Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Back-Pedal to the Metal

Olbermann Watch, "persecuting" Keith since 2004

December 15, 2005

Back-Pedal to the Metal

The other day Robert Novak made an offhand comment that he thinks the President knows who Novak's Plame source was. It was the smallest of straws, but enough for Keith Olbermann to grasp with relish, and elevate The Great Leak Case to the top story on Wednesday's Hour of Spin. And lest anyone get the notion that he will ever play fair while flogging this story, he again dragged in the discredited Lawrence ("Liar! Creepy Liar!") O'Donnell as his expert witness.

O'Donnell suddenly had a newfound respect for Bob Novak, calling him a "well-wired" reporter. He opined that even though there's an active investigation now, the President could have called The Source into his office before the investigation began and demanded answers. Well yeah, unless the source was a former administration official, which happens to be what Bob Woodward has suggested. Bush can't very well demand answers from Colin Powell or Richard Armitage. But hey, O'Donnell is the "expert". The most interesting facet of his appearance was the unmistakable sound of Larry backpedaling furiously. The predictions of "at least three high level indictments" have been forgotten; all of Larry's overheated pantings about the impending arrest of Karl Rove have suddenly been dispensed with. Now O'Donnell thinks, hey, Rove might not get indicted after all. Larry's expertise is nothing if not flexible.

Richard Wolffe of Newsweek showed up to discuss Bush's handling of Iraq. Wolffe wrote the "President in a Bubble" article, a perennial favorite of the Big Media that they reserve for Republicans (Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and Bush again). A recycled NBC report went into Pentagon propaganda efforts (Olby wondered "Why are we still doing it?"). The #3 slot was dedicated to the woman who survived a skydiving accident, a story that was news several days ago. Better late than never. Then a segment on sports fans and finally a roundup of the year's wildest news videos.

Since Keith stated he doesn't do "'bad guys' and 'good guys' and all of that TV nonsense", we thought that maybe the "worst person in the world" segment was no more. How silly of us to think that Olby would practice what he preaches. Tonight's "worst person" bit (hereafter known as the Media Matters Minute) skewered a Republican (Bill Frist) and a conservative (Neil Boortz), the latter lifted, as usual, from the Soros smear site. On OlbyPlanet, Democrats and liberals are never, ever "worst".

In the midst of it all, KO found time to plug a special edition of Countdown next week: a full hour of recycled "Oddball" videos. Yes, that's the kind of journalistic genius that makes Keith Olbermann "the future of tv news".

Posted by johnny dollar | Permalink | Comments (7) | | View blog reactions

7 Comments

By Cecelia on December 15, 2005 2:56 AM

I had wondered what leftwing internet site Countdown staffers had used in order to find a righwing Worst Person person...

As an Atlantan, I'm rather familiar with WSB's Neal Boortz, who is certainly NOT a racist or a conservative. He's of the libertarian persuasion...but all it took was one facetious quote...and there you have it...

At least he can say Olberamnn didn't consign him to hell....as he generally does...

By Cecelia on December 15, 2005 3:03 AM

Another Olby Twilight Zone offering was his characterizing Bush giving an interview to Brian William as significant in that it wasn't with Fox News. Guess he forgot about the ole sit-down Bush had with Tim Russert...

I think the oldie "Don't Know Much" should be Olbermann's personal theme song.

By Cecelia on December 15, 2005 3:24 AM

Too, did Countdown and it's aversion to propaganda.... hehehehe ... have to find the most unflattering photo they could find of Boortz?

I'n not a listener to Boortz but I've met him and he doesn't look THAT bad.

By Anonymous on December 15, 2005 7:44 AM

I hope Colin Powell is the source. Liberals love him because he was a thorn in Bush's side, and like a liberal, he enjoyed playing politics with crucial issues. How fast would the great leak case disappear if Colin's ship started taking on H2O.

Leave it to Olby to take the most overhyped nonsense case in American history and make it the cornerstone of all events in the world.

By the way, I'm still waiting to see who leaked the TOP SECRET information on our "secret prisons" to the media, but I guess little things like that aren't important. Those leaks only endangered thousands. In order to warrant constant attention, a Washington socialite with a desk job at Langley who may have one time been covert several years ago has to be affected.

By johnny dollar on December 15, 2005 10:22 AM

"have to find the most unflattering photo they could find of Boortz?"

According to the mrc this morning, it wasn't Boortz's photo at all. It was Max Cleland! Sweet.

By Cecelia on December 15, 2005 10:46 AM

Oh my goodness! Now that I think about it, it was Cleland! I knew something was familiar yet unfamiliar about the guy in the photo.

It's interesting that they didn't use the shot of Boortz on Media Matters. They wanted to find a terrible picture and ended up with a total goof-up, as usual.

Countdown is a leftwing "Animal House"...

By JC on December 15, 2005 11:20 AM

I'm really getting into the Olberman show - it's like watching Saturday Night Live when it was totally humorless. It's simply entertaining to watch him fail. Yesterday he was trying to do some funny segements- and none were funny. One stage hand occasionally laughed. Then resorted to some sports stuff. I still remember the time he ran around the studio when O'Reilly said he may retire in two years. Just irony to watch all the self righetousnees at NBC - and their hallowed seriousness about their journalistic integrity - then watch & listen to Opie in prime time

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