"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
• POLITICS OF CONGRESS VS. THE WHITE HOUSE: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• AL GORE RETURNS TO WASHINGTON: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• "AMERICAN IDOL": Maria Milito, Q104.3 radio host

Another opening, another spiel: Subpoenas, executive privilege, "fired" US attorneys, Gore testifies, Imhofe "fumbles", Richard Engel in Iraq, another segment on American Idol, and more on a Tuesday Hour of Spin.

The Man with the Tan started out with a reference to Watergate [Ding!], "politicizing" prosecutors (who are political appointees), and "bullying". Nixon [Ding!] referenced! Twice! [Ding!] We aren't going to count the number of times Oralmann said "cover-up", and our bell can't take that much ringing. Clips of press hectoring Tony Snow.

Slippery Shuster returns to pour through the document dump. Few emails between late Nov and early Dec. Karl Rove mentioned in an email! Aha! Nothing about the President being told (he was out of town), but that ace scoopster Shuster revealed that Bush did do something regarding the Dept of the Interior during that same time frame. Aha Again! See! That proves Rove talked to him about the "firings". Or could have. Or did, unless he didn't. Breaking news on The Hour of Spin. Great thanks.

KO compared the White House to "used car dealers" as he introduced his impartial guest on the subject of the "scandal" [Ding!]: Sen Chuck Schumer (D). [Gaze upon The List and be amazed.] Olby's tough questions included:

• What's your response to all that?
• Are there negotiations going on now?
• Do you think that you are being denied at this point evidence that the administration may have interefered with, uh, investigations if not prosecutions of, of politicians, uh, who happen to be in the same party as members of the administration?
• Is that [a comment by Tony Snow] relevant?

Great Thanks. PS: There was no Republican lawmaker or anyone else interviewed to give the opposing point of view. Such are the rules on OlbyPlanet. Then it was back to Tony Snow again with The Wolffe Man, as Monkeymann immediately turned to Rule #1 and said the White House "painted itself into a corner", adding that the administration has given us "six years of whatever". Edward R Murrow would have been proud. KO came up with a gotcha on Snow, citing a column of his from the Clinton years. Well, he didn't really "come up with it" (Blue Blog Source: Eschaton). Wolffie declared that there is "no patience" any more among "conservative Republicans" and a good time was had by all. OlbyPlug: tomorrow the parallels of this "scandal" [Ding!] with Watergate [Ding!] will be explained by Olbermann's Felon, John Dean.

After Olbermahn went through "the list of the latest three newsmakers" that included another attack on the "far right" [Ding!], came the "far right" [Ding!] attacks on Gore and global warming. Fat Ass ridiculed James Imhofe (R) as part of the "smear campaign against Gore", and the ever-pliant Fineman, Pundit for All Occasions, was there to serve as Olbermoronn's personal dittohead. "Man on Fan" Olbermann called Imhofe's staff "venomous" (well, if anyone knows venomous, it's Herr Olbermann), and Howie pronounced Gore the "winner" of the argument. The exchange was as predictable as any that has been held on OlbyPlanet, and for that he was not Great Thanksed by Oralmann, but, oddly, Great Pleasured.

[ed. Sick of Al Gore's nonsense? Check out one of the finest documentaries ever made - The Great Global Warming Swindle. This film is a REAL example of speaking truth to power.]

#2 was an OlbyPlug for Richard Engel's special to air later tonight, followed by Anna Nicole Smith and Larry "Bud" Melman. #1: Another dissection of American Idol and a huge "scandal": an emotional audience member was invited to attend by the producers. ("She was an effin plant!" bellowed Fat Ass, approximately 34 times.) Olbermahn speaking truth to power again. In the Media Matters Minute, an attack on Sean Hannity (Blue Blog Source: Crooks & Liars). Fox and conservative slots both filled with one nomination: a twofer!

Taciturn terriers: Yesterday Keith Oralmann had a high old time ridiculing "comedian" Rush Limbaugh and chortling over how the Governator had dismissed him as "irrelevant" (minus, of course, the relevant context). But that was then, and this is now. Today, Ahnold got on the phone with the "irrelevant" Limbaugh and had an in-depth discussion of where they agree, where they disagree, and what exactly the context of "irrelevant" was all about. After all his chortling about it yesterday, how did Herr Olbermann report this today? The usual way: he didn't. And of course just two days ago liberal Keith was offering up a smorgasboard of theories about who's behind the anti-Hillary ad on YouTube, such as "someone looking to drive a wedge between Obama and Clinton", like for example "a conservative outfit". Rev Olbermann sermonized against these "viral attack ads", describing them as "almost Orwellian". Oops. No correction or even acknowledgement from Mr Humility about his peculiar speculations. Instead, Keithy proclaimed that the Obama campaign has been "vindicated", while leaving out the fact that the BlueState firm who employed the video's creator was founded by the guy who is currently Obama's Director of New Media. Funny how that detail didn't make it into Olby's script, eh? Plus there was the usual spiking of stories like conflict between the Clinton and Obama campaigns. New "surge" developments. North Koreans are near starvation.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #9,585 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #261. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #3,135 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,005 there. The Hour of Spin dipped a bit on Tuesday, and while once again Olby lost to O'Reilly by nearly three to one, he did manage second place both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES UNDER FIRE: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor
• REPUBLICAN PARTY: Andrew Sullivan, author of "The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back"'

Oralmann was fired up as he bellowed the opening spiel: the AG, the President, the Congress, Patrick Fitzgerald, Tom Delay, "political dominoes falling", the "GOP in crisis", that Hillary video again, the Grand Canyon, Fredo... oh enough already. The Hour of Spin commenced.

KO led off railing about "a President" saying his staffers don't have to testify in Congress under oath. Oh, you mean just like Bill Clinton did re Janet Reno and Jack Quinn? Just two minutes in and we got references to "scandal" [Ding!] and Nixon [Ding!]. Then the "cold", "calculating" plan to "dismiss" USAs. (Actually, dismissal would hardly be required. Their terms were expiring or had already expired. But "dismiss" sounds more sinister.) Clips of Schumer (D), clip of Bush "passing the blame" and "issuing veiled threats".

Oh joy, Slippery Shuster is back! He was there to expound at length about something Karl Rove said about Carol Lam that turned out to be incorrect. Sneered Slippery: "Some Democrats are charging" that Rove is a liar and things might be "even more nefarious" than they seem. He never got around to what "some Republicans" are saying. Patrick Fitzgerald not rated very highly in emails. Olby noted Slippery was at the "scandal" [Ding!] desk and Great Thanksed him.

Next up, lefty Alter, who brought up for what seems like the 78th time Bush's drunk driving arrest. Herr Olbermann again said Bush sounded "an awfully lot like Nixon" [Ding!] and Lefty chimed in with another "Nixonian" [Ding!]. Plus "Watergate", the Saddam-9/11 "link", and a whole passel of golden oldies straight from the Grooveyard of Forgotten Greats on OlbyPlanet. Great thanks.

After another mention of the "burgeoning scandal" [Ding!], it was time to attack Tom Delay and "comedian Rush Limbaugh". It's "The GOP Divided!". Clip of Delay (R) on that far-right propaganda organ for the Republicans, The Today Show. Clip of Ahnold (also recycled from NBC). To analyze what's going on in the GOP, Oralmann called on Sullivan, who should be able to opine to Keith's satisfaction, since he endorsed John Kerry, favors tax hikes, and slams the Republicans on a regular basis. Yep, that's an OlbyPlanet "conservative". Bush has "busted" conservatism. Sullivan wordbites: Drift, chaos, losing a war, spending, dead end, disaster, intolerance. Great thanks.

After O'Reilly attack #167, the YouTube Hillary ad. Again. Andrew Rasiej, who has a website about tech and politics, speculated about whodunit and the effects of do-it-yourself internet politicking. For a visitor to OlbyPlanet, he was remarkably fair. #2: A "boy scott" found alive (taped video from NBC). Plus Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Heather Mills, Dancing with the Stars. #1: The Grand Canyon skywalk and the Airbus (with more regurgitated reportage).

The Media Matters Minute was notable for yet another attack on Fox "Noise", this time John Gibson again, for criticizing Neal Gabler. And as much as we'd like to point to a Blue Blog Source for this item, instead we are pleased to report that it, indirectly, shows again the power and influence of Olbermann Watch. Monkeymann's source was our own posting of Gibson's comments, which includes all the context and detail that Olbermoronn blithely omitted. Not only does Keith obsessively read Olbermann Watch, now he's frequenting johnny dollar's place as well!

Quiescent canines: Keith Oralmann has lectured people about making comparisons to Nazis: "Just don't say 'Nazi' ever again in your life. There's no place for the reference in this culture.... Stop it, stop it now, stop it for good". And Olby jumps when anyone even slightly to the right of Noam Chomsky makes a comparison of something to the Nazis. Rick Santorum. Donald Rumsfeld. "Mister" Bush. All bashed by "Man on Fan" Olbermann for Nazi comparisons. Today, a proponent of global warming, in sworn testimony, compared the White House to Nazis. Did Keithy Boy make him a "worst person"? Did he berate the man and tell him to stop? Did he even report that it happened? No, no, and no. That's how "news" is spun on OlbyPlanet. Along with spiking stories like how the "surge" is working out.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #8,158 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #439. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #3,046 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,319 there. Monday's the strongest day for The Hour of Spin, and even though Olby lost to O'Reilly by three to one, he did manage second place both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". The MisterMeter had the night off.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ WAR ANNIVERSARY: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek; Jon Soltz, votevets
• SCANDAL, SCANDAL, SCANDAL: Craig Crawford, Congressional Quarterly
• YOUTUBE'S HILLARY AD: Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
• YET ANOTHER ATTACK ON FOX

Keith was back bellowing the opening spiel in his typical fashion: Iraq's 4th anniversary, "Mister" Bush's offensive invocation of 9/11, another "scandal" [Ding!] breaks, the homemade anti-Hillary ad, Al Sharpton's blooper, weird web stuff...all this and more, on a dreadful edition of The Hour of Spin.

It's the 4th anniversary of "George W Bush's war in Iraq". (You know, like how isolationists and anti-Semites used to refer to WWII as "Roosevelt's war".) "Mister" Bush pulled us "back into his cesspool" because he said he didn't want to leave Iraq so that terrorists would have a place that could be a safe haven, like they did before 9/11. Keithy is outraged. Outraged!

If it's Countdown, it's time for The Wolffe Man, who simpered about Bush's "somber" tone and gleefully regurgitated Oralmann's inane argument that even a passing reference to 9/11 means "Mister" Bush is "exploiting" it. Monkeymann even objected to Bush asking Congress for "a clean bill"--an objection we don't recall Krazy Keith raising when it was Dems calling for clean bills. Why do you suppose that is? Great thanks.

KO claimed that when Republicans talk about supporting the troops, it's "rhetoric". (He should know.) The military is in terrible shape; it will take years to fix it. Cue Soltz, who runs votevets, a left-wing political advocacy group (though of course Fat Ass hid that from his credulous viewers). We're less safe, Al Qaeda is on the march, Bush is emboldening terrorists and "playing wargames with Iran". He plugged another one of his far-left websites that is actually a front group for Wesley Clark's political campaign. Another thing Oralmann was careful not to reveal. Oh, and Condi Rice is a "war princess" and has "no credibility". Great thanks.

#4: Yet another "scandal" [Ding!], i.e. Gonzales again. It's "a perfect storm" [Ding!] of "three scandals" [Ding!]. Rove might testify about the "scandal" [Ding!]. Another "scandal" [Ding!] about terrorist surveillance. A third "scandal" [Ding!] re data-mining. Olby has yet to utter one word about Clinton's firing of 92 USAs. Crawford (aka Olbermahn's Brain) sniggered about replacing the AG and chortled agreement with Herr Olbermann's scripted questions. Olby wanted to know which "scandal" [Ding!] was worst, but Brain wasn't ready to play Scandal Idol.

After two more references to "scandal" [Ding!] [Ding!], it was on to the anti-Hillary "1984" ad. After a shot at Fox, Olby asked Cillizza about the "proh-venance" (as he said it) of the spot, suggesting it was those damn right-wingers who were behind it. CC didn't know, but rambled about how the candidates lose control of the campaign when outsiders create these ads. Out of nowhere, "Man on Fan" Olbermann brought up Mitt Romney getting "into bed" with a guy who helped finance the SwiftBoat campaign. Guilt by association, always a golden oldie on OlbyPlanet. Great thanks.

#3: The airbus (regurgitated reportage), Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie (Aha! The Laughing Stagehand returns!), Naomi Campbell. #1: The Kiethies: weird stuff from the internet (only notable as it included O'Reilly attack #166). In the Media Matters Minute, Oralmann went after Al Sharpton for a slip of the tongue about officers should be shot (credit where it's due: the first appearance of a Dem in this segment in what seems like a few dozen millennia); John McCain (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters); and those eeevil Foxites Brit Hume and Chris Wallace (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). According to Olbermann they "accused Valerie Plame of perjuring herself". In fact, that's a Double Olbermann Lie. Wallace didn't accuse Plame of anything. He asked a question. And Hume didn't take the bait, just said there was "reason to question her credibility" on that point. And that's an accusation of perjury?!? Only on OlbyPlanet.

Dogs that did not bark: Keith Oralmann loves to parade one gloomy Iraq statistic after another before his meager viewership. But is that the whole story? Not exactly. There was a poll just completed in Iraq, one of the largest ever, by Opinion Research Business. But there's a catch. Its findings didn't come out that way Fat Ass wanted them to. So, it never happened, at least on OlbyPlanet. Not a mention, not a reference, not a peep. Other dogs: A confession in the case of the US Cole. Hamas shoots an Israeli. Progress in negotiations with North Korea. Chavez announces his socialist goals.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #10,471 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #492. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #3,046 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #941 there. Unfortunately, on Friday Herr Olbermann couldn't muster anything better than third place, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 5 [ELEVATED]

Today on CNN, Glenn Beck was asked about the attacks directed at him by Keith Oralmann:

KURTZ: Let me read you some comments from MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. We're going to play part of your on-air response and we'll talk about it on the other side. Olbermann told "Rolling Stone" this month, he called you a wolf in sheep's clothing, a very dangerously bigoted guy who's selling himself as a pragmatic philosopher. I don't think he sees his own bigotry and there's something about him that suggests one night, he will say something that costs him his career in television. And you addressed this question of making a career-ending move on your show. Let's watch.

BECK: If I'm going to be shut down for that, well, it likely will be because of an intolerant ideologue like Keith Olbermann. The very idea smacks of the same McCarthyism Murrow fought so valiantly against.

KURTZ: He wasn't calling for you to be shut down. He said you might shut yourself down by saying something stupid.

BECK: No, there is a difference. There's a difference here and I think this is what it is. We're in a very politically correct world, you know, you can -- you can -- if you are honest about it, you can see that there is a different standard. Here I am, I'm in the hot seat almost constantly, because I'm doing an opinion show, but I am telling you I'm doing an opinion show. I am in the hot seat because I'm a conservative, but I'm telling you that I'm a conservative. Yet people like Keith Olbermann, doing a news show never, will ever admit that he's a liberal. He is a liberal and he's also blending news and comment together. That is a great danger that I would think that journalists --

KURTZ: When he does his commentary, it says special comment.

BECK: Are you only finding his commentary there in the special comment? I mean, come on.

[Full transcript here]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• VALERIE PLAME SPEAKS: Larry Johnson, fmr. CIA classmate and friend of Valerie Plame Wilson
• 2008 ELECTION: A.B. Stoddard, The Hill

Considering this was Plame Day, the opening spiel sounded curiously subdued. Jabber about Plame, how she didn't recommend her husband, clip of Waxman (D), GonzalesGate, Dems advised to boycott The Colbert Report, and a woman who threw boric acid at someone. Clear the lines, because Olby is phoning it in tonight. But watch for the infamous, deplorable one to serve up another whopper of a lie. It may be Friday, but dishonesty never rests on The Hour of Spin.

#5: After mentioning the Gonzales "scandal" [Ding!], it was straight to Good Old Mrs Wilson and that "scandal" [Ding!]. Lengthy clips of the blonde bombshell denying that she even suggested her husband. (We'll see if Oralmann mentions that this claim is contrary to the sworn testimony in the Libby trial of Robert Grenier of the CIA. Update: What a shock. He didn't.) Not one challenging question was shown, nor any of the other testimony of the day. The spin starts here.

Then it was time for Lefty Olby Crazy Larry. Johnson, the Nostradamus who ridiculed the notion that we had anything to fear from terrorism or Bin Laden just two months before 9/11, was the impartial expert. (He of course is a partisan Democrat, but somehow Olby didn't mention that either.) Valerie was "relaxed", "terrific", "poised", "elegant", "serious", "patriotic"...need we go on? KO talked about "outrageous", "damage", and attacked Victoria Toensing's testimony without even showing it, a classic propaganda technique. Crazy joined in by saying Ms Toensing was a "twit" and should be drug-tested. Then Keith, like Old Faithful, delivered again:

Mr Fitzgerald made a statement on the courthouse steps saying there's no question she was covert.

From the Fitzgerald transcript:

FITZGERALD: Let me say two things. Number one, I am not speaking to whether or not Valerie Wilson was covert. And anything I say is not intended to say anything beyond this: that she was a CIA officer from January 1st, 2002, forward. I will confirm that her association with the CIA was classified at that time through July 2003. And all I'll say is that, look, we have not made any allegation that Mr. Libby knowingly, intentionally outed a covert agent. We have not charged that. And so I'm not making that assertion.

OK, gang, you make the call. Do we, or do we not, have Yet Another Olbermann Lie? Show of hands please? Thank You! Add this one to the list when we do the Top Ten Oralmann Lies of 2007.

After Great Thanksing Crazy Larry, it was on to "GonzalesGate" and "another emerging scandal" [Ding!]. Olby quoted three Repubs against the AG, and zero in favor. Then the "new scandal" [Ding!], a "new scandal" [Ding!] about surveillance of terrorists. Something about the OPR, Gonzales, "Mister" Bush, and an ethics investigation. Who should show up (again) but The Wolffe Man! Another "top newsmaker". Wolffie simpered about "circling the wagons", while Herr Olbermann dragged in Karl Rove, complaining that they can't get anything to stick on him. Great thanks.

#3: Politics, with a regurgitated report from NBC. Dana Milbank, lacking loud livery, showed up yet again. The only significant note was that "Man on Fan" Olbermann slobbered over Al Gore, hoping that the primary schedule might work in his favor. How ironic. Not that long ago, Rev Olbermoronn was ridiculing James Imhofe for referencing Gore as a potential candidate, stating:

Mr. Gore's not running. Where do we get these guys? Are we paying our senators enough?

Yes, Mr Imhofe was made WPitW for that. But when Krazy Keith does the same himself, that's perfectly acceptable. On OlbyPlanet, the rules that go for everyone else never apply to Mr Humility himself. (Dana got Great Thanks. Natch.)

