suggest Olbermann lied about his knowledge of Countdown's status.

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We all know Olbermann doesn't burn bridges at every place he works; he napalms them. Could Current TV be the latest venue for an Olbyplosion? The NY Times seems to think so, based on the fact that the infamous, deplorable one has been noticeably absent from recent special reports and is not scheduled to participate in the first big news night of 2012, the Iowa caucuses:

These absences suggest that there may be new tension between Mr. Olbermann and the managers at Current, who are trying to create a progressive-oriented cable news channel.

In the television industry, Mr. Olbermann is well known for fights with his bosses; stories abound about his refusal to speak to managers and executives. At Current, this behavior has continued, according to four people with knowledge of the situation, one of whom described Mr. Olbermann as "disgruntled."...

On Dec. 22, Mr. Olbermann's last live program of the year, he did not acknowledge his expected absences.

"We'll be bringing you Best of 'Countdown' each night from tomorrow through Monday, Jan. 2, and then back -- live, live, live -- on Tuesday, Jan. 3," he told viewers. "Congratulations on getting through another year of this crap. Good night and good luck."

In fact, Current is planning to pre-empt "Countdown" on Jan. 2 for a two-hour caucus preview hosted by Mr. Uygur, according to its schedule.

Uh oh. What's notable about the above is that it is written by Brian Stelter, so pro-Olbermann that he was seen as an apologist for Bathtub Boy, going so far as to alter or delete posts to conform with the wishes of Olbermann and MSNBC.

Meanwhile, while Twittermann has exploded at news articles that were unfavorable toward his highness, he has remained uncharacteristically silent since this piece hit the web. Things that make you go: hmmmmmm.

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UPDATE: Oralmann has changed his twitter page to remove the statement that he is 'Chief News Officer' of Current tv. And he has still said nothing about the NY Times exposé. Hmmmm.

UPDATE UPDATE: Well it took him over 24 hours, but the infamous, deplorable one has finally come up with a response to the NY Times. It is not very substantive, addresses none of the scheduling changes around his appearances, and says nothing about him removing 'Chief News Officer' from his twitter profile. But this is as close to a response as you'll get from Edward R Olbermann:

• I've just replied to @BrianStelter as follows: anybody who describes my disposition towards Current as "disgruntled" is either uninformed, working from a personal agenda, wrong - or all of the above

Well, that clears that up, eh Keithy?

When it comes to the Great Divide between the 1% and the 99%, there's no doubt where Al Gore, impresario of Current TV, and his partner in crime Keith Olbermann stand. The New York Times reports that Current is dumping practically the entire staff of Vanguard. This documentary series, once regarded as the flagship program of Gore's media machine, was described by 'Chief News Officer' Olbermann in the most glowing terms. Bathtub Boy noted that Vanguard was "a skeleton -- in the most complimentary sense -- of an outstanding international news operation".

Yeah, well, so much for that. The lucky Vanguard staffers are being reassigned; the rest are getting their walking papers. They're out the door, and here's why:

A person who worked on "Vanguard" for years said that Current, while profitable, seemed unable to afford the documentary unit and the new shows. "If you're committed to boots on the ground journalism, there are just fixed costs you can't get around," he said. "And Current isn't exactly flush."

Really? Whatever could Current be spending money on that it can't afford to keep a few lower-level staffers on their payroll? We know the answer to that, don't we?

Keith Olbermann is not in the witness protection program, but he might as well be. His show on Al Gore's Current TV (America's least watched network) has lost nearly a third of its viewers in four months. Pretty impressive result for $10 million a year. That's just his salary.

Even back then, media writers knew that the facade at Current TV couldn't sustain Oralmann's King Midas salary. It was inevitable that all those lower level jobs would be jettisoned in order to make it possible to pay Olby and keep his bathtub full:

Al Gore, Current's chairman and co-founder, is also whistling a symphony past this particular graveyard. He told Crain's New York: "We're going to be creating a lot of jobs for people who are not afraid to speak truth to power." We can only hope this isn't the former vice president's solution to the unemployment problem.

However, some people are getting good jobs at good wages. In addition to recently hiring Bohrmann, former head of CNN's Washington bureau, it has also picked up Shelley Lewis as executive vice president of programming. Lewis' previous experience includes co-creating the Air America Radio network. Well, that certainly turned out well. The network's other new employees include former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm.

