SOTU speech should boost W -- oh, maybe a point or two with the American public, but the public is waking up. 39% approval rating and going down, down, down. More than 58% of the public recognise lies, and more lies, called -- Oops -- "misrepresentations" by Bushies and his, oh so evil buddy, Cheney by the oh, so liberal press. Yeah, right. Novak is on Fox this moment with Insanity Hannity talking about how the American people don't think a little eavesdropping on YOU is such a big deal. But, hey, what the hell? You guys have nothing to fear. I mean, you have nothing else to do, but WATCH OLBERMANN. Big Brother would never watch little you. Right?

Jill

Big brother is not watching me. Karl Rove is over my house right now and were tracing you're e-mail. No Jill there isn't anyone across the street in a black sedan. Pay no attention to those men following you in the market. Yes Jill belive everything Uncle Olby tells you. More Kool-Aid my dear?

JD, Cecelia

I have a question. What is keeping this guy on at this point! Trying to watch tonights show it seemed that they phoned it in, like they just got back from the Cape. I have to admit I bailed on tonights show. Anybody that can hang in through the whole show deserves a pat on the back. What is it? His contract, or that Rick Kaplin guy? O'Reilly is right M.S.L.S.D.'S numbers are really bad. Cosby is heading south and whats up with Joe Scarborough? His show is getting to look more like...... Access Hollywood!!!

It's like the Olby pandemic is spreading throughout the whole channel!

Jill,

Do your parents worry about you? Do you scare people? These are all signs that you are not well.

Perhaps Olbermann's greatest sin is reinforcing the beliefs of crazy people who need psychiatric help.

It is hard to comprehend the mental sickness one must suffer from to posit that tapes of terrorists proferred by Al Jazeera are engineered by the President of the United States.

How could a nut who believes in logic-defying conspiracies have a prime time show on a cable news network? This maniac is pushing the envelope of irresponsible journalism to new heights.

it would be appropriate to call this the name-calling board. when was anything of substance is ever discussed here? this is just another escapist venue so everyone can avoid the cognitive dissonance that is eating at their unconscious.

Puck,

I think Olbermann would do better if his program wasn't geared around interviewing journalists. Perhaps he could do what Chris Matthews does and have more of discussion type forum.

FNC seems to have all its news programs built around a personable host, rather than just the sort of news dudes and babes that MSNBC uses.

Maybe if the news show lead-ins to MSNBC's evening line-up, were headed by familiar personalities, their evening shows might do better.

Hey Dopey Wan

What's wrong with this sentence:

"when was anything of substance is ever discussed here?"

I can answer your question, by the way. When you get involved, nothing of substance is discussed.

"it would be appropriate to call this the name-calling board"

It might be more appropriate to call this the divert, deflect, and change-the-subject board. When an article is posted about Olby's latest hypocrisy-filled show, the first comment is a near-psychotic rant about Cheney, Novak, Sean Hannity and... well, I lost track. Anything to avoid facing the truth: The Great Olbermann, caught in a lie.

mass media has been referring to Hugo Chavez as a dictator. is he really a dictator?

Yo Johhny Dollar - Hugo Chavez is a dick and he looks like a po(tator) so I suppose they are right.

In order to understand KO and others like him you need to know that they truly believe that they can say whatever they want because the ends justify the means. As such, lying er spinning is all in a day's work because the greater good is served.

The other unprincipled stand that people with this malady exihibit is based on the illogical premise that two wrongs make it right - as in "he does it too so what's your point".

He's a piece of crap I can tell you that.

As I watched Countdown Monday, I experienced the strange destablizing effect that comes from watching the bang-bang, rapid-fire presentation of one news item and sound bite after another, and I began to think, well, maybe this is what's wrong with journalism today!

Johnny!

Does my sentence ^ sound like ol' KO? I mean, am I imitating KO's many-thought-layered sentence rhythms? Did I get it? I'll keep trying...

Couple of observations:

1. The KO Vocabulary Watch:

Last night he used the word "wriggle." He implied that Bush is going to "w-RIG-gle" his way out of the NSA and Jack A scandals by this latest boost from Al Q's video message. Obviously KO has already passed judgment on both these issues. Which I find frustrating since these are very complex subjects and don't deserve a rush to judgment.