#2 was another episode of "Keith Olbermann's America". The last episode was, what, sometime last year? Despite the funny animation that shows Fat Ass in a bus, Monkeymann of course never leaves the safety of his desk, or his bathtub. It's just a piece of recycled tape from a local tv news department. Like we said, phoning it in. Plus Michael Jackson and Elton John. #1: Dems advised to boycott Colbert (which Olby ignored until we pointed it out), complete with a slam at "right-wing bloggers".

In the Media Matters Minute, Fat Ass managed to fill two slots (conservative + Fox) with one attack: Sean Hannity (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). And after a sideways swipe at Bill "Orally" (this makes attack #165, if you're counting), he tossed in a stinkbomb at Glenn Beck for saying Hillary sounded like a "bitch" (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). Really, Beck. Don't you know if you want to demean a woman, you have to use one of the Olbermahn-approved smears? You know, like "airhead", "old bag", "cunt", "horse", or "slut". From now on, stick to the words authorized for use on OlbyPlanet.

Mute mongrels: Nothing about the Dem Iraq plan going down to defeat in the Senate. For the second day in a row. Krazy Keith is such a koward. Also spiked: Are school busses in danger from extremists or terrorists? Two Senators, including Carl Levin (D), witnessed the confession of KSM that Olby has so studiously avoided. Iran remains intransigent. And our weekly assessment of Olbermahn's masculinity. Over the past week Olbermann has attacked Fox, CNN, and Limbaugh/right-wing pundits nine times; Olby criticisms of MSNBC: zero. Meanwhile, his primary source (Media Matters) criticized MSNBC seven times. That makes this week's Olbermann Manhood Quotient: -20 [limp].

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #8,585 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #384. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,710 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,006 there. Thursday night's Nielsen's are not available, but take our word for it: "Man on Fan" Olbermann lost overwhelmingly, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 5 [ELEVATED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• U.S. ATTORNEY SCANDAL LATEST: Howard Fineman, Newsweek Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• KARL ROVE: Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News senior political writer and co-author of "Bush's Brain"
• SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-N.Y.) LAYS OUT HER PLAN FOR IRAQ: Chris Cillizza, washingtonpost.com
• HOWARD STERN TRIES TO BRING DOWN "AMERICAN IDOL": Maria Milito, Q104.3 radio host

Keith Oralmann delivered the opening spiel with his usual, shall we say, ardor: Subpoenas to be issued in "GonzalesGate", the "political purge", and how much of this "scandal" can we blame on Karl Rove? Plus Hillary's war plan isn't retreatist enough, police dash-cams, Britney's rehab, and Howard Stern's American Idol campaign. Not only would this be one of the most vertigious Hours of Spin ever, but Krazy Keith would show his hand when he took a story he has been hyping for days and tonight totally spiked it. Poof! Vanished! All because it didn't come out the way he wanted. It's indisputable proof of the bias and dishonesty of Keith Oralmann.

#5: All roads lead to Karl Rove in the "plot" to "purge" attorneys not "subservient" to the White House. Olbermoronn breathlessly reported on emails where Rove inquired about what would be done with the US Attorneys (USAs): replace some, replace all, what? This email is from January 2005. Yes, that's right. The beginning of the President's term, a time when every administration makes decisions about US attorneys (though Krazy Keith didn't mention that). A time when there was no thought of firing just the eight specific USAs who are the current bone of contention. Clip of Schumer (D) against the AG; clips of the media hectoring Tony Snow.

The Olbypocrisy came thick and fast as he railed about even thinking of dismissing all 93 USAs, yet still ignoring that Bill Jefferson Clinton did just that, less one. Then Olby quoted from Deputy Sampson's recommendations, leaving out parts of each sentence that dealt with performance issues, including those parts that reference policy concerns. More doctored quotes from Herr Olbermann. But wait, there's more. He quoted an email that Carol Lam was "a real problem", adding that she was prosecuting Duke Cunningham. But that email never mentioned the Cunningham case. Olby just threw that in to boost the spin.

KO complained that some of the proposed replacements weren't nominated by lawmakers, but by--gasp!--the White House itself. Um, there is no formal nomination process for USAs, in the constitution or in the law. The Congress doesn't do it, the state's Senator doesn't do it. Guess who "nominates" USAs? Nobody! They're selected by the President. Period. From whatever recommendations or suggestions he chooses to listen to. We know because we've been through the process. Olbermahn is either a fool or a liar. And he's not a fool.

Then, armed with a clip of Leahy (D), Fat Ass bellowed about Tim Griffin, a proposed replacement for one of the positions. He's a friend of Karl Rove. Oh My Gawd! We can't have that, regardless of his resume. (The resume, of course, was not reported by slovenly political hack Olbermahn.)

We can't recall when last the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann has been this repellent in his naked propagandizing. Howie Fineman railed about dismissing 93 US attorneys as if it had never happened before, because he played along with Monkeymann's censoring of US history and the actions of B.J. Clinton. So naturally "Man on Fan" Olbermann awarded him with the much-prized Great Thanks.

#4: The flogging continued, this time focusing on Karl Rove. Why did he try to get "political appointees" into the USA slots? Keith, you blasted liar, the USAs are political appointees, and have been for longer than you've been sentient, assuming you are. The Brain guy was there to play armchair psychiatrist, talking about Rove being "obsessed". Olby called it a political invasion of the USAs, and his sock-puppet lapped it up. Great thanks.

#3: Elections '08. Hillary won't withdraw all troops from Iraq, and had to backtrack a bit on homosexuality. Olby wasn't pleased about either, but Cillizza talked "complexity" and said Hillary should be more plain-spoken. Oralmann then took a few shots at Richard McCain. Great thanks.

#2: Dash-cam videos (regurgitated NBC reportage), Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, Jason Timberlake. #1: More riding on the American Idol coattails, with some sucking up to Howard Stern tossed in (Olbermoronn is still trying to get Stern on Countdown, particularly since the guy has made multiple appearances on The Factor). In the Media Matters Minute, Olby attacked some marketing association that may honor "Fox Noise" for its "fair and balanced" slogan (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser).

Taciturn terriers: This is a classic. Keith has been flogging the story of the war debate for days. Remember yesterday's endless, interminable clip of Joe Biden (D)? This has been a huge story for Krazy Keith, night after night. So today the Senate voted, and the Dem proposal crashed and burned. Guess what? KO didn't even report that the vote failed. He spiked it. Completely! Not to mention the GOP resolution that pledges no cut-off of funds that passed overwhelmingly. Just as he completely ignored the news from the detainee hearings: the transcripts, the confessions, all of which, just like the Senate vote, were top-of-the-hour news--even on A-Mess-NBC itself! And still there were other dogs that did not bark. Another Iran-Iraq connection. Democrats advised to boycott The Colbert Report. No one will be surprised that Olbermoronn never said a discouraging word, not even a "worst person" nomination, about this. And here's one poll that poll-happy Keith ain't gonna report. As for Obama, KO doesn't want to touch this.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #9,488 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #555. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,670 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,008 there. Wednesday night's Countdown was truly counting down, at least according to Mr Nielsen. Not only did Olby lose to Mr Bill by more than three to one (as usual), he lagged behind another "worst person in the world", Nancy Grace. And in a humiliating slap to the infamous, deplorable one, Monkeymann sunk to a miserable fourth place in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL SCANDAL: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; John McKay, fmr. U.S. attorney
• SENATE WAR DEBATE: A.B. Stoddard, The Hill
• "AMERICAN IDOL": SEACREST "OUT"?: Michael Musto, Village Voice

What a shocker. Keith led off the opening spiel with "GonzalesGate", bellowing about Freud, Karl Rove, the Gonzales "political purge", the (latest) Dem Iraq proposal, O.J. Simpson, Pete Rose, Richard McCain, and another American Idol "scandal". Looks like it's time to pump up the fluff and tabloid content again on The Hour of Spin.

Gonzales was the lead story, along with John Sununu (falsely described by Olby as "ultraconservative"). The AG's defense is full of holes, he's an idiot, and so forth. Clip of the AG (recycled from NBC). Comments from "Mister" Bush were "talking points" [Ding!]. Clips from the Pres presser. Clip from Sen Clinton (D), quote from Leahy (D), both anti-AG. No clips or quotes from lawmakers who are pro-AG.

KO asserted to The Wolffe Man that things have gotten "worse since the last time we spoke". For the record, that would have been 24 hours ago. Any more appearances by Wolffie and the union will demand his name be included in the credits. Wolffe Man insight: "it's the tip of the iceberg". You can tell that man is a professional writer. Never one to let a lie go unembellished, Monkeymann claimed that it's "extremely rare for even one US attorney to be dismissed during a President's term". Say what?!? Such errant nonsense is nothing new from tv's greatest propagandist. Great thanks.

#4: "Man on Fan" Olbermann continued to flog this "scandal" [Ding!] by exploring the "curious friendship" between the President and Gonzales. This time the impartial, nonpartisan expert was James Moore, the Bush's Brain guy, there to explain the most burning question on Olby's agenda: how did Gonzales get "Mister" Bush out of jury duty back in Texas? JM explained how Bush had some sort of need to find minorities so he latched on to Gonzales, who became his "legal house boy".

Stop the tivo! Calling a Hispanic attorney a house boy? Hey, you can get away with that on OlbyPlanet, as long as you serve Herr Olbermann's propaganda needs. Not taken aback for one second, Krazy Keith liked that slur so much he repeated it. Twice. Needless to say, Moore got Great Thanksed for his "insight" and "perspective".

After an attack on Giuliani (Blue Blog Source: Raw Story), the "war of words" over Iraq. But it wasn't much of a "war" on Countdown because Olbermahn only permitted one substantive clip to be shown: a lengthy diatribe from Joe Biden (D), described by nonpartisan Olby as "remarkable". KO again referenced Republican "talking points" [Ding!] and put together a bunch of short soundbites using the phrase "micromanage". Instead of being happy that Khalid Sheik Mohammed has confessed to a number of terror-related charges, Monkeymann sneered that it was "the politics of distraction". Stoddard bloviated. Great thanks.

#2: O.J. Simpson's book (regurgitated reportage from NBC), Britney Spears (story source: The National Enquirer), Pete Rose, and an attack on Sen Richard McCain (he's offering prizes on his website for the best NCAA predictions). KO insisted this conflicted with McCain's opposition to gambling on college sports. But Olbermoronn is misleading his gullible audience again. "Gambling" requires a bet: something you put at risk for the chance of a reward. Entering a free contest to get prizes is not gambling. But the truth doesn't matter on OlbyPlanet. When the Great and Powerful Olb decides you are an enemy, honesty goes out the window.

#1 was another attempt to trade on the success of American Idol, and since it included the creepy Michael Musto, there was no danger of any well-balanced viewers sticking around. It says something when two cretins spend nearly ten minutes analyzing the Seacrest-Cowell shtick as if it were holy writ, to find the "clues" that Seacrest is--snigger, snigger--gay. Hey, at least he's not a Hispanic house boy! Monkeymann's forced laughter at the creepster's gay Anderson Cooper joke was freakishly disturbing. The Media Matters Minute was a bunch of boring nonentities.

Muted mongrels: What happened to Mr McKay? Perhaps he visited this site and decided not to soil his reputation by appearing with the likes of Fat Ass. Meanwhile, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann will do anything to avoid embarrassing his party, like spiking this story. After Nostradamus Keith peered into his crystal ball and said the "surge" would result in nothing but "failed bloodletting", he has carefully avoided anything about the security crackdown in Baghdad. Like the signs of progress that even the Associated Press has noted. Like the fact that Al Sadr has fled to exile. But largest muted mongrel has to be the total lack of any correction, explanation, or apology for his indefensible lie of Tuesday night. But nobody really expected better of the slovenly political hack.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name is #6,861 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #461. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,667 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,006 there. Tuesday night's Hour of Spin didn't do so hot, losing to Nancy Grace and coming in a weak third place in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 4 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• U.S. ATTORNEYS SCANDAL: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION: John Dean, fmr. Nixon White House counsel and author of "Conservatives Without Conscience"
• POOR TREATMENT OF TROOPS: Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran and chairman of votevets.org

The decibel level went up to 11 in the opening spiel: the White House wanted to fire all the prosecutors "for pure politics". Clip of Schumer (D). "The pressure builds" on the AG to resign. Yeah. It's "a White House truly in crisis". Peter Pace is another "scandal" because it's like Newt Gingrich who had an affair. Huh? How does that follow? Don't try to make sense out of it. It's OlbyLogic. So began another another Hour of Spin that would bring us another big, honking, indefensible Olbermann Lie.

Liberal Keith Olbermann was up in arms because it somebody suggested firing all the federal prosecutors. Olby was also upset that the law permits the Prez to replace US attorneys sans Congress, but didn't seem to get the idea that Congress passed that law. Whose fault is that? Within minutes, a reference to Nixon [Ding!] led into a clip of the AG, a clip of Dan Bartlett, and a clip of Schumer (D). Olby asked The Wolffe Man: "Is the Attorney General finished one way or another?" Wolffie didn't think so, but pointed out "contradictions", while Olbermoronn talked about the Bush "scandals" and how the President is being "thrown under the bus" [Ding!]. The Wolffe Man dittoed Olby's comments about the Patriot Act and naturally got thanked for same.

#4 was more of "GonzalezGate" and "this rapidly self-destructing administration" with a special guest, Joshua Marshall (Blue Blog Source: Talking Points Memo). Does Fat Ass Olbermahn ever have on bloggers from any perspective except the far left? Consider that question rhetorical since the answer is as obvious as in "What time does the 6:00 o'clock news begin?" Josh pooh-poohed any question about the legality of firing political appointees because, well, somebody should have thought of a law, and even if they didn't, so what? Then the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann delivered tonight's Great Moment in OlberJournalism:

None of the previous Presidents ever tried this.

Stop the tivo! What about this? Krazy Keith didn't bat an eyelash when he spewed this latest example of Another Olbermann Lie. Still he soldiered on, pretending like US Attorneys were not supposed to be loyal to administration policy, mentioning Karl Rove [Ding!], and Josh kept the spin one-sided, as required by law on OlbyPlanet.

Incredibly, #3 continued the "big political scandal" of firing political appointees. (We should have been keeping count of how many times "scandal" passed Olbermahn's lips tonight, but we're not going to go back and start from the top. There's only so much one can take.) The Olbermann Criminal Rehabilitation Program held another meeting tonight, with felon Dean the prime subject. KO talked about "subverting" the "right" of Congress to approve replacements, which is a pretty neat trick, because under the law Congress has no such right. The disbarred lawyer nattered on about "politicizing" the Department of Justice, and deemed the AG to be "over his head" and trying to "protect the White House". (From what? Following the law?) KO rhapsodized: "Oh, for the days of Elliot Richardson", and the felon slobbered over the Democrat Congress and their subpoena powers. Great thanks.

#2: The "scandal" at the Pentagon, but first comments on the "escalation" [Ding!] in Iraq. Peter Pace doesn't like immorality in the military. Only on OlbyPlanet is someone holding an unapproved opinion a "scandal". In order to attack Duncan Hunter (R), Monkeymann asserted that the Catholic Church pedophile problem had nothing to do with homosexuality.

Next came American Idol and Barry Bonds. In the Media Matters Minute, you guessed it, once again Krazy Keith had to feed his Olbsession (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). O'Reilly was attacked for criticizing the lack of supervision and oversight that led to the Bronx fire, and in what appears to be a new OlberTactic, the music fades out and Herr Olbermann speaks with a fake, quiet intensity about the eeevil O'Reilly, who dares to speak opinions that Fat Ass doesn't like.

#1 was a hilarious, knee-slapping, uproariously funny segment about the gut-busting events in the news, like "Mister" Bush's Mayan visit. Just to keep things fair and balanced, Olby trotted out Genk Uygar (who?!?) from Err America. Why are we not surprised? The height of this guy's humor was that Bush and Cheney make Dan Quayle look good. Not exactly Last Comic Standing material, but it appealed to our favorite slovenly political hack. Great thanks.

Silent schnauzers: Mr Freedom of the Press, ol' First Amendment Olbermahn, somehow didn't mention this. And he's not about to report anything that might be less than favorable about Harry Reid. Hillary trotted out the vast right-wing conspiracy again. Scientific doubts about the accuracy of that Al Gore movie that Herr Olbermann hyped relentlessly. And don't expect him to deal with the changes in Sadr City. Of course the biggest silent schnauzer is the fact that Olbermoronn did not apologize for last night's smear of Bill O'Reilly. But did anyone really expect otherwise?

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is #6,748 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #288. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,682 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,297 there. On Monday, traditionally KO's highest rated night, he eeked out second place, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 5 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO GONZALES: Jonathan Turley, George Washington University law professor; Paul Krugman, The New York Times columnist
• HALLIBURTON MOVES TO DUBAI: Phillip Giraldi, fmr. CIA officer
• 2008 CANDIDATES: Dana Milbank, The Washington Post
• "AMERICAN IDOL": Maria Milito, Q104.3 radio host

Keith bellowed an opening spiel that could have been lifted verbatim from the blue blogs: Rove is behind firing prosecutors "for political reasons", Halliburton [Ding!] moving to Dubai, Newt Gingrich is "nuts", mugging caught on tape, and more riding the coattails of American Idol. All of this, plus another attack on Bill O'Reilly that brings us, yes, Another Olbermann Lie. The Hour of Spin is back.

Liberal Olbermann kicked things off with another reference to firing prosecutors "for political reasons". Oh, and Karl Rove too. All of this as if federal prosecutors did not serve at the pleasure of the President. All of this as if firing eight prosecutors is about, well, let's see, one-tenth the number that Bill Clinton fired. Quotes from three Senators against Atty General Gonzales. Quotes from zero Senators with the opposing viewpoint. Clip of Schumer (D) against the AG. Zero clips on the other side.

Radical Krugman was there to analyze what Oralmann called "the swamp that is the Bush administration". Olby smeared all the remaining prosecutors as "willing to do administration's dirty work". Hey, doesn't that include the sainted Patrick Fitzgerald? When Monkeymann smears, he does it with a broad brush. His scripted questions had all the edge of a damp washcloth. Limp, you might say. Many thanks.

Next, another episode of Olby and the Perfessor. This is the same legal scholar who railed on and on about the obvious unconstitutionality of the Military Commissions Act. The Perfessor of course can spout anything on The Hour of Spin, because he knows the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermahn will never report when he is proven wrong. Neither KO nor his sock puppet made any mention of Clinton's firing of all the federal prosecutors in order to replace them with political appointees. We can't have people knowing that's how these slots are filled. No point in spoiling the spin. Great thanks.

Breaking News! Stop the presses! Peter Pace thinks homosexual acts in the military are immoral.

#4: The "escalation" [Ding!] number is now a "corrected escalation" [Ding!] number. Only this segment is really about Halliburton [Ding!]. They're moving to Dubai. KO laughingly claimed he would turn to a "conservative voice", and it turned out to be Giraldi: populist, Iraq War opponent, and longtime isolationist. See? Herr Olbermann has pseudo-"conservatives" on...as long as they take liberal positions that agree with him. Multiple [Dings!] for repeated Halliburton references. Great thanks.

#3: Presidential politics with Dana Milbank, sans splashy suits. Hagel announced that he doesn't have anything to announce. Fred Thompson might announce but not now. Boring discussion of overly-evident "insights", with an attack on Rupert Murdoch tossed in, gratis. Thanks. An attack on Dick Morris followed.

#2: Violent crime is up because the Bush administration cut funding to local police. (Post hoc ergo propter hoc.) Mugger caught on tape (regurgitated reportage from the network mothership). Plus Larry King, James Brown, and Cruise News! Oh wow! For Fat Ass Olbermann this must be the Best. Day. Ever. #1: More trading on a successful program (American Idol) in the hopes of attracting something more than a miniscule percentage of its audience.

In the Media Matters Minute, "Man on Fan" Olbermann scoured his favorite Soros site and once again managed to avoid naming anyone even slightly on the left as "worst person". Tonight it was Glenn Beck (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters) for embracing "radical extremism", and--of all people!--Bill O'Reilly (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). KO claimed Mr Bill:

described sympathy and compassion for the dead, kids burned alive, as a "new tactic by the pro-amnesty open border crowd, using children to demand sanctuary for illegal aliens".

What a fitting way to start the week: with Another Olbermann Lie. The quote KO read was not about the fire, but about the issue of detaining illegals when children are involved. That's the "tactic" he was talking about at the very beginning of this commentary. That reference to a "tactic" was all about this detention issue, and had nothing to do with the fire or "compassion for the dead". Here is what Mr Bill said about compassion as regards the fire:

It is people like you, [viewer], who promote that kind of chaos in the name of compassion, who look the other way while poor workers and children are exploited by greedy landlords and businesses because you don't like the immigration laws.

O'Reilly's own words weren't juicy enough for Monkeymann so he took a comment about a "tactic" addressing something else and falsely claimed Bill was talking about the fire. Plus, Herr Olbermann invented the part about "compassion for the dead"--all this just so he could smear Mr Bill yet again. Is Olby one of those people who becomes so obsessed with a personality that he ends up stalking him? Oh wait, that's already happened!

Dogs that did not bark: Al Sharpton unloads on Obama. Ted Koppel speaks out on Iraq. (Not to mention Brian Williams). Charges that apologists for terrorism will be permitted to use Congressional facilities. Protesters greet Nancy Pelosi.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name has sunk to #8,903 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #342. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,639 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #731 there. Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 3 [GUARDED]

This week on his radio program, constitutional attorney Mark Levin addressed the news that the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann will be interviewing Valerie Plame at a People for the American Way event (the outfit TVNewser euphemistically describes as a "first amendment watchdog group"). We have an audio clip of Dr Levin's comments for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• INTELLIGENCE: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek
• WALTER REED HOSPITAL: Kelly Kennedy
• ELECTIONS '08: Anne Kornblut, Washington Post
• HARRY POTTER IN THE BUFF
• "24" AND TORTURE: Jane Mayer

Liberal Keith Olbermahn bellowed the opening spiel: UBL and training camps, the "right-wing" [Ding!], Walter Reed, "24" again, the "torture doesn't work" lie, Anna Nicole Smith, and Harry Potter nude (he "shows us his magic wand"). Such excitement.

#5: Intelligence. The Wolffe Man purred, liberal Olby cited Hersh and brought up Iran-Contra, and remote controls all across America began clicking furiously. Great thanks. KO Key Words: squander credibility, manipulate intel, spin, talking points, softballs (liberal Keith's favorite passtime, to judge from his blue-dress interviews), cherry-picking, unraveling, secrecy.

#4: Walter Reed (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). KO Key Words: disingenous, disconnect.

#3: Politics '08. Obama ahead of Clinton among backs, Guiliani ahead of Richard McCain. KO Key Words: carrying Bush water, twice-divorced, evangelicals, counter-intuitive, self-fulfilling prophecy [Ding!].

#2: Harry Potter (regurgitated video), Anna Nicole Smith, her dog SugarPie, American Idol. #1: "24" and torture (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). KO Key Words: Fox Noise channel, rationalization.

In the Media Matters Minute: the "reprehensible" [Olbersaurus!] Melanie Morgan (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters).

Dogs that did not bark: The following perfectly encapsulates the bias of "Man on Fan" Olbermann. While he has avoided reporting the decrease in killings since the Baghdad crackdown commenced, liberal Olby has eagerly trumpeted every piece of bad news he could scrape up. Just yesterday, he bellowed: "18 young boys died when a bomb blew up at a soccer field in Ramadi." Today it turns out that report was, to say the least, accuracy-challenged. Did liberal Keith update the story tonight? Did he tell his credulous viewers that his report may have been in error? That doesn't happen on OlbyPlanet. Just as liberal Oralmann won't mention this, he won't even report the good news that 18 young boys weren't killed at all. They name streets after guys like Olbermahn: "One-Way". Finally, in our assessment of Keith Olbermann's masculinity, this week liberal Olbermann attacked Fox, CNN, and right-wing pundits five times; Olby criticisms of MSNBC: zero. His primary sources (Media Matters/Think Progress) criticized MSNBC three times. That makes this week's Olbermann Manhood Quotient: -12 [limp].

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is #4,425 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #261. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,566 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,007 there, and is now in its 21st week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Tuesday's Hour of Spin lost to The O'Reilly Factor by nearly four to one, but eeked out a second place finish both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". And though it had the night off, we wish to take this opportunity to thank The MisterMeter for its many months of yeomanlike service in documenting the insufferable superciliousness of the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermahn.

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar

Tonight on CNN's Headline News, Glenn Beck returned fire at Keith Oralmann, who attacked Beck in a recent interview. We have the video for your viewing pleasure.

Click on the icon to view the QuickTime video:

Posted by johnny dollar at 2:01 AM | Comments (125)

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN BOMBINGS: Dana Milbank, Washington Post; Ben Venzke
• SURGE SUPRESSION: Patrick Murphy (D)
• AL GORE DAMAGE CONTROL: Chris Cillizza
• INTERNET VIDEO HOAXES

Why did the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann delay a story for an entire day before he reported it? That answer is coming, but first... Rev Oralmann mounted the pulpit and delivered the opening spiel: the attack on Cheney, "Blame the Media!", the military is not ready, Al Gore attacked by "right wing water carriers", fat children, Barry Bonds, and internet videos.

First up: the suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, Bad News from Iraq, an attack on Laura Bush for criticizing the media. Dana Milbank, without weird wardrobe, talked about CYA and resurgent Talibanis. Liberal Olbermann asked "where's the credibility?" Great thanks.

Peter Pace says military readiness declined. Obligatory clips of press hectoring Snow. To discuss the "escalation" [Ding!]: Patrick Murphy (D). [Updated: The List: it's really getting ridiculous!] When was the last time somebody who supported sending reinforcements was interviewed on The Hour of Spin? Let's see, that would be...NEVER! Liberal Monkeymann demanded to know what the Congress would do "bindingly" to lose the war. Murphy said we need more troops in Afghanistan. Wait, isn't that an "escalation"? No, on OlbyPlanet it's only an escalation if it's in Iraq. Great thanks.

#4: The Taliban spring offensive, analyzed by Venzke, who is not exactly a favorite of the Kos kids. His analysis was shockingly straightforward for The Hour of Spin, so liberal KO dispensed with him in record time.

Though he hasn't reported the 31 all-time record highs the Dow has hit since October, after oddball liberal "Man on Fan" Oralmann served up this (regarding the stock market fall): "Fox Noise insisted the dropoff was because of the assassination attempt on Vice-President Cheney". Another Olbermann Lie, and we have no idea what Blue Blog was reckless enough to print this fabrication. But it was obviously a good enough "source" for liberal Olbermahn.

The next segment raised the question: why did liberal Keith wait 24 hours to report a story everyone covered yesterday? A two-part answer. A) Olbermann Watch slammed him for spiking Gore's energy usage yesterday and he was shamed into dealing with it today. B) It took 24 hours for Olby to get the spin together to blame it all on--all together now--the "right-wing!" (Blue Blog Sources: Think Progress and Media Matters). Everything reported by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research was therefore "a lie". That's called "journalism" on OlbyPlanet. Cillizza pandered. Great thanks.

#2: Fat kids (regurgitated video), Anna Nicole Smith, Barry Bonds, baseball cards; #1: Internet videos. Media Matters Minute: Ann "Coultergeist" (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters).

Quiescent canines: Not much of a surprise here. Even thought it's co-written by frequent Countdown guest Jim VandeHei, this article got spiked by the infamous, deplorable one. Meanwhile, while Monkeymann has railed loud and long against "hate speech" by the eeevil "right-wingers" and "neocons", guess whose hate speech he has been totally silent about? And c'mon, Keithy Boy--be a man. Report this.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name sunk to #8,516 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #317. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,540 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,163 there, and is now in its 21st week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Even with all the hype and frenzied emails to the usual blue blog echo chamber, Monday's Countdown, with its pivot-happy Special Education Komment, lost by more than three to one to the eeevil Nazi swine O'Reilly. The Hour of Spin just barely eeked out a second place finish both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo".

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ & IRAN: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek; Lawrence Korb
• AMERICAN IDOL: Whatever
• CONDI RICE: Keith puts her in her place with a Speshul Education Komment

The infamous, deplorable, liberal Keith Olbermann bellowed the opening spiel: Cheney's "odd warning" to Pakistan, Condi is "rewriting history" (Speshul Education Komment alert), The Great Leak Case, a Hollywood moviemaker finds "the lost tomb of Christ", Judge Larry, American Idol, and more. It's Dreary Monday on The Hour of Spin.

#5: "Mister" Bush is secretly funding Al Qaeda (according to that paragon of accuracy, Sy Hersh). Secret plans for attacking Iran. Condi Rice is stupid, liberal Keith Oralmann is smart! The Wolffe Man purred OlbySpin like a kontented kitty kat. Great thanks. Liberal Korb, again identified as "from the Reagan administration", was happy to join liberal Olbermann in demanding hearings and taking everything from liberal Hersh as proven fact. More great thanks.

#4: The Great Leak Case. One juror kicked out. Deliberations continue for yet another day. How can this be? According to Slippery, Libby's defense was "dead" on the first day of trial. Why is it taking them so long? Slippery did not explain. Many thanks.

Oddball (incorporating another O'Reilly attack); #3: American Idol. #2: James Cameron found "the bones" of "Jesus H Christ himself" (more rerun video); plus Al Gore's Oscar and Anna Nicole Smith. In the Media Matters Minute, attacks on the NRA (Blue Blog Source: Huffington Post) and a White House press guy (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress).

Finally, held for the last possible Nielsen minute, the latest Speshul Education Komment, complete with all the scripted camera pivots and staged dramatics (see APPENDIX below for the putrid details). It included this great moment:

There is, obviously, no mistaking Saddam Hussein for a human being, but nor is there any mistaking him for Adolf Hitler. Invoking the German dictator who subjugated Europe; who tried to annihilate the Jews; who sought to overtake the World--is not just in the poorest of taste, but in its hyperbole, it insults not merely the victims of the Third Reich, but those in this country who fought it. And, defeated it.

Izzat so? We don't recall Oralmann spewing an irate Speshul Komment when Robert Byrd (D) compared Republicans to Hitler. Or when Dick Durbin (D) analogized the actions of US troops to Nazis. For that matter, we're still waiting for Herr Olbermann, who called the Bush administration a "new form of fascism", to apologize to the ADL for this:

But Olbypocrisy runs too thick and deep for that ever to happen.

Dogs that did not bark: How many days of coverage did Fat Ass give to Ted Haggard? And yet not one minute of coverage to this. Lots of praise for Al Gore, but no mention whatsoever about these inconvenient truths. Rumblings of dissatisfaction in Iran. Tony Blair sends more troops to the war zone. And still Olbermahn spikes the news of a federal court ruling that proves him to be a slovenly political hack.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is at #7,360 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #239. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,494 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #746 there, and is now in its 21st week on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Friday the discredited sports guy once again came in third in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". No wonder he had his writers crank out another Speshul Education Komment. Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

APPENDIX: Keith's Latest Speshul Education Komment

And finally as promised, a special comments on the remarks yesterday by Secretary of State Rice.

We already know about her suggestion that the president could just ignore whatever congressional Democrats do about Iraq.

Just ignore Congress.

We know how that game always turns out. Ask President Nixon. Ask President Andrew Johnson.

Or ask Vice President Dick Cheney, who utterly contradicted Secretary Rice on Monday when he warned President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan about what those mean congressional Democrats could do to his foreign aid.

All of this, par for the course.

But about what the secretary said regarding the prospect of Congress' revising or repealing the 2002 authorization of the war in Iraq:

Here we go again! From springs spent trying to link Saddam Hussein to 9/11, to summers of cynically manipulated intelligence, through autumns of false patriotism, to winters of war, we have had more than four years of every cheap trick and every degree of calculated cynicism from this administration, filled with Three-Card Monte players.

But the longer Dr. Rice and these other pickpockets of a nation's goodness have walked among us, waving flags and slandering opponents and making true enemies--foreign and domestic--all hat and no cattle all the while, the overriding truth of their occupancy of our highest offices of state has only gradually become clear.

As they asked in that Avis commercial: "Ever get the feeling some people just stopped trying?"

Then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thought he could equate those who doubted him with Nazi appeasers, without reminding anybody that the actual, historical Nazi appeasers in this country in the 1930s were the Republicans.

Vice President Cheney thought he could talk as if he and he alone knew the "truth" about Iraq and 9/11, without anyone ever noticing that even the rest of the administration officially disagreed with him.

The president really acted as if you could scare all of the people all of the time and not lose your soul--and your majority--as a result.

But Secretary of State Rice may have now taken the cake. On the Sunday morning interview show "Of Broken Record" on Fox, Dr. Rice spoke a paragraph, which if it had been included in a remedial history paper at the weakest high school in the nation would've gotten the writer an "F" — maybe an expulsion.

If Congress were now to revise the Iraq authorization, she said, out loud, with an adult present: "...it would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change, then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."

The secretary's resume reads that she has a master's degree and a Ph.D in political science. The interviewer should have demanded to see them, on the spot.

[Direction: EYEBROW RAISE]

Dr. Rice spoke 42 words. She may have made more mistakes in them than did the president in his State of the Union Address in 2003.

There is, obviously, no mistaking Saddam Hussein for a human being. But nor is there any mistaking him for Adolf Hitler.

Invoking the German dictator who subjugated Europe; who tried to exterminate the Jews; who sought to overtake the world is not just in the poorest of taste, but in its hyperbole, it insults not merely the victims of the Third Reich, but those in this country who fought it and defeated it.

Saddam Hussein was not Adolf Hitler. And George W. Bush is not Franklin D. Roosevelt--nor Dwight D. Eisenhower. He isn't even George H.W. Bush, who fought in that war.

[Direction: SHOULDER SHAKE & HEAD BOB]

However, even through the clouds of deliberately spread fear, and even under the weight of a thousand exaggerations of the five years past, one can just barely make out how a battle against international terrorism in 2007 could be compared--by some--to the Second World War.

The analogy is weak, and it instantly begs the question of why those of "The Greatest Generation" focused on Hitler and Hirohito, but our leaders seem to have ignored their vague parallels of today to instead concentrate on the Mussolinis of modern terrorism.

But in some, small, "You didn't fail, Junior, but you may need to go to summer school" kind of way, you can just make out that comparison.

[Direction: PIVOT!]

But, Secretary Rice, overthrowing Saddam Hussein was akin to overthrowing Adolf Hitler? Are you kidding? Did you want to provoke the world's laughter?

And, please, Madame Secretary, if you are going to make that most implausible, subjective, dubious, ridiculous comparison; if you want to be as far off the mark about the Second World War as, say, the pathetic Holocaust-denier from Iran, Ahmadinejad--at least get the easily verifiable facts right: the facts whose home through history lies in your own department.

[Direction: PEER DOWNWARD]

"The resolution that allowed the United States to" overthrow Hitler?

On the 11th of December, 1941, at 8 o'clock in the morning, two of Hitler's diplomats walked up to the State Department--your office, Secretary Rice --and 90 minutes later they were handing a declaration of war to the chief of the department's European Division. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor four days earlier, and the Germans simply piled on.

Your predecessors, Dr. Rice, didn't spend a year making up phony evidence and mistaking German balloon-inflating trucks for mobile germ warfare labs. They didn't pretend the world was ending because a tin-pot tyrant couldn't hand over the chemical weapons it turned out he'd destroyed a decade earlier. The Germans walked up to the front door of our State Department and said, "We're at war." It was in all the papers. And when that war ended, more than three horrible years later, our troops and the Russians were in Berlin. And we stayed, as an occupying force, well into the 1950s. As an occupying force, Madam Secretary!

If you want to compare what we did to Hitler and in Germany to what we did to Saddam and in Iraq, I'm afraid you're going to have to buy the whole analogy. We were an occupying force in Germany, Dr. Rice, and by your logic, we're now an occupying force in Iraq. And if that's the way you see it, you damn well better come out and tell the American people so. Save your breath telling it to the Iraqis--most of them already buy that part of the comparison.

[Direction: PIVOT! AND PEER DOWNWARD]

“It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."

We already have a subjectively false comparison between Hitler and Saddam. We already have a historically false comparison between Germany and Iraq. We already have blissful ignorance by our secretary of state about how this country got into the war against Hitler. But then there's this part about changing "the resolution" about Iraq; that it would be as ridiculous in the secretary's eyes as saying that after Hitler was defeated, we needed to go back to Congress to "deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."

[Direction: PIVOT!]

Oh, good grief, Secretary Rice, that's exactly what we did do! We went back to Congress to deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after Hitler was overthrown! It was called the Marshall Plan. 

Marshall!

Gen. George Catlett Marshall!

Secretary of state!

The job you have now!

C'mon!

Twelve billion, 400 thousand dollars to stabilize all of Europe economically--to keep the next enemies of freedom, the Russians, out and democracy in! And how do you suppose that happened? The president of the United States went back to Congress and asked it for a new authorization and for the money. And do you have any idea, Madame Secretary, who opposed him when he did that? The Republicans!

"We've spent enough money in Europe," said Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio.

"We've spent enough of our resources," said former President Hoover.

It's time to pull out of there! As they stand up, we'll stand down!

[Direction: PIVOT! & ROLL EYES]

This administration has long thought otherwise, but you can't cherry-pick life--whether life in 2007, or life in the history page marked 1945. You can't keep the facts that fit your prejudices and throw out the ones that destroy your theories. And if you're going to try to do that; if you still want to fool some people into thinking that Saddam was Hitler, and once we gave FDR that blank check in Germany he was no longer subject to the laws of Congress or gravity or physics, at least stop humiliating us.

Get your facts straight. Use the Google!

[Direction: POWERFUL SILENT PAUSE STARE & PIVOT!]