Where Current gets the money to pay these people or even stay in business is anybody's guess.

So Edward R Olbermann and his 1% pals settle into their cushy leather chairs in their Current tv penthouses, while the people who do the real labor of producing documentaries--the hard working 99%--get shown the door. All by command of Current's Chief News Officer: the infamous, deplorable one himself.

Keith Olbermann, thy name is hypocrisy!

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Just what is it with Edward R Olbermann and Twitter anyhow? When he's not lying about Twitter to smear someone, or using Twitter to lie about his own words, the infamous deplorable one is getting himself in hot water by ridiculing and minimizing charges of rape. And just when you think Oralmann might have this interweb thing sussed out, he goes and walks into another propellor.

This has all the hallmarks of Olby's previous twitter snits: blocking people, alienating fans, nasty treatment of women...a compendium of Keith's Greatest Hits. Let Ceilidh-ann explain it all in what has become a disturbingly familiar pattern of Olbermann derangement:

My tweet being mentioned here is this:

• "What do Bachmann's looks have to do with it, Lewis? #Countdown"

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's physical appearance was mentioned in one of Lewis's comments, which I found unfair since it's unfair and extremely misplaced to emphasise style over substance in politics, especially in regards to women, who have faced such discrimination for so long. I never followed up on this tweet except for a couple replies to friends, and my tweet wasn't meant as some malicious insult to Lewis. Olbermann's justification for blocking me came here again in another reply to a friend of mine:

• "Just the last name is far more insulting than just the first. We're done here."

This is new to me. I've always been told that it's ruder to refer to someone you don't know by their first name, since it adds an edge of condescension to the equation, and with twitter, tone is so hard to grasp sometimes. Countdown is a political show and it's commonplace, or at least it is in UK, to refer to political figures by their surnames. I do it all the time and I know I'm not the only one. 140 characters requires brevity. The choice of surname wasn't meant as some damning critique of Lewis, nor was it meant as the insult of the century. Besides, Olbermann refers to someone by their surname a few tweets earlier. Maybe it's only rude if you're British:

https://twitter.com/#!/KeithOlbermann/status/141677694415937537

There's much more so read the whole thing and marvel at the inner workings of that miasma of paranoia and insecurity that is Olbermann's Brain. Then you'll have some idea why Bathtub Boy has once again gone on a twitter semi-boycott: he'll continue to post plugs for his show, but he won't lower himself by actually replying to the rabble:

• Ok, my thanks to everybody, but life is brief. TFN I won't be replying to tweets.

Man, if we wanted to we couldn't make up crazy like this.

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We've said it again and again, and the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann continues to verify what Olbermann Watch has been exposing for years. Edward R Olbermann smears people with lies. He gets his source material from blue blogs. Rip 'n' Read Olbermann then repeats whatever smear he finds there, ramping it up with name calling and other hysterical bits of performance art, and the gullible Olbyloons who think he is a 'journalist' with only the most 'reliable sources' lap it up like the credulous lemmings they are.

The latest example: Oralmann claims Rep Alan West boasted of being a member of a white supremacist biker gang. Where did Monkeymann get this hot news flash from? Maybe The Pulp. Possibly Democratic Underground. Whatever it was, Edward R Olbermann obviously never listened to the audio (which clearly reveals West in a sarcastic, this-is-the-kind-of-crap-I-have-to-put-up-with mode) or he did and decided not to let the truth stand in the way of his latest smear.

But even the left-leaning media aren't buying the latest Olbermann Lie. Here's Tommy Christopher:

Keith Olbermann gave Rep. Allen West (R-FL) top honors in his "Worst Persons" segment, ostensibly for "admitting" (and even "bragging") that he was a member of a white supremacist motorcycle gang, after denying any connection to such a gang for the past year or so.

While West's courtship of motorcycle clubs like The Outlaws is still worthy of scrutiny, the fact is that he made no such admission....

On his program last night, Keith Olbermann mangled even the basic background of the story, saying that last year, NBC reported that "goddamned liar" West "had once been a member of an otherwise all-white motorcycle gang."...it's hard to imagine something so obvious getting past everyone on his show.

No it isn't. Bathtub Boy's gaggle of yes-men never tell the Emperor about those new clothes he's wearing. Olbermann wouldn't hire them if they did.

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For your Halloween viewing pleasure: