Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: A Dog's Dinner

Olbermann Watch, "persecuting" Keith since 2004

February 21, 2006

A Dog's Dinner

The pundit class has been chattering today about what in the wide world of sports the President was thinking when he said he was sticking by the proposed port sale to the UAE. We have our own theory. The White House is trying to drive Keith Olbermann stark raving bananas. Today they made real progress:

The President threatens his own party's leaders!

Translated from hyperbolic OlbySpeak, that means he said he would veto a bill.

[Republicans] say no to turning security at six key ports over to the United Arab Emirates!

The second day in a row for this Olbermann lie. Security remains in the hands of the Coast Guard, Homeland Security, and the rest of the same people who handle it now.

Is this the political crisis of the Bush administration?

Was that drooling around Olby's mouth, or foaming? Some day HDTV will be able to resolve those fine details. Keith said this was "the most politically controversial Presidency since Abraham Lincoln", giving heavy play to the various GOPers who have expressed reservations about the deal. Jim Vandehei of the Post was today's first designated crony, and Olby turned to him for a prognosis on how this would play out.

Stop the tivo! Vandehei? This is the same Jim Vandehei who, less than 24 hours before Dick Cheney spoke to Brit Hume, said on A-Mess-NBC:

He's never going to come out publicly and talk about this.

Oh. Kay. Matters didn't improve when Craig Crawford took his turn. Olbermann's Brain called this "another [Harriet] Myers moment", and snickered his way through another predictable round of playing human echo chamber. The GOP could lose control of Congress, he claimed, almost causing Keith to flip his wig.

After repeating the lie about security being in the hands of "a company owned by Arabs" (no racial stereotyping here! no profiling here!), KO went to Evan Kohlmann. He tried to explain to Olby that terrorists can infiltrate any company, not just one run by "Arabs", and all this fuss was a red herring and a canard. He did endear himself to KO by talking about the Bush administration and inspection of packages. Still, we have to be thankful any time a contrary point of view is permitted to make a cameo appearance, even if it is spiced with the anti-administration rhetoric that is a sine qua non at Countdown.

After a reference to that well-known Supreme Court Justice "Joseph" Alito came another session of "oddball", again introduced in Olby's overbearing fashion ("It's 25 years to the day..."). The #3 slot brought us the well-worn story of the lost dog from the dog show, and Keith actually spent time interviewing a pet psychic (or, as KO insisted on calling her, an "animal communicator"). Incredibly, he treated this character as if she really could talk via telepathy with dogs and get visions of where they are. Olby showed more skepticism in his fake newscast on the tv show "Surface"!

Next it was back to the Supreme Court, with Keith using the politically correct terminology "late term abortion" to describe the controversy that will be heard by the Court. A regurgitated NBC report took care of the details. The #1 story was all about the gym teacher who took payoffs to let kids out of his class.

The "worst person" was chosen not from Media Matters, but from the equally far-left ThinkProgress. It was, of course, a Republican, and a conservative to boot (a twofer!): Orrin Hatch. KO's recitation was lifted almost verbatim from their article. ThinkProgress, like its parent group, is another fine product of the George Soros machine.

At The Hour of Spin, there is usually a dog that did not bark. On Tuesday's edition it was the terror indictments that were "breaking news" this afternoon. Not one word. What's this, a possible success in the war on terror? Well, we just don't have time for that. Instead we get a dog's dinner of celebrity sleaze and a woman who reads the thought waves of animals.

That's The Hour of Spin for this, the 6th day of the Keith Olbermann CoverUp.

Posted by johnny dollar | Permalink | Comments (13) | | View blog reactions

13 Comments

By puck on February 22, 2006 12:09 AM

It would have been great if the Pet Psychic would have comunicated to Keith who much longer his dog of a show is going to last.

By Anonymous on February 22, 2006 8:19 AM

OLBERMANN: While a bizarre secret wriggles out of a symbolic shipping container. At the Port of New York or the Port of New Orleans, or any of the other four U.S. ports, security for which is now in the hands of the United Arab Emirates.

O'DONNELL: That's a lie. It's another lie. That's a lie.

OLBERMANN: And a story that my producers are forcing me to cover, the one word Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are reportedly saying to each other, Goodbye.

O'DONNELL: Absolutely lie.

OLBERMANN: As the Web site Slate first noted 12 years ago, then-Governor George W. Bush inadvertently killed a deer during a dove shoot.

O'DONNELL: You lie endlessly. You're just lying about it. Disgusting, lying show.

OLBERMANN: The sheriff‘s office, though, issued a statement last night, in the conclusion that there—this was an accident, also said no alcohol had been involved in it. But how would they know that? The sheriff‘s office did not interview the vice president for 14 hours after all this happened. And the lower-ranking sheriff‘s officers who did not know about the scheduling of that interview for Sunday morning had been turned away when they tried to talk to Mr. Cheney on Saturday night.

O'DONNELL: You have no standards, Keith Olbermann, as a newscaster. And you know it. It's a pack of lies. You are unfit to broadcast.

OLBERMANN: Mr. Cheney was questioned about the CIA leak investigation. Lest we forget it was just last Thursday reports that Mr. Cheney‘s former chief of staff, Mr. Libby had already testified he was authorized by superiors to disclose classified information to reporters, this in a letter written by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, part of court papers filed by Mr. Libby‘s defense team. Mr. Libby‘s lawyer denies that he will raise authorization by superiors as a defense.

O'DONNELL: Lies. He just lies. He just spews out lies. You just spew lies. I just hate the lies of Keith Olbermann. I hate lies.

OLBERMANN: Thus the majority of the media has yet to touch the other stories of Ohio (the amazing Bush Times Ten voting machine in Gahanna) or the sagas of Ohio South: huge margins for Bush in Florida counties in which registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 2-1, places where the optical scanning of precinct totals seems to have turned results from perfect matches for the pro-Kerry exit poll data, to Bush sweeps.

O'DONNELL: Creepy liar.... liar who makes things up.

By KfK on February 22, 2006 9:15 AM

Oh NO NO NO! It can't be!

The Scoreboard: Friday, February 17

25-54 demographic:
8pm:

1. O'Reilly: 256,000
2. Grace: 172,000
3. Zahn: 127,000
4. Countdown: 120,000

How could Keith lose his key demographic?

Total viewers:

8pm:

1. O'Reilly: 1,459,000
2. Grace: 565,000
3. Zahn: 545,000
4. Countdown: 329,000

By Billy on February 22, 2006 12:05 PM

Actually, that's about the best rating I've ever seen Countdown get. At this rate, he'll surpass O'Reilly in another 60 years or so.

By Cecelia on February 22, 2006 12:19 PM

The whole 25 to 54 demographic is beyond my understanding.

If I subtract the number of viewers in that category, from the number of total viewers, I get
1,230,000.

That many older folks and youngsters are watching O'Reilly?!

By Cecelia on February 22, 2006 12:23 PM

Johnny,

I thought Keith seemed less emotional and a bit more even-handed in how he articulated the port issue.

But you've made a great point about the general tone of the show. Olbermann would be hardpressed to argue that he's different from Rita Cosby or Geraldo. They may sensationalize crime stories, he sensationalizes political ones-- and always in a pro-DNC tone.

By FedUp on February 22, 2006 3:50 PM

Why don't you people watch O'Liely and stfu.

By laura l on February 22, 2006 3:59 PM

Why don't you hall yours over to crooks and liars where the commentary is closer to your level.

By Anonymous on February 22, 2006 4:10 PM

what does "stfu" stand for? I am guessing it means "stay tuned for updates," implying more is to come?

and who is "O'Liely?" I don't see him in my TV Guide.

By KfK on February 22, 2006 4:17 PM

"FedUp" kindly stated:

"Why don't you people watch O'Liely and stfu."

Well, according to TVNewser, 1,459,000 people took your advice Friday, tuning in to a guest host during O'Reilly's time slot, while only 329,000 of your closest pals watched Olby spin his magic web alive and in person.

FedUp, what is really bothering you? No friends or money? Mommy and Daddy don't like you? Please tell us. Your nasty comment is clearly a cry for help.

By JJ on February 22, 2006 7:45 PM

Olberlib #4?:

Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?

Tonight, the ______________ [insert news item]!

Does it ___________ [Invert verb: reveal, uncover, show, prove, or verb of your choice] the _____________ [Insert phrase: 1) the gross incompetence on the part of the White House?! 2) a Rovian plot in the works?! 3) further evidence of the bush?s imperial approach to the presidency?! 4) the continuing mismanagement of current congressional leadership?! 5) the continuing/culmination of the conspiracy behind these events?!]

[Insert brief plot exposition/background here. However, it may be optional.]

[Next, list the reasons/support/proofs for the conclusion of the first paragraph.]

Proof #1:

Proof #2:

Proof #3:

By JJ on February 22, 2006 8:24 PM

"Joseph" Alito!???????

Had to go to the transcript for a look. It's there, but he does correct with an "oops."

But as I looked at the story's shortness, I wonder yet again, what is the news?

So, I added one to KfK's Oberlib list! -- with the addition that you have to look at the various supports for the conclusion, which are repeatedly annoying:

******************
Olberlib #4:

Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?

Tonight, the ______________ [insert news item]!

Does it ___________ [Invert verb: reveal, uncover, show, prove, or verb of your choice] the/a _____________ [Insert phrase: 1) gross incompetence on the part of the White House?! 2) Rovian plot in the works?! 3) further evidence of the Bush imperial approach to the presidency?! 4) continuing mismanagement of current congressional leadership?! 5) continuing/culmination of the conspiracy behind these events?!]

[Insert brief plot exposition/background here. Optional.]

[Next, list the reasons/support/proofs for the conclusion of the first paragraph.]

Proof #1:

Proof #2:

Proof #3:

*************

Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?

Tonight, the Supreme Court and abortion!

Does it not reveal the [#5]continuing conspiracy of the Supreme Court nominations to upset the law? "Our No. 2 story on the COUNTDOWN tonight, and here we are." (Direct quote from the transcript.)

Proof #1: It's Alito's first day!

Proof #2: They shouldn't look at this because it ignores some health issues which the Court has already ruled on in connection with this case.

Proof #3: The Court has changed in a "big way" since Sandra Day left.

That's it! That's the news. The case will be heard in the fall.

My point is which of these proofs don't beg the question or are not circular?

How did I do, KfK? I'm still polishing.

By JJ on February 22, 2006 8:26 PM

Excuse *is not circular*

Oh, my Word doesn't like this comments box much!

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13 Comments