You've been on Fox News Sunday, Secretary Rice. The Fox network has got another show premiering Tuesday night. You could go on that one, too. It might be a better fit. It's called "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?"

To say Keith Olbermann is two-faced is like discovering that water is wet. And nowhere does he get tied up in contradictory knots like he does when talking about his favorite topic: himself.

His masquerading as an "impartial" newsman is the oldest trick in the Olby playbook:

I have no more interest in the political outcome of an election than I did in the winner or loser of any ballgame I ever covered.... If a reporter's work in turn winds up criticizing a candidate or party in some cases, and praising that same candidate or party in others, he's as close to neutral as he can be. If not, he's a partisan.

That makes sense. While Olbermahn criticized the Republican Party as the greatest terrorist threat in America, that's balanced out by when he praised the Republican Party for...

For... um...

But back to Oralmann, who just recently told the world--again--that he has no political biases. None at all! Which brings us to today, when once again he was singing a different tune, and let it slip that he is precisely what Olbermann Watch has been claiming for years [mp3 audio]:

Krazy Keith the Liberal. The Olbypologists have denied it, Monkeymann himself has contested it, but now the truth is out. One of the most important goals of this site, since the day it was inaugurated, was to strip away the phony facade of Citizen Keith the Impartial Journalist, and expose the real facade of Olbermahn the Liberal Hack. Now that KO himself has admitted his biases, that goal has been achieved.

Of course, the Olbypologists will still try to dispute Olbermoronn's words, and seek to rationalize and justify and argue away their hero's own admission. But there should be one point on which all, clear-thinkers as well as Olbyloons, can agree, one comment from Keith himself that no one can argue with:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• CONGRESS AND THE WAR: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst; Anne Kornblut, Washington Post national political reporter

The opening spiel: Dem attempts to undeclare the Iraq war, if Lieberman turns (R) can he be recalled, Walter Reed again, another O'Reilly attack and a slam at Oprah, Anna Nicole, yada yada yada.

#5: The "military galavanting in Iraq". Endless blather about undeclaring the Iraq war (when a nonbinding resolution couldn't even get 60 votes). Lefty Alter delivered Dem talking points, i.e. he parroted OlbySpin. Great thanks. Lieberman talks about changing parties. Oh gawd, no! We can't permit that on OlbyPlanet! Kornblut said it's a possibility, though remote. KO: If Joe flips, there's really a "silver lining" for Dems. Anne flat-out laughed at that spin. Olby warned Lieberthal that if he switches, it "will not be a pleasant situation for him". Threats, from Monkeymann? Great thanks.

#4: Walter Reed (regurgitated NBC video). Oddball.

#3: The latest O'Reilly attack (Hornbeck again): "fraud", "ethical garbage dump", plus a smear of Oprah. KO claimed Bill said the teenager "preferred being raped", and recycled that same first-night clip yet again. Marc Klaas was there to criticize Oprah for not grilling O'Reilly. Klaas never explained why, when he was on with O'Reilly just Wednesday, he "grilled" Mr Bill thusly: "I appreciate your having me. I think you're exactly right". Klaas opined that it was "unconscionable" to invite O'Reilly to speak at that damn dinner Keithy Boy keeps bringing up. But it's not "unconscionable" for Klaas to go on O'Reilly's show? This disconnect is brought to you by OlbyLogic. OlbyLogic: apply directly to the forehead. Then it was back to Malmedy again! "Man on Fan" Olbermann at his most repellent. Great thanks.

#2: Racism at the Oscars (regurgitated reportage), Britney Spears, Conan O'Brien, CBS profile plug. #1: Anna Nicole Week in Review. In the Media Matters Minute: KO himself for not plugging his radio show on Conan; and a Washington Times columnist (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters).

Muted mongrels: This pornography arrest was certain to get spiked by Fat Ass, considering who was arrested. (But Mr Bill wasn't afraid to run it.) Nothing about credit cards for illegal aliens. The Brits redeploying some troops from Iraq has been Big News for days, but this hasn't been mentioned once. And Olbermahn still spikes the news of a federal court ruling because it proves him to be a slovenly political hack. Finally our weekly assessment of Oralmann's masculinity. Over the past week Olbermann has attacked Fox, CNN, and Limbaugh/right-wing pundits nine times; Olby criticisms of MSNBC: zero. Meanwhile, his primary sources (Media Matters/Think Progress) criticized (MS)NBC four times. That makes this week's Olbermann Manhood Quotient: -10 [limp].

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name plummeted to #13,112 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #213. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,687 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #309 there, and is now in its 20th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. The discredited sports guy came in third in total viewers, but eeked out second in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Hey Dan Abrams, are you getting your money's worth? Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 1 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• BASRA WITHDRAWAL: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; Col. Jack Jacobs, U.S. Army (ret.) and MSNBC military analyst
• HILLARY CLINTON VS. BARACK OBAMA: Chris Cillizza, washingtonpost.com

The opening spiel was bellowed in typical fashion: the Brits are declaring victory and "going home" (even though most troops are not leaving the region--could this be Another Olbermann Lie?); Hillary vs Obama; Britney Spears; Anna Nicole Smith case concludes (described as a "non-decision decision", another Olby snark that just shows how bone-chillingly ignorant he is).

#5: Basra isn't ready for transition; Blair lied about it (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). Brits redeploying could cause more bloodshed in what they leave behind. (Oralmann never makes that point about US troops leaving). The Wolffe Man and Col Jacobs were there to echo OlbySpin. They did. The Army is broke. The Marine Corps is broke. Everything is broke. Bush must be stopped. Great thanks and great thanks. Brief mention of The Great Leak Case, that open-and-shut slam-dunk that is still without a verdict, described by Monkeymann as being all about "how the Bush administration lied".

#4: The Pakistan border (regurgitated NBC video). Oddball. #3: Dems planning to write some legislation about Iraq that will never be enacted into law, and are fighting over money. Cillizza painted Hillary as the schemer in this one, and Olby claimed it was a victory for her. Surprise. Great thanks.

#2: Britney Spears, Prince Harry, James Brown. #1: Anna Nicole decision, where Fat Ass repeatedly displayed his ignorance by claiming the judge "passed the buck" and asking "how did he pass the bar?" A short course on Florida law for the slovenly political hack: possession of the remains passes by statute to the next of kin: Anna Nicole's daughter. Because she is not old enough her guardian will handle arrangements and decide where the burial site will be (Bahamas, as it turns out). The judge followed the law, moron. The Court has no authority to itself select the burial site, moron! Sheesh, Olbermahn, you are a moron. In the Media Matters Minute, KO attacked NYU College Republicans (Blue Blog Source: Daily Kos) for their "catch an illegal alien" game.

Silent schnauzers: Protecting his Tehran buddies, Herr Olbermann ignores this. He never reports news from Iraq that isn't negative. Muslims threaten attacks in Somalia. And Olbermahn still spikes the news of a federal court ruling because it makes him look stupid. Or stupider. Or stupidest. We think it's door #3.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #3,495 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #165. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,680 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #848 there, and is now in its 20th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. The discredited sports guy came in third on Tuesday, and then came in third again on Wednesday, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Hey Dan Abrams, are you getting your money's worth?

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• BRITISH WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: Dana Milbank, Washington Post political reporter and MSNBC political analyst
• COMPARING LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE HUMOR: Richard Lewis, comedian

Another opening, another spiel: The Brits withdraw, The Great Leak Case, "cooking the books" on terror stats, the obligatory Fox attack, Britney Spears, and Anna Nicole. All that and less on another dreary Hour of Spin.

To start things off, Oralmann reflogged yesterday's story about the Brit withdrawal of "some or all of its troops" from Iraq. Cheney. Halliburton. [Ding!] "Mister" Cheney again. Fineman talked a lot, didn't say anything except that he thinks the Brits don't trust the "competence of the American military". Why do Olby and his guests hate our troops? KO cited Blair's statement that his remaining troops will be in a support role as something that would "strengthen the hand" of Democrats (Rule #1). Great thanks.

Then Big News in The Great Leak Case: "A possible guilty verdict". (Unless it's a possible not guilty verdict. Or a possible hung jury.) To discuss "Republican spin" up popped Dana Milbank, devoid of dramatic duds. There was no discussion of "Democrat spin" of a possible not guilty verdict. Keithy Boy hypothesized about a possible post-conviction deal to "go after" Cheney. DM: "not very likely". Olby: "That mud's gotta stick somewhere". Great thanks.

Then terror stats being used to "erode civil liberties". The impartial expert was David Boies, a Democrat attorney [The List]! They're scaring the public, they're driving their agenda! Great thanks.

After oddball, it was the obligatory Fox attack, this time on the pilot they ran for a comedy news program. Another impartial guest expert: Huffington Post blogger Richard Lewis. KO talked about the ratings, noting that the "heavily promoted" program did well for its timeslot. In fact, it did well for Olby's timeslot, with at least twice as many viewers as KO gets. He claimed of the show's viewers: "most of them started to leave 11 minutes into the show". Only the stats he cited were 1. not about total viewers, and B. did not show "most" of even that subgroup leaving the show. In other words, Another Olbermann Lie.

"Man on Fan" Olbermann claimed to Lewis that you can't create comedy that's "conservative" or "liberal". (Considering Countdown, he may have a point.) Lewis didn't buy that, and changed the subject because he hadn't seen the program in question. (Neither had Fat Ass, but he was too dishonest to say so.) Lewis yakked about Limbaugh, Olby brought up Rush's prescriptions, Lewis rambled on about blacks, jews, and whatever came into his head, and a painful time was had by all. Even The Laughing Stagehand didn't chuckle, though Monkeymann's forced laughter was phonier than ever. Great thanks.

#2: Jet Blue (regurgitated), Britney Spears, #1: Anna Nicole. Media Matters Minute: O'Reilly attacked again for promoting Jessica's Law on Oprah. Oprah attacked for having him on and not grilling him (like Oralmann grills the sock puppets on The Hour of Spin?). This must really frost Olbermahn, and for that we give Oprah Great Thanks.

Muted mongrels: Despite having an actual reporter from the Post on hand, Herr Olbermann was careful to make no mention of this story. Olby gets on his high horse about Laura Ingraham etc "inciting" their "acolytes" to violence, but in this case he was silent. When Democrats erupt in a war of words, everybody covers it. Except for our favorite slovenly political hack, protecting his party once again. Citizen Keith loves to cite polls, but not this one. Then there's the alleged, purported, so-called London terror plot. And Olbermahn still spikes the news of a federal court ruling because it makes him look stupid. Or stupider. One or the other.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name plummeted to #6,764 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #254. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,638 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #1,459 there, and is now in its 20th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Tuesday the discredited sports guy just couldn't get it up to second place, finishing third again in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo".

NewsHole is the new "blog" from Countdown's "cast and crew" (excluding, apparently, Oralmann himself). It is now accepting comments but strangely enough we didn't see any that showed the slightest bit of criticism, or even skepticism, of Countdown or its infamous, deplorable host. Any such opinions submitted seem to vanish in a cyberspace black hole.

We want to keep track of what is going on there. If you post a comment to one of their entries, please put a copy in our thread here, along with the date and time of your post. And let us know if it shows up there, or if it gets sucked into the NewsHole black hole.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor

Tonight's spielisms: The British Are Going! "Is it the end of the line for 'Mister' Bush?" The Great Leak Case, the "cockroach infested" outpatient center, the nightly Fox attack, Britney Spears, and Anna Nicole Smith. Four more years of this? Yikes.

First up: Blair to propose withdrawal of British troops from Iraq (1700 + 1500 later out of 7100). "Mister" Bush is "escalating" [Ding!] troops. OlbySpin: it will be seen as "The British are going home, why aren't we?" Fineman was asked that, and his reply: "If the British can go, why can't we?" They don't even bother to make Oralmann and his sock puppets sound different. KO hoped that this will get the Dems moving because "they've been stuck on the proverbial [Ding!] dime". Great Thanks.

Next "Man on Fan" Olbermann dealt with The Great Leak Case, and that means Slippery Shuster was there to talk about how "difficult" the case was for the defense, and how "today the prosecution got the final word". (Note to F Lee Shuster: the prosecution always gets the final word in criminal trials.) Slippery explained Libby's motive for lying (per the prosecution theory). Strangely enough, he did not even mention the defense theory that there was no motive to lie. But that's why we call him "Slippery". Great Thanks.

After a tease for a story about Richard McCain trying to "throw Rumsfeld under the bus" [Ding!], it was all about Democrats to the rescue of veterans at Walter Reed, while Republicans were "missing in action". Expert witness: Tammy Duckworth, a partisan Democrat politico [updated: The List] and favorite of the blue blogs. Rev Olbermahn pontificated about how veterans "are treated like this" after "six years of a Republican Presidency". Fat Ass Olbermann's concerns did not extent to Col Ken Allard. Great thanks.

Oddball allowed Citizen Keith to indulge his greatest of all Olbsessions: Bill O'Reilly (trivia question: how far away are we from Attack #200?). Then it was time to go after a decorated war hero: the latest battle in Olbermahn's War Against Richard McCain. McCain's crime: he criticized Rumsfeld. Herr Olbermann then twice misquoted McCain, who would never use the OlbySpin term that KO claimed: "escalation" [Ding!] [Ding!].

KO, to lefty Alter, compared McCain to "a forgetful old man". Stop the tivo! Didn't Oralmann just yesterday berate Brit Hume for criticism of John Madden Murtha's smarts? Remember, it's "do as I say, not as I do" on OlbyPlanet. Keith got in two more "escalation"s [Ding!] [Ding!]. Great thanks.

Britney Spears, Donald Trump, Sylvester Stallone, Anna Nicole Smith. In the Media Matters Minute, we called it an hour before it happened: Neal Boortz (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress); VietNam POW Sam Johnson (R) (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress); Rep Adam Putnam (R) (Blue Blog Source: Talking Points Memo via Think Progress).

There is only one dog that did not bark tonight, not for lack of examples but because this one is such a towering demonstration of Olbypocrsy and propaganda. For months Keith Olbermahn has been repeating the lie about how "any American" or "your" habeas corpus rights have been killed. Olby and the Perfessor railed incessantly about the horrible tribunals act, and how deeply unconstitutional it was. Today the courts ruled. It got not one word of coverage on The Hour of Spin.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name rocketed to #3,648 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #246. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,610 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #421 there, and is now in its 20th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. We said The Hour of Spin would get crushed by The Malkin Factor and Friday's ratings showed just that. The discreted sports guy ended up in a humiliating fourth place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

Col Ken Allard publicly announced his leaving NBC after Keith Olbermann endorsed the anti-military comments of William Arkin. Today the Colonel spoke of the circumstances of his departure and other matters with constitutional attorney and talk show host Mark Levin. We have the mp3 audio for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• POLITICS: Dana Milbank
• AMERICA'S WAR OF TERROR: Michael Scheuer
• THE GREAT LEAK CASE: Slippery Shuster

The opening spiel: Revisionist history, poll numbers, cockroaches in Walter Reed and military officials "do not care", Anna Nicole Smith, the latest attack on Fox, plus Britney Spears. All that and less on another interminable Hour of Spin.

The Republican Party "slanders" critics, Democrats want to place restrictions on the authorization for war (because there have been so many times in our history when Congress has un-declared war). Quotes from Levin (D), Reid (D), clip from Reid (D). Brit Hume attacked for criticizing Murtha (D). (Flashback: Keith Olbermann was praised for saying John McCain was delusional.) People are calling John Madden Murtha's plan a "slow bleed" (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters. Multiple clips of (R)s using the phrase. Clip of G.W. Bush.

Oralmann asked Dana Milbank, sans splashy suit, why Republicans are obsessed with "catch phrases". Like "escalation"? Or "throw under the bus"? Or "good night and good luck"? Not exactly. DM disappointed Keith: not enough votes to cut off funds or undeclare the war. KO wondered if attacking a decorated war veteran would backfire on the Republicans (Rule #1 again). He didn't ask if attacking a decorated war veteran would backfire on a slovenly political hack masquerading as a newsman. No point to it; the question would have stumped Milbank. Great thanks.

Then the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann appropriated a literary device from his hero, William Arkin. Monkeymann spoke of America's "War of terror." Pause. Smirk. "ON terror. Sorry." After calling our troops terrorists, Olby introduced Michael Scheuer to discuss the current strength of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. To be sure, he didn't dare ask Scheuer about Clinton's missed chances to get UBL. The subject stayed on Afghanistan and Iran, areas where the two are entirely sympatico. Scheuer did get a good comment in about how we don't treat the Islamic threat seriously. When he did, it was immediately time for Great thanks.

No testimony in The Great Leak Case today, but Slippery was there with speculation about what Cheney "may have known". If Libby is convicted, "sources" say Fitzgerald may go after Cheney. If the stock market doesn't go up, it may go down. If a bullfrog had wings, it wouldn't bump its butt. Great thanks.

"Man on Fan" Olbermann introduced oddball with a laughably ignorant phrase: "the Lexus of politics and entertainment". Do you suppose he meant "nexus"? Or maybe he was thinking of his luxury auto? Oh wait, that can't be. He bumped his head and can't drive. He says. Plus more attacks on Fox News (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress).

#3: Walter Reed Army Medical Center (regurgitated NBC reportage). Jon Soltz of votevets.org was the impartial expert. Their website reads: "VoteVets.org, with Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, is leading the charge against the President's escalation of the war in Iraq". Oralmann brought up the "nonsense" of veterans being spat at; Soltz replied by attacking the Republican budget, and praising John Madden Murtha. Just when you thought Herr Olbermann couldn't possibly be any more biased.

#2: Anna Nicole Smith, the "reprehensible witch" Nancy Grace (for an email joke about who's the father of Anna's baby--never mind Fat Ass Olbermahn's on-air jokes, those are exempt from criticism), Prince Harry, JFK, plus Britney Spears with the creepy Michael Musto. In the Media Matters Minute, Oralmann named O'Reilly because the New York Daily News issued a correction when they understated his ratings (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser). Correcting falsehoods and replacing them with facts never goes over well on OlbyPlanet. A Republican Congressman was "worst" for something about Davy Crockett (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). Fox and Republican slots: both filled.

Dogs that did not bark: A Muslim cab driver ran over two infidels. Iran launches war games. Terrorists at the India-Pakistan border kill 66 people. The Brits arrest a suspect in the letter bombings Krazy Keith never reported. Olbermoronn still hasn't told us what the bloggers wrote.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name plumetted to #8,479 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #222. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,604 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #263 there, and is now in its 20th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. No ratings available for Friday's Countdown so we'll make them up, and they'll still be correct! The Hour of Spin lost overwhelmingly to The Michelle Malkin Factor. As it should be.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• HOUSE VOTE ON IRAQ RESOLUTION: Anne Kornblut, The Washington Post
• IRAQ WAR FUNDING: Robert Greenwald, "Iraq For Sale" producer
• NASCAR SCANDAL: Godwin Kelly, Daytona Beach News-Journal

It's casual Friday on The Hour of Spin, but then Oralmann has always been casual about things like truth, fairness, and the facts. The opening spiel: the non-binding resolution "about which the President could not care less", Murtha's plan to cut funding, Republicans are "terrorists", money "squandered" in Iraq, snow, the pizza man case, Anna Nicole, Britney Spears, a cure for baldness (hey, just get a toup like Olby!), and "Bill Orally". Yep, this looks as casual as ever.