2. Viewers got teased with the Leaping Bull video about five times before the full presentation of the story. Did anyone get seriously injured? I never caught it.

Cecelia

You are right! It can't hurt his show at this point but I don't ever remember him ever being on a panel of any subject. Either here or ESPN, or even C-span! Chris has been having Rita, Joe, and Tucker on his show on Fridays, but no Keith!! Is he that busy? How long does it take to put a crappy cut and paste show together???? (let's ask Michel Moore shall we??) Why doesn't he have his wacko buddies from Stale-Air on? Even Tucker outpoints him with having Rachel Maddow on most nights!!! I think if Keith had to contest a different point of view he would become a mumbling, druling, meltdown mess of buffoonery!!

Remember we our talking about a man living in a bubble thats inside a bubble!!!!!!

Irishlightning... Did you see O'Reilly's talking points from Monday nights show? I think you are about to get you're wish.

EVERYBODY!!!

Ya know I think we should back off Jill a little. Reading her rant again she did say she was watching Fox News

WE HAVE HER!!!!

SOON SHE SHALL JOIN US!!!!!!!

JILL.....I AM YOU'RE FATHER DARTH-PUCK!!!

WELCOME TO THE DARKSIDE!!!!!!

JOIN ME NOW AT MY SIDE AND TOGETHER WE WILL CRUSH THE LIBERAL FORCES!!!!!

IT IS YOU'RE DESTINY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KFK wrote: "How could a nut who believes in logic-defying conspiracies have a prime time show on a cable news network? This maniac is pushing the envelope of irresponsible journalism to new heights."

Olbermann certainly functions as proof that media members lean to the left. Can you imagine the distain and outcry against MSNBC arising from the collective media if this stuff were coming from Joe Scarborough or Tucker Carlson against a democrat politician? The hit to MSNBC's credibility would make it impossible.

But Olbemann can get away with this and the media will be indulgent and amused because Olbermann's theories are really far-side extrapolations of their current media narratives. If what happened at Abu Graib (as wrong and ugly as it was) can rightfully fit into some historically proportional perspective of torture and those tactics rightfully assumed to be coming straight from Don Rumsfeld's office, then why not manipulation of Bin Laden tapes? If you've already assumed that, at bottom, NSA wiretapping is an illegal naked and arrogant grasp for power, then a plot to steal votes in Ohio isn't unfathomable.

Olbermann's right if he's predicting that the WH will be able to dodge whatever bullet he thinks they have coming as it relates to the various scandals. These matters will be investiated and judiciously ruled upon and put to rest in those branches of govt. But in the fifth estate, unlike the Clinton scandals of three hundred raw FBI files on friends and foes that were found at the Clinton WH, or boxes full of money from foreign contributors to Clinton and the DNC...etc...etc... the media narrative towards the Bush WH will always be more harsh and more specfic. They'll be no blaming the broader political culture as was done in the 90's with the WH and the DNC.

Most of us here know this and accept it like we know we won't be that person who wins the lottery or the Extreme Home Makeover... we can live with the MSM narratives and the new media has given more balance to their power.

Too, Jill has helped me to see that the Olbermann's extrapolations aren't going to hurt me either. All these little Jills that he cultivates and nourishes before the eyes of the alternatively indulgent and disinterested MSM.... all these little fringies that Kerry and Kennedy pander to... are growing into something that will threaten MSM liberalism and liberal pols, far more than it will threaten the right.

Here's Countdown regular and WP reporter Dana Milbank singing "Bring in the Clowns".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001319.html

Maybe he should inform the MSNBC anchorman clown...

oops, sorry.

try this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001319.html

Forget about torture. What about the 100s of thousands of iraqis that have died for oil?

Mr. Wan said: "What about the 100s of thousands of iraqis that have died for oil?"

Only "hundreds of thousands" Mr. Wan? How about millions? How about billions? How about you stop pulling numbers out of your ass.

As for dead Iraqis, look no further than Saddam, who really did kill hundreds of thousands, and pushed a war with Iran that killed millions. Wake up you pathetic limp-minded imbecile.

Obi-Wan:

It's really sad if you believe that. I thought you were smarter.