The Hour of Spin proper led with the non-binding resolution, destined to "go down in the history books". It "passed easily", despite Republican "scare tactics". Clip of Virgil Goode (R), Brown-Waite (R). Herr Olbermann asked Kornbluth about the "politics of fear", and said this of the fact that only 17 Republicans voted for the resolution:

The Republicans trying to spin this, uh, this vote today as fewer GOP lawmakers voted with the Democrats than expected

Stop the tivo! Time for an Olbermann Reality-Check. Here is what the infamous, deplorable one himself said about the vote--twice--just yesterday:

As many as 60 Republicans said to be intending to vote for it

Fat Ass Olbermann, caught red-handed in his own OlbySpin. Great thanks!

Then it was on to John Madden Murtha's attempts to bleed money from the troops, and John Boehner's opposition. KO's impartial expert for this discussion? Arianna Huffington! Keith makes this so easy. Still sounding like the illegitimate offspring of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Count Dracula, Huffy delivered all the talking points, made only slightly more palatable in that her accent made them practically indecipherable. Monkeymann mentioned Republican "ilk", and we wondered when was the last time "Man on Fan" Olbermann interviewed someone who supported sending reinforcements? Oh, let's see... Never! Great thanks.

Next, money missing or unaccounted for in Iraq. The guest expert here? Greenwald, the brilliant auteur responsible for that great achievement of American cinematic art: Xanadu. It's all "an obscenity", said the Hollywood filmmaker (no, he wasn't talking about Xanadu). Corporations shouldn't be profiting during wartime. Besides, they're thieves who are committing treason. This is routine DailyKos stuff, but Olby slurped it up like it was a bottle of his precious Merlot. Great thanks.

Another plug for the segment where KO is going to slam Bill "Orally" for mispronouncing "Olbermann". Does anyone see the irony in this? Or the hypocrisy? Bueller? Anyone?

#3: Snow and ice (regurgitated video from NBC), car crashes caught on tape. #2: The mall shooting (more regurgitated reportage), the collar-bomb case, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, and...none other than Bill O'Reilly. Olby replayed some of Bill's Greatest Hits as a prelude to discussing Bill's reading part of Col. Allard's column. Here are the words Olbermahn used to describe the Colonel:

He never had a contract with the company, and hasn't been on our air in about a year

Compare with the statement TVNewser obtained from an anonymous NBC "spokesperson":

Mister Allard is not under contract to NBC and hasn't appeared on our air in nearly a year.

We report, you decide.

Fat Ass went on to claim that somehow O'Reilly didn't know the name of Olbermahn would even be in the bit he read, pretty amazing given that it was right on the screen and the teleprompter, and it was Mr Bill who selected that part of the column to read. Then the discreted sports guy suggested O'Reilly was "drunk on the air" [hey, there's The Laughing Stagehand! We've missed you, buddy!]. Yes, Krazy Keith knows O'Reilly is a teatotaler. As we said, Olbermahn is always casual with the truth. Especially when tossing around such stinkbombs is enough of a distraction that he still doesn't have to report what William Arkin wrote, which Keith embraced as "valid criticisms".

Other than a segment on baldness, all that's left to cover is the Media Matters Minute: it was another hat-trick of hatred for Herr Olbermann. O'Reilly (again!) plus Dennis Miller (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), Sean Hannity (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress), and Congressman Don Young (R) (Blue Blog Source: Crooks & Liars). Let's check and see if the slots were filled. Fox? Check. Republican? Check. Conservative? Check. Olby gets a gold star from David Brock. He can show it to Michael Musto, perhaps over a bottle of Merlot.

Silent schnauzers: We are three days into Operation Law and Order and Herr Olbermann is still spiking the story. The man identified as the most corrupt member of Congress is set to assume a seat on the Homeland Security Committee. Iranian fighters are deeply enmeshed in Iraq. Olbermoronn still hasn't told us what the bloggers wrote. Over the past week Olbermann has attacked Fox, CNN, and Limbaugh/right-wing pundits nine times; Olby criticisms of MSNBC: zero. Meanwhile, his primary source (Media Matters) criticized MSNBC seven times. That makes this week's Olbermann Manhood Quotient: -11 [limp].

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name slipped to #5,297 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #195. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,758 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #910 there, and is now in its 19th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Thursday Olbermoronn could only manage a third place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo".

TVNewser had studiously avoided any mention of Colonel Ken Allard's smackdown of Keith Olbermann and NBC. We wondered why, and today the answer became apparent.

An hour ago Brian Stelter finally broke his silence--now that he has been armed with some quotes from NBC he could use to spin the story. His brief posting includes a few lines from Col Allard's column, while carefully omitting the part where Allard criticizes Keith Olbermann. (Could he be any more transparent?) An unnamed NBC source is cited as saying: "Mister" Allard was never under contract to us. ("Mister" Allard? Does that sound familiar? Any guesses on who this NBC source really is?) "Mister" Allard was only paid per appearance. (But he was paid.)

Then Brian quotes his NBC source saying that Allard "hasn't appeared on our air in nearly a year", with no further explanation. What is he leaving out? That Col Allard had a stroke and has been recovering for most of this past year. That's why he hasn't been on the air during that time.

Spinning the news to favor one side? Leaving out key details to hookwink the gullible? Completely ignoring the central controversy (incendiary anti-military remarks by an NBC analyst)? TVNewser doesn't just flack for Olbermann; now he's adopting his tactics.

On her radio program today, Laura Ingraham offered her own special congratulations to Keith on his new contract. We have an mp3 audio clip for your listening pleasure:

The fallout from Keith Olbermann's embrace of the sordid anti-military statements of William Arkin continues. Now one of NBC's military analysts has formally severed his relationship with the network, and cited among his reasons: the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann.

In his latest column for the San Antonio Express-News, retired Colonel Ken Allard, author of Warheads, decries NBC's "precipitous retreat from journalistic and ethical standards". And who shows up as one of his examples?

Not only were no apologies given and no pink slips issued for Arkin's outburst, but on his MSNBC show last week, Keith Olberman went out of his way to defend this "valid criticism" of our military.

Allard's closing comments:

But sometimes the only way to show where you really stand is to vote with your feet. And so with great reluctance and best wishes to my former colleagues, with this column I am severing my 10-year relationship with NBC News.

Our best wishes to Col Allard on his future endeavors, with our hope that he is able to continue imparting the wisdom of his experiences and insights in a venue that is more fair and balanced.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ AND IRAN: Dana Milbank, Washington Post national political reporter and MSNBC political analyst; Larry Johnson, fmr. deputy director of the Office of Counter Terrorism at the U.S. State Department
• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: Stanley Brand, defense attorney
• ANNA NICOLE SMITH LATEST: Michael Musto, Village Voice

Keith Olbermann is adroit at avoiding news that contradicts his spin, and tonight he showed the agility of the Indian Rubber Man in censoring one story after another that would have exposed him for the slovenly political hack that he is. The opening spiel: "Remember Afghanistan?... President Bush finally does". More troops being sent there (how come Olby didn't call this an "escalation"?). Condi Rice, past predictions for Iraq, "comedian Rush Limbaugh" and "right-wing water carriers", Anna Nicole Smith, and some self-promotion for the new Keith Kontract. With such juicy news to crow about, you'd think there would have been a little more spring in his delivery, but tonight's spiel sounded, well, limp.

The Hour of Spin proper began by telling us how Bush "abandoned" Afghanistan and "neglected" it. Olbermann lied about the "lack of evidence against Iran" (see terriers, below) and said, by talking about Afghanistan, Bush "changed the subject". After referencing "neocons" [Ding!], KO talked about sending more troops to Afghanistan, comparing the numbers to the "escalation" [Ding!] in Iraq. Then a discussion of "the level of delusion" at the White House, plus clips of the press hectoring Tony Snow. On to the Congress debate on Iraq, John Madden Murtha, Harry Reid, Chuck Hagel, Olympia Snowe...hey, isn't every last person Olby mentioned on the same side of the issue? On OlbyPlanet, there is only one side.

Dana Milbank, less lurid livery, suggested that they're playing games with the vote so it won't make Friday's edition of The Hour of Spin. Monkeymann's description of the White House changed from "delusional" (he has to save that for Richard McCain) to "divorced from reality", and Dana again talked about evidence against Iran (he also neatly avoided the item referenced in terriers, below). Great thanks.

Olby introduced his next guest without, of course, saying anything about who he really is: Larry Johnson, a partisan Democrat who actually delivered a Dem weekly radio address, was the Nostradamus who, two months before 9/11, said the US had "little to fear" from terrorism or from Bin Laden. And this is Monkeymann's Great Expert! Based on this distinguished track record, how could anyone discount Larry's brilliant insights? Iran's only responsible for 8% of the fatalities. Hey, that's only 240 US soldiers. Why should that be a big deal? What, do you think murdering US servicemen is an act of war or something? Keith talked about blatant "misinformation", Larry called Condi Rice a "liar"... Really, Johnson's drivel requires no further comment. So it got Great Thanks.

Note: There was no testimony in The Great Leak Case today. But The Great Leak Case somehow was made the #4 story. Instead of Slippery, Olby sought a different point of view by bringing in a different "expert", lobbyist and longtime Democrat attorney Stanley Brand. Of course, KO didn't note these slight details in the man's background, calling him just a "Washington defense attorney". So much for truth in packaging, but then that went out the window with Johnson. Brand's brilliant insights included: either they think they'll win or they think they'll lose; it's the latter; the defense blundered; etc. "Man on Fan" Olbermann demanded to know why Cheney hasn't been charged (oh, it might be because he has the authority to declassify, moron!). Brand opined that the reason was that they didn't have a case on Cheney. After Brand parroted Olby again about how dire things are for Libby, he got Great Thanks.

Next up: "comedian Rush Limbaugh" for joking about Rev Barack Obama (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). KO started by lying that Rupert Murdoch admitted that he runs a "house organ" for "right-wing politicians". Then it was on to Rush, and--in a stretch, even for the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann--Fox's upcoming comedy news program, which will include a sketch about Obama. Clarence Page didn't think much of that example, but he was happy to pile on Rush. Oralmann even dragged Glenn Beck into the discussion because Beck said he takes no regard of Obama's color. All this "racism" so upsetted Monkeymann that it took up an entire segment, but still not one word about the religious bigotry of those bloggers (see terriers, below). Great thanks. After that, KO devoted a few sentences to the Hardaway anti-gay statements . That's called proportionate on OlbyPlanet.

#2: The "abuses" on American Idol, but, funny, nothing about Michael Jackson (see terriers, below). Then Mr Humility bragged about his Big New Kontract, without saying how much it was for. Plus Brittney Spears, then Anna Nicole Smith with the creepy Michael Musto. The Media Matters Minute was boring.

Taciturn terriers: Monkeymann was especially adept today in spiking a number of inconvenient truths. Tonight he again pooh-poohed the notion that Iran is involved in Iraq. You'll note he took special care not to report this. After attempting to damage American Idol by hyping a website's "prediction" as a news report for two days straight, well what do you know? Turns out Michael Jackson is not going to be on the show. Did Edward R Olbermann retract his phony story? Take a guess. Even though his own network thought it was big news, Herr Olbermann took pains not to report that the wounding of the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. New developments in the six-party talks that Olby and his sock puppets insisted were doomed to failure. Olbermoronn still hasn't told us what the bloggers wrote. And we're waiting for Herr Olbermann, who slams Bill O'Reilly for comments about Iraq, to do the same to the man who called for the bombing of the holy city of Mecca. He won't, and that's why the Olbermann Manhood Quotient remains: limp.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,002 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #171. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,685 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #965 there, and is now in its 19th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Wednesday Olby & Company couldn't compete with Mr Bill's audience of nearly three million viewers. The discredited sports guy could only manage a third place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

Today on ESPN Radio, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann talked with Dan Patrick about the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. It didn't take long for Olby to inject himself into the story, telling about the night he went out drinking with an under-21 (if published dates are to be believed) supermodel. Later the discussion turned to young women who fall for old "toads", and we have the mp3 clips for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• HOUSE DEBATE ON IRAQ: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst
• REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IN 2008: Chris Cillizza, washingtonpost.com political reporter

Olby didn't wait to inject his own spin into tonight's Countdown; he stuck it right in his hyperbolic bellowing of the opening spiel. KO asked when Dems and war GOPers "do you intend to do something". Subtle. Plus The Great Leak Case, Mitt Romney announces ("do you have any idea what he stands for?"), whom will Hollywood support, and Anna Nicole Smith. Yep, it's unmistakably The Hour of Spin.

The show kicked off with Oralmann again plantively asking why all this non-binding stuff. Gallup poll results and clips from the House debate: Pelosi (D), Conyers (D), Dreier (R), Blunt (R), Lantos (D), Hunter (R), Murphy (D), Burton (R) ("not on the golf course today", snarked nonpartisan Olby). It's shocking: he actually played some (R) clips--after Olbermann Watch has been exposing his unbalanced clip selection night after night. Lefty Alter was the unbiased analyst for all this, as Monkeymann preposterously asked if Republicans were "hamstringing the Democrats". (The real story about who was hamstringing whom was, of course, not reported by Keith, and can be found in "canines" below.) Alter adopted the William Arkin Keith Olbermann position on supporting troops vs the mission, but then strayed off the reservation, agreeing with the GOP that the consequences of withdrawal must be part of the debate. Keith immediately changed the subject to poll numbers, and ended up giving Alter Great Thanks.

We blasted Mr Merkle yesterday for spiking any news of the North Korean talks; that shamed him into giving it a few sentences tonight. Then it was on to The Great Leak Case, where the purpose was to spin today's testimony to make Libby look dishonest. Slippery Shuster was there to assist in that cause, and moan along with Olby that they said Libby and Cheney would testify and now they won't. Wah! Wah! (Olbermann Watch has pointed out repeatedly how Slippery has been hyping the Cheney appearance, much in the manner of how he hyped the Rove indictment.) Shuster used his vast legal expertise to note that ten years ago, Jim Guy Tucker didn't take the stand and he was convicted. Oh wow, so why bother even instructing the jury? Slippery has this one figured out too. Amazingly, Shuster, who never even bothered noting the cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, spent more time on the cross of this defense witness than he did on his direct testimony! We don't call him "Slippery" for nothing. Great thanks.

#3: 2008 electoral politics. KO's roll call of the top three GOP candidates: "A Mormon, or someone who openly criticized Jerry Falwell and is now trying to get his support, or someone who once married his own second cousin". See? All you Olby haters? You claim Olby is biased? Yet that's the exact same type of description he uses to describe the top three Dem candidates. Isn't it? Well, isn't it?

The formal announcement by Mitt Romney (R) was represented by a brief montage of clips, a mere fraction of the lengthy selection he ran of Hillary's announcement. KO called the GOP trio "an odd shopping list" and suggested to Cillizza they can't possibly win, because satisfying the right will lose them the middle. The Post scribe explained to Keithy Boy how pragmatism works in politics; KO brought up Richard McCain, and Cillizza said the Senator is walking a fine line between maverick and establishment. Next Oralmann turned to Giuliani: "He's one straw away from being broken". Note how every OlbyComment about every GOP candidate is a negative one. Just like he did with Hillary, Obama, and Edwards. Isn't it? Well, isn't it? Great thanks.

Olbermann has interviewed Obama, and he had a two-day blue dress chat with Hillary after her announcement. So tonight he plugged his extensive interview with Mitt Romney to air for the next two nights on Countdown. Not! Only Democrat candidates get invited onto The Hour of Spin.

#2: An irrelevant reference to Eisenhower's "military industrial complex" intro'd a regurgitated NBC report on Democrats appealing for funds in Hollywood. Plus speculation about American Idol (lifted from a website), O.J. Simpson; #1: Anna Nicole. In the Media Matters Minute: Duke Cunningham (R), and Joel Surnow, producer of 24, for allowing his show to depict something that is true: torture can work (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress).

Quiescent canines: Oralmann has insisted that he can see the future, and sending reinforcements to Iraq will result in nothing more than a "failed bloodletting". So when this news breaks, Olby does the only thing he can: he spikes it. High-tech rifles sold to Iran are turning up in the hands of whom? Why, Iraqi terrorists. Funny how that didn't made the cut for The Hour of Spin. Hostilities among Congressional Democrats have resulted in their breaking a promise to allow Republicans to offer alternatives, yet Olby claims the it's the GOP that "hamstringing" the Dems! Only a classless hack like Citizen Keith would deliberately refuse to report on the death of a US Congressman. Olbermoronn still hasn't told us what the bloggers wrote. And if Herr Olbermann can slam Bill O'Reilly for comments about Iraq, why has he remained silent about the man who calls for the bombing of the holy city of Mecca? It's why the Olbermann Manhood Quotient remains: limp.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #3,547 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #195. (It's that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,668 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #170 there, and is now in its 19th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Monday's Hour of Spin limped behind Nancy Grace and almost got beat by Paula Zahn. Countdown's tepid third place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo", isn't what the discredited sports guy wants to see as the deadline for the Keith Kontract approaches. What's the over/under on how many days until the next Speshul Education Komment?

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: John Dean, fmr. Nixon White House counsel and author of "Conservatives Without Conscience"
• BARACK OBAMA VS. HILLARY CLINTON: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• ANNA NICOLE SMITH LATEST: Paul F. Tompkins, VH-1's "Best Week Ever"

The opening spiel focused on The Great Leak Case and the "16 words", Ari Fleischer the "liar", Cheney the "shadow President", Barack vs Clinton, the man who survived a nonfunctioning parachute, and, of course, Anna Nicole Smith. This Hour of Spin is going to be a bumpy ride.

Leading off with "Mister" Cheney, Olby claimed he "dominated the trail" today. KO tossed off the key defense testimony by six reporters--that Libby had never discussed Plame with them--by suggesting it was irrelevant ("never mind that he is on trial for perjury, not the leak itself"). Heaven forbid he actually explain that the purpose of the testimony was to rebut the prosecution's theory that Libby was point man in a deliberate effort to leak that information, and as such could hardly have forgotten it. Those six witnesses rebut that claim, which is precisely why Monkeymann tossed off the importance of their testimony with no explanation other than a snarky jab. It's why we call it The Hour of Spin.

Instead, Fat Ass redirected the discussion to the "16 words". Um Keith, Libby isn't being charged with writing, approving, or having anything to do with the 16 words. Never mind, to Olby it's proof of another elaborite White House lie. Slippery Shuster popped up. Now what exactly did he have to say about those six reporters and the import of their testimony? All together now: Nothing! All the unreliable hack did is blather on about the 16 words, Richard Armitage, Dick Cheney, and how the White House lied. How clever. How elegant. When the day's testimony makes points that favor Libby, ignore them and change the subject! Great thanks.

When KO's favorite criminal, felon John Dean, slithered in, Herr Olbermann (ironically) asked if it's possible Cheney "acted illegally" in declassifying information. Even the disbarred lawyer remembered that Cheney had that authority by executive order and dashed Olby's hopes. Keithy Boy got him on friendlier ground with talk about Cheney's "shadow Presidency", and the felon hoped to see the Veep "stumble" on the stand. There was more talk about "bashing the media" (initiated by the same Keith Olbermann who does exactly that just about every evening at 8:48 pm) and a good time was had by all. Great thanks to the disbarred lawyer.

#4: the new intel about Iran's weapons in Iraq. Here's a stumper for you: will Edward R Olbermann accept the photos and evidence provided by the US military, or will he side with Iran's dictator who insists none of this is true? Take your time; we know it's a tough call. OK, you know he sided with Ahmadinejad, and dragged in far-lefty Juan Cole to pooh pooh the whole notion that Iran is an enemy, that they would ever give weapons to terrorists in Iraq. For crying out loud, does every guest on Countdown have to parrot the same opinion: Olbermann's? Sheesh.

After making a joke about his despicable slander of Albert Pujols, rather than apologizing for it (which he never did), we got the latest on Hillary and Obama but not Giuliani, Romney, or McCain. PM Howard of Australia, a country that has been a steadfast ally of the US, was bashed as trying to "shape the American agenda" of the next election because of his critical words about Obama. Olby twice emphasized that Howard's son campaigned for Bush. Aha! Clips of Hillary (D), Obama (D) and no Republicans. Immediately Quiche suggested to The Wolffe Man that Howard was simply a "proxy" for the GOP, and Wolffie praised Obama's "zinger" back at Howard, which is the type of "diplomacy" KO approves of when it involves a "right-winger down under". Olby reminisced again about "when I interviewed" Hillary, and neither mentioined the Obama statement referenced below (Dogs that did not bark). We thought there were Republicans running for President too. Must be our mistake; there was nothing in this discussion to that effect. Great thanks.

#2: A skydiver survives despite a failed parachute (regurgitated video from The Today Show), O'Reilly mentioned at the Grammies, the heroic Dixie Chicks, and 2007 baseball cards. #1: Anna Nicole Smith. In the Media Matters Minute, Bill Donahue was deemed to be "garbage" [Olbersaurus!] and his Catholic League "notorious", because Donahue wants two religion-hating bloggers fired from the Edwards campaign. As is typical, "Man on Fan" Olbermann, rather than telling us what the bloggers wrote that was so incendiary, instead dug up a years-old quote from Donahue to change the subject to him! (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters) The spin starts here.

Dogs that did not bark: For months Olbermann has delighted in speculating about how the six-party talks with Korea would fail, inviting in guests who made the same dire prediction. Today there was a breakthrough, and, with the same predictability as the law of gravity, Krazy Keith spiked the story. Other news that Olbermoronn censored: An Egyptian MP wants to nuke Israel. John Kerry insists that Iranian weapons are being transported to Iraq. Barack Obama just told every gold star family that the lives of soldiers killed in Iraq have been wasted. Oil prices fall, and revenues rise cutting the federal deficit in half. Finally, Herr Olbermann has attacked Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly for making statements about the war, such as Mr Bill's comment that Iraq should be ruled with an iron hand, Saddam-style. Yet one talk show host has gone way beyond that, advocating the bombing of the holy city of Mecca! You will note Olby has carefully avoided mentioning this, let alone handing out a "worst person" award. And you know why. Just another reason why the Olbermann Manhood Quotient remains: limp.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #3,851 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #216. (It's gotta be that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,716 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #601 there, and is now in its 19th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Oh my. On Friday The Hour of Spin finished in a humiliating fourth place both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". How long will it be until Keith's writers fire up another Speshul Education Komment? Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 1 [LOW]

Keith Olbermann's biases are well known. His loathing of Fox. His Olbsession with Bill O'Reilly. His contempt for the current administration, and particularly its efforts in Iraq. The latter has sometimes taken him to the edge of respectable discourse. And while he has left indirect implications that disparage US troops, Keith Olbermann has been careful to avoid leaving fingerprints. Until now. Until the two words that end all doubt about his attitude toward our American servicemen and servicewomen.

The date: Friday, February 9, 2007. The segment: Worst Person in the World. In order to analyze the import of what Herr Olbermann said, it is helpful to hear it yourself [mp3 audio]:

Keith's comments about Anderson Cooper are remarkable on several levels. It was less than two weeks earlier that Olby lambasted Fox for running an ad about Cooper that was nowhere near as vitriolic as his own broadside. It is not known whether Cooper's recently signed contract, reported to be quite lucrative, is Olbermann's real impetus for his denunciation. But in any case, this portion of the segment, while it sets the stage, is not our concern here.

More to the point are Olbermann's comments on Bill O'Reilly, Col Ken Allard, and William Arkin. This last is a blogger on washingtonpost.com and a military analyst for NBC and MSNBC. Comments he has made online and in interviews have been highly controversial, to say the least. For that reason, it is important to know precisely what he said.

On washingtonpost.com, Arkin wrote:

I've been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report from Iraq last Friday in which a number of soldiers expressed frustration with opposition to war in the United States....

These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect. Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform....

We don't see very many "baby killer" epithets being thrown around these days, no one in uniform is being spit upon. So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?...

The recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer - force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.

He later added a follow-up:

I was dead wrong in using the word mercenary to describe the American soldier today. These men and women are not fighting for money with little regard for the nation. The situation might be much worse than that: Evidently, far too many in uniform believe that they are the one true nation. They hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people.

Arkin next appeared in a live interview, where, among other things, he stated:

I nowhere suggested that the troops shouldn't have the right to speak up. I merely said we shouldn't put them on such a pedestal that they are above criticism if they say stupid things!... The fact that these guys in uniform don't understand that tells me that they are badly schooled...

Then Col William Allard, former NBC military analyst, wrote a column for the San Antonio Express News:

As soon as they read the blog--or at least gauged popular reaction to it--I figured NBC News would lose no time firing Arkin, a colleague during our occasional television stints together as military analysts. There has long been an unwritten but well-understood policy governing outside experts appearing on TV: Hold any opinion you choose, but don't do anything to embarrass the network....

But it is becoming increasingly apparent that Arkin won't be fired despite having gone well beyond those bounds--and not for the first time. In 2003, for example, he tried to blacklist a decorated Green Beret general as a "Christian jihadist." In 2005, he published an astonishing primer on deciphering American military code names and covert operations.

Naturally, controversy helps boost ratings. But NBC executives now appear determined to avoid any appearance that the public is somehow being stampeded into supporting the war--by troop surges, Iranian aggression or anything else.

When the war had broad popular support, the network relied on commentary by distinguished generals such as Barry McCaffrey, Wayne Downing and Bernard Trainor: Now that it is going badly, they simply find Arkin a convenient receptacle.

Bill O'Reilly invited Col Allard to discuss his column on The Factor. The interview (which can be seen here) was informative and respectful. Yet Olby claimed that O'Reilly "dragged" Allard onto the air, and KO asserted Allard was a "personal friend" (never a good sign). Keith accused the "swine" O'Reilly of "forcing words" into Allard's mouth, adding that the latter had a stroke last year. Olbermann's suggestion seems to be that stroke victims are stupid: mere mental midgets who can be manipulated like a ventriloquist speaks for his dummy. (In fact, KO called O'Reilly a "ventriloquist"!) How then does Keith explain Allard's column? Of course, as the interview demonstrates, the stroke did not impair the Colonel's intelligence one iota. It did not make him simpleminded. Allard's insights, as valuable as ever, were imparted with eloquence and dignity.

And yet, it was not enough for Keith Olbermann to imply his "personal friend" was mentally impaired as a pretext to vilify O'Reilly. As fanatics often do, he went too far. Quoting from the WPitW again, here are Keith's words on the writings of William Arkin:

valid criticism by a military analyst

"Valid" criticism. Not "arguable" or "debatable". Not even the weasel-word "controversial". Keith Olbermann's semantic choices are not random. He went out of his way to embrace Arkin's arguments as "valid". Cogent. Correct. True.

With those two words, Olbermann has shown his hand. He believes it: US troops are being given "obscene amenities". They should be "grateful" that they get any respect at all despite "every rape and murder" they commit. Soldiers hold the American people "in contempt" because our troops are "badly schooled". They should count themselves lucky: after all, they are not being spat upon.

We don't know how NBC will resolve its situation with William Arkin. But should not the same standard be applied to those who subscribe to Arkin's "reasoning", embrace it, and proclaim--on Peacock air--that it is "valid"?

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• COOKING THE BOOKS: Dana Milbank, Washington Post
• IRAN: Philip Giraldi
• PELOSI'S PLAME: Blame the Media
• BILL O'REILLY: The "Bullslinger" won't speak
• ANNA NICOLE SMITH:

The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann was in rare form as he bellowed the traditional opening spiel: "cooking the books" of pre-war intelligence, anatomy of a smear from the "Moonie paper", Bill O'Reilly "axed", Al Gore, and yet another story on Anna Nicole Smith.

First up of course, Douglas Feith "cooked the books" because he was critical of the murky, unclear answers the Intelligence Community came up with regarding Saddam's connections with Al-Qaeda. Olby announced a clip of Carl Levin (D) but somehow a clip of Feith came up, complete with Levin's name under it! Some tape operator is about to get fired. KO thundered that Feith "marched us off to war" (Keith's obsession that it was WMDs that marched us off to war was conveniently inoperative tonight). To salvage this fiasco, in came Dana Milbank, minus multicolored mufti. KO referenced the administration's "adversarial relationship with the truth" and whined that "nothing is going to happen". Not everyone agrees with Oralmann's spin on this, but don't worry, Milbank didn't dare express an opposing viewpoint. Fat Ass: what about all those people who say the administration acted unlawfully? Um, what about that report you just cited that finds they did not act unlawfully? That didn't come up. Great thanks.

KO mentioned Gates's report that Iran was involved in supplying arms to insurgents, merely to ridicule it. Then he introduced Philip Giraldi (the banner spelled it "Garibaldi"), identified as from American Conservative Magazine. Very tricky. That's Pat Buchanan's isolationist publication that totally agrees with Herr Olbermann--but of course, the infamous, deplorable one didn't tell his viewers that. You know he got Great Thanks.

Then it was off to the story of Pelosi's Plane envy, which Monkeymann blamed on the "Moonie" Washington Times. Why would anybody take that publication seriously, anyhow? Well, you might just ask the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann about that. He has used the Washington Times repeatedly as a news source; here are just a few examples:

• May 4, 2004
• Oct 28, 2004
• Nov 21, 2005
• Oct 4, 2006
• Mar 26, 2006

And not once did he mention that it was a "Moonie" paper. We really need to get an Olbypocrisy meter, but it would have to go to 11.

Olby rattled off people who gave what he called "misinformation" on this subject, but didn't include David Gregory and Matt Lauer (so much for Olbermann's manhood). This was the cue for Craig Crawford, aka Olbermann's Brain. It was all the doing of the minority party, snickered Brain. KO relied again on Rule #1 (this is bad for Republicans). Brain chortled, sniggered, and chuckled his way through the usual empty cliches, and naturally that earned him Great Thanks.

After oddball (including a claim that Bill O'Reilly is Joe McCarthy reincarnated--trivia question: what # attack is this?), it was 2008 politics. A.B. Stoddard (The Hill) gave an extreme-right-wing-neocon-fascist analyst. Well, it seemed that way compared to the parrots who repeat OlbySpin. Actually she was pretty down-the-middle, despite Monkeymann all but drooling to get Al Gore into the 2008 contest, and again making the story all about "Me! Me! Me!". Of course, Olby only asked about the Democrats.

Next up, the lie that O'Reilly "repeatedly" said that kidnapped boy enjoyed his captivity. "Billo chokes on his falafel", said "Man on Fan" Olbermann. That apparently is worse than spilling Merlot in a cheap hotel room, isn't it, Limpy? Once again Fat Ass ran the same clip from the first night of kidnapping coverage, highlighting the "grotesque" comments, and nothing else. Then he was off on another rant. Same-O Same-O. Followed by James Brown, and another segment on Anna Nicole Smith.

In the Media Matters Minute: the cartoon network (the Aquateen Boston fiasco), "tv personality Anderson Cooper" (whom he ridiculed as "an experiment in mass marketing"--gawd, what did Cooper do to rattle Olby's cage? Whatever it is, do it again!) (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser.

And the "worst person"? A classic case of Olbsession devolving into terminal dementia. It was, of course, Bill "Orally", because he dared to "drag Ken Allard" (former NBC analyst) onto the air. (What, did he have him in chains? Was he kidnapped at gunpoint?). Olby's rationale for this? Allard had a stroke last year, and O'Reilly was "trying to put words into his mouth". That, of course, makes O'Reilly a "swine" [Olbersaurus]. Note what Edward R Olbermann doesn't tell you: Bill was very complimentary to Allard for his stroke recovery, and Allard, as eloquent and well spoken as ever, thanked him for his kind words. (See for yourself.) So why is Monkeymann so worked up? Because he's losing it, and Bill has found the exact, precise chain to yank. Allard giving O'Reilly the ammunition to expose NBC just made Citizen Keith's blood pressure go that much higher. Glorious.

Taciturn terriers: Once again Olbermoronn didn't bother to note that Pelosi was trying to get military flights to partisan Democrat functions. Eight insurgents killed. UK police arrested a suspect in the case of the letter bombings that Herr Olbermann never covered, and five suspects are charged in the UK beheading plot that Herr Olbermann never covered. Barack Obama's rivals are doing opposition research. And it's time for our weekly computation of Keith's masculinity. This week he attacked: Fox (7 times), CNN (2 times), Limbaugh/right-wing pundits (2 times)--pretty impressive, considering he had a 4-day week. Oh, and zero criticisms of MSNBC. Yet Olby's primary source, Media Matters, had 13 criticisms of MSNBC. This week's Olbermann Manhood Quotient: -13 [LIMP].

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #4,199 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #136. (It's gotta be that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,721 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #294 there, and is now in its 18th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Thursday's Countdown was a disaster; Herr Olbermann lost to every other cable news channel except CNBC (and it would have lost to them too if they hadn't been so kind as to move Howie Mandel to a later hour). The Hour of Spin limped in at fourth place both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo".

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• 7 KEY REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE SAYING THEY BACK THE WAR DEBATE: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent
• SPEAKER PELOSI'S PLANE CONTROVERSY: Craig Crawford, Congressional Quarterly columnist and MSNBC political analyst

The spiel made Anna Nicole Smith the top story of the night promising "full coverage", plus Senate Republicans, the great "distraction" of Pelosi's plane (blamed on "comedian Rush Limbaugh"), The Great Leak Case, and the maybe murderous astronaut. All that and less on this edition of The Hour of Spin.

Just to take a stroll down memory lane, let's make note that during dozens of Countdowns that featured coverage of Ms Smith, Edward R Olbermann portrayed her as crazy, a drunk, a drug user, and made jokes about her uterus. Tonight, of course, "Man on Fan" Olbermann wasn't making with the misogynistic snark, and listened politely as his guest analogized her to Marilyn Monroe. Olby teased the plane segment: Republicans "more worried about that than worried about Americans dying in Iraq". Pretty ironic, given that Monkeymann himself was more concerned with Anna Nicole Smith than with Americans dying in Iraq.

Next The Great Leak Case, which also concerned Oralmann more than Americans dying in Iraq. Clip of Russert with Brian Williams regurgitated from NBC, which did not mention Russert's violation of confidentiality. Slippery Shuster showed up and actually talked about cross-examination, possibly because there wasn't any direct testimony and Olby had to have a segment. But Slippery didn't disappoint. Russert was "badgered", "ridiculed", "attacked", and even--gasp!--"interrupted" by a lawyer who "thundered". Bias, much? Amazingly, Slippery didn't go into any details about these exchanges, and instead played more of the Libby Grand Jury tapes, which weren't even part of today's testimony! And just to put the cherry on the sundae, Slippery, at KO's urging, gave a recap of the prosecution testimony in the trial thus far, witness by witness, naturally omitting the cross-examinations. You know that earned him Great Thanks.

Post oddball, the "Republican machine and possibly the Pentagon" are trying to "throw Nancy Pelosi under the bus" [Ding!]. It's all fantasy and fiction, according to Citizen Keith. But first he dealt with the debate over Iraq. Clip of Harry Reid (D), clip of Tony Snow. Then the "great distraction" of Pelosi's plane envy. KO tried to make it look like it was all the doing of the Sgt at Arms, and asserted that it's those "right-wing pundits" who are claiming Pelosi requested an "extravagant" plane.

Stop the tivo! Right-wing pundits are saying it? Here are Matt Lauer and David Gregory this morning, neither of them "right-wing pundits":

Clip of Pelosi (D) asserting her rights "as a woman" and blaming it all on Rumsfeld! No clips of Pelosi-Plane critics. Time for Howard Fineman, Pundit for All Occasions. Olby's first question invoked Rule #1: It's Bad for Republicans, Because. In this case, because they'll be seen as unserious. Naturally Howie agreed (despite Lauer and Gregory, above). Great Thanks.

#2: The maybe murderous astronaut; #1: More on that crazy, drunk, drug-using person with a funny uterus. In the Media Matters Minute, Jonah Goldberg (conservative), for a bad Iraq prediction, and for not paying off on a bet that the other party (Juan Cole) never accepted (Blue Blog Source: Wonkette).

Silenced schnauzers: Once again, The Great Leak Case coverage was sanitized to protect Tim Russert. You can pore over some of these live summaries to get an idea of just how much Olby & Company left out. For all his fulminating about Da Plane, Da Plane, Olbermoronn never reported that Nancy Pelosi wanted the military to fly her not just to and from the Congress, but also to partisan Democrat events, even ones only three hours' drive away. Herr Olbermann is still protecting Jimmy Carter and John Edwards. He is loyal to his Party Leaders. Other news spiked by "Fat Ass" Olbermann: Iran threatens strikes against US interests. Scooter Libby gets support from an unexpected source. North Korea agrees to disarmament talks.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,504 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #156. (It's gotta be that 2-for-$25 sale!) The OlbyTome is #2,737 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #216 there, and is now in its 18th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Wednesday's Countdown did better than average, coming in a decent second, though still utterly clobbered by The Factor in total viewers, and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo".

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Topics/Guests:

• THE GREAT LEAK CASE: Tapes reveal the secret role of Dick Cheney!
• MORE OF THE USUAL LIMP OLBERMANN CRAP

Sure enough, evening the opening spiel led with The Great Leak Case. The tapes are "the smoking gun" for "Dick 'Deadeye' Cheney", the Blackwater victims didn't have armored vehicles, Rupert Murdoch is eeevil, American Idol, and the astronaut arrest case. All that and more on an especially despicable Hour of Spin.