A converted Liberal

Iraq is about oil. They're #2 in reserves. We already occupy #1. Our helpless president admitted tonight we're starving for oil. You do the math.

Dopey Wan

We are not "starving" for oil. If we were, your pathetic hack Democrat buddies would have to allow drilling in 1 acre of Alaskan wilderness for billions of gallons of crude. Instead they sabotage our efforts at energy production and make us more dependant on foreign oil.

The Saudis give us all the oil we need and enjoy doing it. Paying $2 a gallon for gas is not too bad. How much do you pay for a gallon of milk Dopey? How much do Europeans pay for gas?

Unfortunately, the liberal enviro-friendly Democrats have killed energy production in this country. They hate new refineries, they hate drilling, but they want to have cars and planes. Why not focus on your buddies who force us to deal in Middle Eastern Oil so they can feel good about themselves Dopey?

Why do you construct these imaginary villains? The President just said we're addicted. At least he's publicly owning up to reality. He didn't blame anybody. Look in the mirror. It's not "them". It's "us".

Obi-Wan,

You are missing the point. The President knows that we need more oil and refineries. He's tried to drill in Alaska, and Democrats won't allow it. Instead of beating a dead horse, he switches to a purely theoretical alternative -- less use of fossil fuels. This is a long term project and inevitably only a partial solution. I fault the President for his pandering to environmentalists in that speech. He should have said "either we drill for new sources of oil and build new refineries or we keep paying the Saudis for oil."

His dream of nuclear power plants is a joke. If the environmentalists won't allow refineries, they ain't gonna allow nuke plants. In the end, the Dems give the Saudis a firm grip around our necks every time they refuse to allow new oil exploration, then they jet off in their fuel-guzzling Heinz-Kerry superjets. What a bunch of Dicks.

Alaska is insignificant, a red herring. The real oil is in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. If we try anything on Iraq, our nutsack will be handed to us.

Of course, I meant Iran.

I have been meaning to mention some comments that Olbermann made on the Jan. 30th show.

From the transcript:

"Of all the things you and I may not have in common, clearly we share this, an interest in news on television. Short of elective office or appointment to the Supreme Court, perhaps no public position in this country intrigues us, perhaps affects us, more than does that of the anchors of the three nightly network newscasts."

This is just bizarre ....and packed with insight into Olbermann.

Why is he so intrigued with the Jennings, Brokaws, and Rathers, that he'd make the assumption that other news afficiandoes are too? He makes that assumption about people who don't work in the field or share any ambitions he may have as an anchorman.

Does this hark back to his love of sports figures? Would he collect baseball-type-cards of news anchors if such things were available?

Too, these remarks were in the context of his story about ill-fated ABC New anchors. Evidently, they've all been felled by "jarring sudden calamities.”

From the transcript:

"Thus linked with the news of Bob Woodruff‘s injuries, were the circumstances under which he ascended to that position after the death of Peter Jennings. These are circumstances that were obviously coincidental, are chillingly familiar to those who have worked at ABC News and those who have watched ABC News.”

Is this similar to the way sports nuts have all sorts of superstitions about luck and curses and things of that nature? The Curse of the Bambino comes to mind.

Could THIS be the reason Mr. Paranoid sees a political conspiracy behind every teapot?

I report, you decide....

Obi,

Alaska is a "red herring?" How is that? How much crude can we expect to find there? Look it up in a REPUTABLE location please, then see if your statement makes sense.

Is nuclear energy a red herring too? Is that why your buddies refuse to allow nuke plants on US soil? Do you really expect everyone to ride bicycles to work and stop flying? Do you really see planes flying within the next 10 years using magic fuel cells and the like? I would sooner expect yoda to pop out of your ass and manipulate all aircraft with the force.

Keith is the "red herring" my friend. Wake up Obi-Wan, and realize that you have been fooled by the dark side of the force and its primary manipulator, Darth Olbermann.

The war is costing on the order of trillions of dollars and we're making baby steps for freedom. It has nothing to do with our addiction to oil (our President's words). As a former addict himself, GWB will tell you that addicts should not blame others for their problems. They need to take responsibility for their addiction. Let's take responsibility for our oil addiction and quit blaming others.

Bizarre! OK Obi -- you stop using oil first!