KO started out by saying Bush's 16 words have been "debunked", they were "lies", and he has the tapes! Well, the tapes don't prove either of those claims, but Olby played lengthy excerpts regarding The Leak. Slippery himself came on to serve up the same prosecution-oriented summaries he always delivers. He also summed up Tim Russert's "twelve minutes on direct" and, in a passing nod to fairness, actually mentioned the cross. But he did it Schuster-style: the defense "went too far", the "body language" of the jury proved that, they were "picking out words" and trying to "impeach his credibility". No, really? Not one specific exchange was described by slippery (see also: mongrels, below). Great Thanks.

Wait! Stop the tivo! Slippery Shuster reporting on the testimony of his DC boss, Tim Russert? Isn't that a slight conflict of interest? NBC thought so, and they declared that, without any doubt, people who report to Russert will not be reporting on his testimony. Izzat so? Apparently, on MSLSD, even the most minimal standards of ethics can be dispensed with, if it helps advance the spin of the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann.

When Richard Wolffe showed up, Olby impartially asked if these tapes don't "take the air out" of the administration's "credibility". And won't these tapes affect the 2008 elections? (Welcome to Wish Fulfillment Theater.) The Wolffe Man of course agreed. Oh, and John Warner committed a "flip-flop". Great thanks.

#4: Chopper downed in Iraq: Oralmann suggested that the downing of choppers could mean the insurgents have "developed" new technology. It is beyond his comprehension that someone (Iran) might be giving to them. Blackwater contracters murdered because they didn't have armor? Regurgitated NBC video covered the latter story.

The entirety of #3 was an attack on Rupert Murdoch and Fox. Nothing new there, but why did Olby unearth a story from almost two weeks ago, and play that card now? We'll let you figure that out. This was all about an off-hand remark by Murdoch that got big play in the usual precincts (Blue Blog Source: News Corpse). Did NewsCorp influence the Iraq war agenda? Murdoch: I don't think so; we tried... We basically supported the policy in the Middle East, but were critical of its execution. Rachel Maddow of Err America was the impartial expert called in to analyze. Olby bragged that he had a tape of the statement, but didn't play it. We'll let you figure that out too. Monkeymann: "I don't know anybody at Fox Noise" who admits they were "critical" of the policy. Hmm, let see. Alan Colmes. Shep Smith. Col David Hunt. Wesley Clark. Geraldo Rivera. That's five right there. Does that make this five Olbermann lies? Nah, we'll count it as one. Fat Ass Olbermann compared Fox News to the tobacco companies, Maddow likened them to Father Coughlin-style demagoguery, and a good time was had by all--at least all who subscribe to Herr Olbermann's most insatiable obsession.

Then another story about the "mean" American Idol, noted by Oralmann as a Rupert Murdoch product, Snickers ads, Britney Spears, and the maybe murderous astronaut. In the Media Matters Minute, "Man on Fan" Olbermann avoided controversy (segment #3 satisfied his Fox fixation) and named three unknown civilians.

Muted mongrels: Today's Great Leak Case coverage was as one-sided as ever, with the additional element that it was sanitized to protect Tim Russert. How sanitized was it? Olby & Co went into his direct testimony in great depth, but just read how badly Russert was hammered in the cross-examination (you know, the part of the testimony Slippery Shuster neglected to detail). Herr Olbermann understandably did not report on Jimmy Carter's slashing attack on--of all people--the Simon Wiesenthal Center. And not just because he shares Carter's biases, but also because he would have to explain the controversy over Jimmy's book, something he has steadfastly avoided on each and every edition of The Hour of Spin. Keith Olbermann always protects his Party, so naturally he spiked any discussion of this. Other news censored from The Hour of Spin: the Mayor of DC wants to put that city's handgun ban on hold. Another major American city has made English its official language. An Iranian television program claims Zionism comes from Nazism. Venezuela isn't keen on fighting the war on drugs. Al-Qaeda operatives caught in Afghanistan. Letter bombs in the UK.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,524 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #177. (That 2-for-$25 sale again!) The OlbyTome is #2,737 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #311 there, and is now in its 18th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Tuesday's Countdown used to struggle against the rerun of Deal or No Deal, which regularly dumped Olby into third or fourth (sometimes fifth) place. But to protect The Future of Television News, CNBC quietly moved Howie Mandel to an hour later and slotted a low-rated financial show in the 8:00 pm hour. So KO got second place, though The Factor audience outpolled Monkeymann by more than four to one in total viewers, and two to one in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". The MisterMeter had the night off.

Constitutional attorney and talk show host Mark Levin continues to keep tabs on the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann. Does Olby have a mommy complex? What do the emails received by Dr Levin have to say tonight? We have the audio.

This brief update also includes a call in from our friend Ian at HotAir. Here is the mp3 file for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• THE SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: The "Secret Tapes" revealed
• ANOTHER LAME O'REILLY ATTACK: Can you guess the # of this one?
• THE USUAL LIMP OLBERMANN CRAP

The bellow was back as the spiel claimed "the Republicans blocked a vote" on a non-binding resolution, clip of Leahy (D), clip of Mikulski (D), a friendly fire killing in Iraq, The Great Leak Case and "strongarming the media", the latest O'Reilly attack (complete with a clip from the first day's coverage of the Hornbeck case, as we predicted), and the astronaut arrest. The Hour was spinning for sure as the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann rejoined the Countdown.

Olby started out with the non-binding resolution, and how the Secretary of Defense is "speculating" about the "escalation" [Ding!]. Dem lawmakers are looking to pass legislation, but Republicans "blocked debate". This is dangerously close to Another Olbermann Lie. The GOP agreed to debate as long as their resolution on troop funding would be considered as well. Edward R Olbermann, however, asserted that the Repubs wanted their Gregg resolution "instead" of the anti-surge measure. Wrong! They agreed to debate both. Can't this slovenly political hack tell the truth about anything? Clips: McConnell (R), Reid (D), Leahy (D), Mikulski (D), Dorgan (D), Boxer (D). Fair and balanced.

Chris Cillizza of the Post was first in the Seat of Honor. It's not likely that any withdrawal measures can get through the Senate. Better chance for a non-binding resolution in the House. Repubs up for election in '08 could get a vote through, even in the Senate, but lanuage would probably be watered down. Great thanks.

Next, friendly fire cockpit video obtained by the British paper The Sun. KO was so eager to show US troops making a mistake that he forgot to mention that The Sun is owned by the eeevil Murdochian Empire. This is merely fair balance for all the stories Olby runs of US troops doing good, defeating the enemy, and operating heroically. Not!

The Great Leak Case had a "milestone day", said Oralmann. Tapes of grand jury testimony were played. Of course this means Slippery Shuster makes another worthless appearance. Rundown of Libby saying he heard about Plame from Tim Russert. Plus Slippery Shuster's famous anonymous source (possibly the same one who broke the news to him of the Karl Rove indictment) claiming that Fizgerald is "cautious and conservative" and should have charged "criminal conspiracy" (Olbermoronn grunted at this!). Toss in some sturm-und-drang about how Cheney desclassified something without telling Condi Rice (which is his legal right) and you have a perfectly orchestrated symphony of spin. Great thanks.

The #3 story was O'Reilly attack #150, and it's no surprise that Olby took his marching orders on this one directly from a Soros site (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). O'Reilly "blamed the abducted" teen, yet the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has dared to allow the eeevil O'Reilly to speak there, and Olby demands an apology! As predicted, Oralmann ran a clip from the first night of the coverage where Mr Bill gave some theories on the case that didn't prove out, and dragged in Catherine Crier to pile on. Olby cited a "hypothetical" (i.e. making a slur without being able to prove he's lying) about someone "repeatedly" blaming the victim, and CC of course joined right in, or she wouldn't have been there in the first place. Olbermann, more repellent than ever, cited a question Mr Bill asked about possible defenses in the case as a "peek into his soul". And the fun continued until the Great Thanks.

Hey, Olbermoronn. There's a reason why the eeevil O'Reilly was invited to speak at the Center, and you weren't. You might ask John Walsh, who founded the Center:

O'REILLY: Now 25 out of the 50 states would have been successful with Jessica's Law. You've watched our coverage on these judges from Ohio and Vermont.
WALSH: It's been phenomenal.
O'REILLY: Can you believe these judges?...
WALSH: ...Don't realize these guys have the highest rate of recidivism of any sex offender.
O'REILLY: How could they not realize?
WALSH: I don't get it. But at least--you know what I said? You're doing God's work on Jessica's Law.

But getting John Walsh onto The Hour of Spin wouldn't be your style, would it, Olbermann? Someone who might not be a sock puppet and parrot all your bilge back into your face, well you can't risk that. It might make you nauseous. You might need that barf bag, and then you'd demand to be taken to the hospital. What a dirtbag.

Finally, Ted Haggard's conversion to a hetero, O.J. Simpson, Jeff Zucker, and the arrested astronaut. In the Media Matters Minute, Rudy Giuliani was named because he appeared on Hannity and Colmes but agreed to be interviewed only by Hannity (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser). Olbypocrisy Alert! When Robert Byrd, and Bill Clinton, and John Kerry, and John Edwards all appeared on the same show but agreed only to be interviewed by Alan Colmes, did any of them get a "worst person" nod? Answer: No! Olbermann is still the same slovenly political hack he's always been.

Bill "Orally" also got dinged (attack #151, Blue Blog Source: TVNewser) for criticizing William Arkin, as Fat Ass repeated his outrageous lie that Bill defended Nazis. Cliff Kincaid of AIM was "worst" for stating that if a Republican had said what Joe Biden did (Obama is "clean" and "articulate") he would have gotten a whole lot more media backlash. Oralmann, in another stunningly lame analogy, claimed the President did the same thing Biden did, because Bush said Obama is "attractive" and "articulate". Of course, Monkeymann glosses over Biden's incendiary use of "clean", and completely leaves out that Biden was talking about Obama as the "first" African-American to be "clean" and "articulate", while the Prez made no such insulting suggestion. Like we said, "Man on Fan" Olbermann is a slovenly political hack.

Dogs that did not bark: An Islamic school in England teaches its children that Christians are pigs--of course Herr Olbermann is not likely to report that. But when the story goes on to note that the school also tells its children that Jews are apes, that made Olby's spiking of the story a certainty. After all, it was KO himself who famously described a Jewish newsman as a "monkey". In other stories ignored on The Hour of Spin: "Foreigners" are arming Hezbollah. More threats from Iran. Finally, Herr Olbermann has said not one critical word--not even a "worst person" mention--about the NBC analyst who called US troops "mercanaries"--this from the discredited sports guy who pontificated that if you criticize others, then you must "take your own network to the same degree of task" or else you have no "manhood". Right now, Olbermoronn's manhood quotient is nonexistent. Limp, we hear.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #2,875 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #264. (That 2-for-$25 sale again!) The OlbyTome is #2,758 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #322 there, and is now in its 18th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. Monday's Countdown without Keith Olbermoronn came in a stronger second than KO usually manages (when he's not third or fourth or fifth), though The Factor was far and away the winner both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". The MisterMeter had the night off.

You have to hear it to believe it. And we have the mp3 audio so you can do exactly that.

It should by all rights be The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day. It happened on ESPN radio, in between attacks on Bill O'Reilly, and just after making fun of Katie Couric. Listen as the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann tells one of the biggest lies of his sorry career:

On his radio program today, Dr Mark Levin had a brief update on his Keith Overbite project. And we have this short clip in mp3 format for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Guest Host: Alison Stewart

Topics/Guests:

• SHOWDOWN ON THE HILL: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor
• IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
• PRINCE'S SUPER BOWL HALF-TIME SHOW: Michael Musto, Village Voice

Krazy Keith was quite shocked when he woke:
Mark Levin slammed each word that he spoke.
He could not take the shame,
Called in sick--pretty lame.
Then went into the bathtub to soak.

On Thursday, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann named constitutional attorney and talk show host Mark Levin the Worst Person in the World. On his Friday program, Mr Levin replied to Oralmann's attack. The entire first hour was a blistering response to Krazy Keith, almost certainly the most scathing, devastating denunciation of the discredited sports guy that has ever aired. And we have the audio for your listening pleasure.

We have condensed the 60 minutes of Dr Levin's commentary into two files of about ten minutes each. In part one, Levin examines Keith's life and career, describing him as a "pervert" and a "predator" (click on the image to listen):

In part two, Mark Levin talks about ratings, takes calls from Keith detractors and supporters, and warns Herr Olbermann about the dangers of the legal process known as "discovery":

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE ON IRAQ: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; Tyler Drumheller, fmr. CIA agent and author of "On the Brink"
• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: Eugene Robinson, Washington Post

Friday's opening spiel, bellowed with Olbermannian resonance: The National Intelligence Estimate, Iraq is "worse" than a civil war, "Mister" Bush is wrong again, Cheney is Tony Soprano, Global Warming is real, tornadoes in Florida, San Francisco's mayor, and a month's worth of oddball. As if one segment wasn't enough.

Leading The Hour of Spin proper, the NIE. The President is "demanding rewrites" for portions he doesn't agree with. Why won't that @$$%@@! White House use the NBC-approved label "civil war"? Gates "denying" that there is a "grand plan" for Iran. Keith Olbermann "denying" he is a slovenly political hack. Film at 11.

When the Wolffe Man skulked onto the scene, Oralmann asked about the "escalation" [Ding!] and cracked that the White House must be relying on fortune cookies. Wolffie whimpered in the appropriately doom-laden key. Olby claimed the Republicans "all of a sudden" are talking filibuster in the Senate (as if they hadn't done so weeks, even months ago). Monkeymann talked about "cherry-picking", Wolffe Man sang from the same sheet of music, so there were Great Thanks.

Then Drumheller (another OlbyParrot) stepped in. KO asked a typical question: didn't the same sort of "manipulation of intelligence" happen in the lead-up to the Iraq War? Whatever will he say? That's the least mysterious question since: Is water wet? The one-sided agit-prop continued until the ritual Great Thanks. An edited internet video of a humvee driving in Iraq filled out the rest of the first interminable block.

Next up, global warming, according to Olbermann the cause of the tornadoes in Florida. Source? Ummm, how about Krazy Keith's rear orafice? Olby was all atwitter about "bribes" from a think tank to write studies critical of the report (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). Just like A-Mess-NBC gives Fat Ass Olbermann "bribes" to slant the news every night. KO claimed AEI is "funded largely by Exxon-Mobil", and that Exxon provides "much of the funding", but that comes close to being Another Olbermann Lie. AEI only gets 17% of their income from corporations, and only a fraction of that 17% is from Exxon. Recycled video from NBC covered the Florida weather, and Keith gave Great Thanks to the tape playback machine.

After oddball: The Great Leak Case, focusing on how it has affected "Dick Deadeye Cheney". Keith "Man on Fan" Olbermann gave a Shuster-style recap of the week: all the direct testimony allegations, with none of the cross-examination. Remember that discussion yesterday that may have occured, unless it didn't? The "jaw-dropping" one? KO regurgitated that again tonight, using it as an arguing point as if it were gospel truth. The WaPo scribe compared Cheney to Tony Soprano, after all but finding Libby guilty as charged. Here's to you, Mr Robinson: Olby loves you more than you will know. Great thanks.

#2: Olbermann Watch noted how Mr Merkle had avoided the news of the San Fran mayor (D) who was bedding his campaign manager's wife. This site scored another victory as tonight Krazy Keith relented and covered the story, though he relegated it to more recycled NBC footage. Followed by Turner Broadcasting's apology, James Brown, and oddballs of the month.

In the Media Matters Minute, Oralmann went after the Department of Defense (Blue Blog Source: True Blue Liberal), and attacked "24" (again!) along with Cal Thomas of "Fox Noise" (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). Note how, because Thomas appears on Fox for 30 minutes a week, Olbermoronn goes out of his way to connect something Thomas writes in his newspaper column to his eeevil competitor. Krazy Keith was upset that people are taking 24 seriously. Um, isn't that exactly what he did? Don't try to make sense out of it. It's OlbyLogic.

As Edward R Olbermann famously stated, if you criticize others, then you must "take hour own network to the same degree of task" or else you have no "manhood". So we tally this week's inclusions in the worst person segment to see how Olby lived up to his own words. Fox News: 7 times. CNN: 1 time. KO's primary source (Media Matters) has cited MSNBC 8 times this week; Olbermann himself has cited MSNBC: zero times. Manhood indeed.

Muted mongrels: Keith Olbermann continues to protect his party. The head of the Democrat Hispanic Caucus had an altercation with an aide to Howard Dean, lunged at him, and twice called the African-American aide "boy". But Oralmann covered up for him. Just like he never reported on the bitter internicene battle between Congressional Dems. HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton, not Hugo Rafael Chavez) intends to confiscate the profits from oil companies and their shareholders. For all the talk about the NIE, the discredited sports guy still managed to leave out any details that didn't comport with OlbySpin, like its warning about the dire consequences of troop withdrawal. Iran has begun work on more advanced uranium enrichment. A UN whistleblower is fired for exposing a fraud scheme. Finally, Herr Olbermann has said nary a word--not even a "worst person" mention--about the continuing controversy over the writer who called US troops "mercenaries".

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olbermann's name stands at #3,316 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #132. (That 2-for-$25 sale again!) The OlbyTome is #2,696 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #417 there, and is in its 17th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. The Hour of Spin benefitted from its typical Thursday bump, managing a second place finish, but again being mercilessly clobbered by you-know-who, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 1 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ AND POLITICS: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• BOSTON "TERROR" FIASCO: Roger Cressey, fmr. National Security Council staff member and MSNBC terrorism analyst
• "AMERICAN IDOL": Maria Milito, Q104.3 radio host

The bellow was back, as Oralmann rattled off Thursday night's spiel: The President's "escalation" [Ding!] might be more than 21,000... The Great Leak Case... "The fleecing of America in Iraq"... Boston toon trouble... and American Idol, with Olby suggesting Paula Abdul is a "freak" (misogynism alert!). All that and more on The Hour of Spin.

Bush "cooked the books", because the CBO says non-combat support troops will swell the number to 30,000 or more, and they can just as easily be "killed or maimed or psychologically ruined" as any of the others (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). Ace military expert Howard Fineman, Pundit for All Occasions, was asked by KO if the administration will "catch hell for this". Always agreeable with OlbySpin, Howie agreed, and yammered about "credibility" and "dealing from the bottom of the deck". Monkeymann expressed hope that this will move Republicans away from supporting it. Huh? There are lawmakers who support the surge? You'd never know it from watching The Hour of Spin. Great thanks.

Then Larry Korb, introduced as "from the Reagan administration", the same hoary old trick Herr Olbermann uses every time with this guy, to keep people from knowing that he is no more a Reaganite today than is David Brock. There is no truth in labeling on OlbyPlanet. Citizen Keith asked tough questions, like isn't this just going to strain, even break, the military, and won't that make it easier to "escalate" [Ding!] the conflict into Iran? Larry rattled off all the usual palaver from the Center for American Progress, a talking-points factory for the Dems. Don't hold your breath waiting for Edward R Olbermann to ever interview a supporter of sending reinforcements--or even report their words (see mongrels, below). Great thanks.

The Great Leak Case: "Jaw-dropping", "bombshell testimony" that there was a conversation about Plame between Cheney and Libby. Well, there might have been. Or maybe not. But there could have been. Unless there wasn't. Have you picked up your jaw yet? Slippery Shuster recapped developments in his own distinctive style, which means he said nothing whatsoever about any of the cross-examintion. The jury "may be thinking" that Libby lied. Or they may not. It has to be one or the other. Oh, and Dennis Hastert will resign within seven days, the NIE says nothing about uranium, and Karl Rove is going to be indicted. Dave never fails to deliver.

After oddball, Fat Ass turned to the "Boston terrorists". KO wanted to know why Boston and not the other cities? Cressey said there was an overreaction; Olby invoked "paranoia" and blamed city officials for "at least 50% of the panic". Great thanks.

Next the "massive fleecing of America" (regurgitated NBC video), led into with Monkeymann citing a story that senior Iraqi generals may have been involved in the Karabala killings. This report was a Fox News exclusive, but Olbermoronn just couldn't bring himself to say so. Instead, he barked that "even the Fox Noise Channel is reporting" it. See, he can insult them, mislead his viewers by not telling them that Fox broke this story, and still leech off the work of their reporters. Keith Olbermann, a real class act.

Then: Harry Potter, Miss USA, and another shot at American Idol. In the Media Matters Minute: Bill "Orally" (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), Glenn Beck (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), and Mark Levin (KO must be still smarting about this). Amazing: all three slots again are conservatives or Fox News personnel. Another hat-trick of hatred.

Muted mongrels: A Democrat caught in a sex scandal? And you expect the discredited sports guy to report it? That's not news on OlbyPlanet. Just like Madame Pelosi trying to get carte blanche on military flights. Plus a bitter internicene battle between Congressional Dems. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been shattered. Iran continues to be defiant in its quest for nukes. Britain is sending more troops to Afghanistan. As noted above, Krazy Keith spikes news about people supporting the President's Iraq plan, so it's no surprise that he did so again when Gen Casey announced his support for the surge and got not one word on The Hour of Spin. New developments in the UK terror plot, a plot that Olby refuses even to acknowledge. And the poll-happy Olbermann will never tell you that Americans believe that the antiwar resolution he's been pushing will embolden the enemy and hurt troop morale, by almost two to one.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #3,246 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #171. It must be that nonexistent 2-for-$25 sale. The OlbyTome is #2,688 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #716 there, and is in its 17th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. The Hour of Spin exhibited the usual mid-week slump, this time barely making second, but falling to third place in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 4 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• 2008 CONTENDERS AND IRAQ: Dana Milbank, Washington Post national political reporter and MSNBC political analyst
• IRAN: Flynt Leverett, fmr. National Security Council director for Middle East affairs and New America Foundation senior fellow
• HOLLYWOOD GOSSIP: Michael Musto, Village Voice

Olby's dulcet tones invoked Jimmy Swaggert as he rattled off his carnival barker patter: John McCain criticizes Iraq policy! Biden announces with foot in mouth. The Great Leak Case. The Boston bomb scare. Harry Potter delivers the full Monty. "Mister" Bush: is he planning to attack the peace-loving nation of Iran? All this and more, on The Hour of Spin.

KO claimed "Mister" Bush has "lost" Sen Richard McCain as an ally, and by talking about the economy, is making "an obvious attempt to change the subject". Anytime someone discusses something that isn't the lead story on Countdown, it's "changing the subject" on OlbyPlanet. "Mister" Bush was "condescending" (clip from Cavuto interview--why does Fox even let Monkeymann use their clips?). Congressional wrangling about the non-binding resolution.

Then it was on to Joe Biden's sterling campaign kickoff. Dana Milbank, minus multicolored mufti, nattered about Biden's bloopers, while KO blamed "the conservative media establishment: Rush Limbaugh, the Drudge thing"--they're all trying to "inflict damage" on a Democrat. (OlbySpeak translation: Biden is the victim, he didn't inflict damage on himself.) After some chit-chat about Richard McCain: Great thanks.

And big, BIG!, news. Al Franken may run for the Senate. Or maybe not. He might, but who knows? It's possible, but then again it's not confirmed. OlbySourcing: even worse than Insight!

The Great Leak Case: another witness "throwing Scooter Libby's memory under the bus" [Ding!]. Another chance for the most disreputable reporter on all of television, Slippery Shuster, to gum up the works. Once again it was all about the Prosecutor's direct examination, this time of Matt Cooper. (See Hounds below for some of what Slippery left out.) Great thanks.

After oddball, "Mister" Bush's language on Iran sounds like "Mister" Bush's language on Iraq. Yawn. He's trying to "convince the world" that Iran aids terrorism. And Oralmann finds any such suggestion intolerable. Leverett pandered to Krazy Keith, parroting the spin about the "rhetoric". How silly of "Mister" Bush to suggest the peace-loving goverment in Tehran could be a nuclear threat. (Something here was left out too, as you will see below.) As to Iran's involvement in the Karbala killing of US troops, Leverett was happy to proclaim the absence of "hard evidence", while Bush orders the "killing or detaining of any Iranian found in Iraq". Great thanks.

Next Herr Olbermann took on the phony bomb scare in Boston, and relayed what sounded like a made up story (complete with comical satire "breaking-news" video) that an arrest had been made. (In fact, an arrest was made, though it's unclear if Olby knew about it yet; if he did, he didn't bother to tell anyone who it was.) Then Miss USA (plug for Today show appearance) and Sidney Sheldon. #1: Harry Potter in the nude (regurgitated NBC report), plus more sickening blather with the creepy Michael Musto.

In the Media Matters Minute: James Imhofe (R) (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress), and Julie Banderas (Fox) (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser). Her crime was misspeaking NBC instead of ABC; otherwise she was arguably correct (Peter Jennings did leave his broadcast before he died, and her reference to "Tom Brokaw's show" makes sense, because she was referring to the ratings when Brokaw was there). Fat Ass even worked in an attack on O'Reilly, and carefully avoided mentioning the incestuous nature of this particular blue blog lift. (A-Mess-NBC flack sends an anti-Fox piece to TVN; TVN runs anti-Fox piece; Keith picks up the TVN piece on The Hour of Spin. Spin indeed; this leak formed a complete circle, ending up where it started, at A-Mess-NBC!) But no matter: KO got both an (R) and a (Fox) in, and so the requisite slots were filled.

Hushed hounds: Consistent with his intent to minimize all terror threats as phony, Monkeymann gave great play to the false alarm in Boston, and completely spiked the real terror plot in the UK. Why do Slippery and Olby only report the Prosecution testimony in The Great Leak Case. Why do they deliberately leave out the cross-examinations? Iran is just a few years from having the bomb, a slight fact unmentioned by KO or his sock puppet guest. The Co-Chairman of the Baker Commission supports sending reinforcements to Iraq, and dissed the idea of passing a "nonbinding resolution". A second, equally shady land deal from Harry Reid. The US economy takes a huge upswing. Hugo Chavez assumes dictatorial powers in Venezuela. NATO troops kill 30 Talibanis. And no retraction or apology for his latest lie about Bill O'Reilly. Finally, in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, yesterday The Unit found themselves tracking and apprehending a terrorist threatening an attack in the USA. Keith Olbermann did not rant. The Unit is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #2,781 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #158. No doubt the discredited sports guy would explain that by pointing out amazon's nonexistent 2-for-$25 sale. The OlbyTome is #2,718 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #123 there, and is in its 17th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. All the Tuesday Speshul Education Komment hype helped Herr Olbermann manage a distant second place finish, though once again he was creamed by the eeevil O'Reilly, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 9 [SEVERE]

On Tuesday's Hour of Spin, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann again leveled attacks at his nemesis, the eeevil Bill O'Reilly. He was named "worst person in the world" for offering to send free copies of his book to our troops in the war zones. Olby cackled his insults and the gullible swallowed them whole. But, as is the case with so many of Keith's assaults on Mr Bill, this too proved to be nothing more than Another Olbermann Lie.

Oralmann claimed:

You buy a copy of the book from him, he'll send a free copy to a US soldier somewhere.

Actually, it's not Bill O'Reilly who is making this offer. It's his publisher (Broadway Books) in cooperation with Operation Shoebox and America Supports You. Perhaps those organizations should have been the targets of Herr Olbermann's vitriol. But the best was yet to come from the discredited sports guy:

You only do that if I give you at least 26 bucks first. That's generosity. But you know Bill, I can buy two copies from Amazon for 25 bucks, and I can send the second copy to the soldier, along with a dollar.

We have to thank our clear-headed reader James for pointing out the fallacies in Olbermann's latest lie. Culture Warrior sells for $15.60 at Amazon. Two copies, with free shipping, would cost $31.20, not $25 as Olby claimed. Parcel post shipping to Iraq would be another $5.85, for a total cost of $37.05. That's assuming you know someone there to receive the package, since mailing to "any soldier" is no longer permitted.

Perhaps Keith had something else in mind. You don't have to buy from Amazon itself--you can purchase from one of the affiliated sellers there. But the lowest price for a new copy is $13.20, plus $3.49 shipping. Buying two of them will cost you $26.40 plus shipping, taking the total to $33.88. Tossing in $5.85 to ship one to our hypothetical soldier, your cost has now skyrocketed to $39.23. Maybe KO thinks so little of the troops that he'd just send a beat-up used copy. There's one at $13.20 and one at $13.99, and that total comes to $27.15, but the shipping costs take it to $34.17. Add in $5.85 to send one off to the war zone and we're at $40.02.

The bottom line amidst all this high finance: taking advantage of the Broadway Books offer costs $26.00 ($29.95 including postage). There is nowhere on amazon.com where Krazy Keith can get two copies of this book for his claimed $25. He can't get two copies for $30. Including all shipping costs, he can't equal the publisher's offer even for $35. Despite Olby's fuzzy math, it is mathematically impossible to purchase two books for $25, send one to Iraq, and have a dollar left over, as he claimed. It's all Another Olbermann Lie.

When you consider Olbermann's history of fabrications, this is hardly the most scandalous. But it deserves to be exposed, because it reminds us again that the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann will lie about anything, big or small, significant or trivial, to feed his fanatical olbsessions and fuel his all-consuming hatred. Let's hope that Dan Abrams uses OlbyMath when he computes KO's salary.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ TROOP ESCALATION: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst
• EXECUTIVE ORDER ON REGULATORY POLICY: John Dean, fmr. Nixon White House counsel and author of "Conservatives Without Conscience"

Yes, we have to say it: Oralmann bellowed the opening spiel, as he does every show. And tonight was no exception: Who is going to stop the war?!? Congress can do it!! Global Warming!!! The Great Leak Case!!!! Dramatic revelations about executive orders!!!!! Prevented attacks? More lies from "Mister" Bush!!!!!! Whew, it's exhausting just typing such hyperbolic spewer.

Nancy Pelosi (D) opposes the President's plan. Clip of NP. "Even" Adm Fallon warned not to get expectations too high. Clip. Negroponte said violence is increasing. The Judiciary Cmte wants to know how Congress can end a war. Clips of Arlan Specter ("R") saying President is not the sole decider, Dick Durbin (D), Russell Feingold (D), aka "The Statesman". Clips of lawmakers expressing support for sending reinforcements: zero. "Advocacy groups" (unnamed) say White House pressures people to downplay global warming. "A Congressman" (unnamed, and a D) says Negroponte was warned not to use the phrase (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress) based on something he overheard at a party. And KO bashes Insight for thin sourcing! Clip of Henry Waxman (D).

Lefty Alter: "Oil lobbyists" run the White House policy. We're facing a "constitutional struggle" over Iraq. Republicans are unlikely to filibuster a non-binding resolution (we'll see about that one). Great thanks. Then Olby decreed the President "lied" about breaking up terror plots--a plug for his Speshul Education Comment. We can hardly wait.

Next on the propaganda-fest: The Great Leak Case. Judith Miller testifies, and Slippery Shuster gives the "highlights". In ShusterSpeak that means rattle off all the points made by the prosecution, but ignore the cross-examination (where Judith Miller admitted that she herself had forgot about the June 23 meeting when she testified earlier). It's important on OlbyPlanet to slant everything, even sworn testimony in a criminal trial. Great thanks.

After more plugs for you know what, it was on to executive orders and the latest meeting of Olbermann's Criminal Rehabilitation Program. That's right, instead of getting someone involved in the new regulation procedures to explain them, Monkeymann brought in his favorite felon at large, John Dean. The disbarred lawyer was ready to serve up everything his Master ordered. Bush could block a cure for diseases that would cause "millions of people" to die. Olby brought up Nixon [Ding!]. Great thanks.

Stonehedge (regurgitated NBC video), Lindsay Lohan, and the Media Matters Minute. Dick Morris got a nod (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), because he said he believes the Obama leak came from the Clinton campaign. Of course on OlbyPlanet, that's just a "phony story" because the Clinton campaign denied it. Just like Bill's escapates with Ms Lewinsky were phony because he denied it, saying he "never had sex with that woman"? Why aren't the charges against Scooter Libby "phony"? He denied them. But on OlbyPlanet, denials by an (R) are meaningless, but denials by a (D) become instant gospel. Also noted: Bill "Orally", for comments on the Hornbeck case (Blue Blog Source: NewsHounds), and Bill again for "worst person". According to Olby, if you buy a copy of his book from him "he'll send a free copy" to the troops overseas. Actually that's Another Olbermann Lie. It's not Mr Bill who's doing that, it's the publishers of the book. Somehow this outraged Herr Olbermann, who apparently never heard the phrase "a portion of the proceeds go to charity". But then again, when you're "Man on Fan" Olbermann, charity begins at home.

Finally, the Speshul Education Komment, once again focusing on "Mister" Bush and the attacks he claims to have prevented as part of the war on terror [see APPENDIX] (Blue Blog Source: Let's Try Democracy, from a Kucinich staffer). As usual, all the theatrics were trotted out: "Misters" aplenty, a fistful of "insinSirs", eye rolling, head bobbing, and of course the carefully scripted camera pivots. Factual veracity? Look, it's cribbed from Dennis Kucinich's flack. Does Fat Ass now consider a PR man for the Elf Lord a source for unbiased news? Just take his dismissal of the "Library Tower" matter and remember what a real reporter, Brian Ross, had to say about it.

Muted mongrels: Olby has cited the Fabulous Baker Boys Report over and over, at first to dismiss it as "all things to all people". But as soon as the eeevil "neocons" criticized it, he did a volte face and starting berating "Mister" Bush for not following it. Today the "Baker" in the Baker Commission testified that sending reinforcements to Iraq is a plan he thinks we should try, as he dissed the idea of passing a "nonbinding resolution". We're shocked--shocked!--that Edward R Olbermann spiked this major news. People involved in the Sandy Berger case are strangely being protected and rewarded. A life-sentence charge against Jose Padilla has been reinstated by a Federal appeals court. Venezuela is planning to get into air defense in a major way. An MSM reporter contradicts Ari Fleischer's testimony in The Great Leak Case. And don't forget Hillary Clinton's flip-flop. Finally, in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, yesterday another episode of Sleeper Cell aired. Keith Olbermann did not object. Sleeper Cell is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,029 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" rose to #111. The OlbyTome is #2,615 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #390 there, and is in its 17th week on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Monday, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann lost to Mr Bill O'Reilly by nearly five to one, and narrowly avoided a loss to Paula Zahn to eke out a tenuous second-place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 11 [DANGER!]

APPENDIX: Keith's Speshul Education Komment:

West Yorkshire in England has a new chief police constable.

Upon his appointment, Sir Norman Bettison made one of the strangest comments of the year:

"The threat of terrorism," he says, "is lurking out there like ‘Jaws 2.'"

Sir Norman did not exactly mine the richest ore for his analogy of warning. A critic once said of the flopping sequel to the classic film: "You're gonna need a better screenplay."

But this obscure British police official has reminded us that terrorism is still being sold to the public in that country -- and in this -- as if it were a thrilling horror movie and we were the naughty teenagers about to be its victims.

And it underscores the fact that President Bush took this tack, exactly a week ago tonight, in his terror-related passage in the State of the Union.

A passage that was almost lost amid all the talk about Iraq and health care and bipartisanship and the fellow who saved the stranger from an oncoming subway train in New York City.

But a passage ludicrous and deceitful. Frightening in its hollow conviction. Frightening, in that the president who spoke it tried for "Jaws" but got "Jaws 2."

I am indebted to David Swanson, press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, who has blogged about the dubious 96 words in Mr. Bush's address this year and who has concluded that of the four counter-terror claims the president made, he went 0-for-4.

[Direction: look downward at imaginary notes]

"We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented," Mr. Bush noted, "but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an al-Qaida plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast."

[Direction: PIVOT!]

This would, of course, sir, be the purported plot to knock down the 73-story building in Los Angeles, the one once known as the Library Tower -- the one you personally revealed so breathlessly a year ago next month.

It was embarrassing enough that you mistakenly referred to the structure as the "Liberty Tower."

But within hours it was also revealed that authorities in Los Angeles had had no idea you were going to make any of the details -- whether serious or fanciful -- public.

Who terrorized Southern California that day, Mr. Bush?

[Direction: PIVOT!]

A year ago next month, the Los Angeles Times quoted a source --

[Direction: look downward at imaginary notes]

-- identified only by the labyrinthine description "a U.S. official familiar with the operational aspects of the war on terrorism" -- who insisted that the purported "Library Tower plot" was one of many al-Qaida operations that had not gotten very far past the conceptual stage.

The former staff director of counter-terrorism for the National Security Council -- now a news analyst for NBC News and MSNBC -- Roger Cressey, puts it a little more bluntly.

In our conversation, he put the "Library Tower story" into a category he called the "What-Ifs" -- as in the old "Saturday Night Live sketches that tested the range of comic absurdity:

What if ... Superman had worked for the Nazis?

What if ... Spartacus had had a Piper Cub during the battle against the Romans in 70 B.C.?

More ominously, the L.A. Times source who debunked the Library Tower story said that those who could correctly measure the flimsiness of the scheme --

[Direction: look downward at imaginary notes]

--"feared political retaliation for providing a different characterization of the plan than that of the president."

[Direction: PIVOT!]

But Mr. Bush, you're the decider.

And you decided that the Library Tower story should be scored as one for you.

And you continued with a second dubious claim of counter-terror success. "We broke up a Southeast Asian terror cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States," you said.

Well, sir, you've apparently stumped the intelligence community completely with this one.

In his article, Mr. Swanson suggests that in the last week there has been no reporting even hinting at what exactly you were talking about.

He hypothesizes that either you were claiming credit for a ring broken up in 1995 or that this was just the Library Tower story "by another name."

Another CIA source suggests to NBC News that since the Southeast Asian cell dreamed of a series of attacks on the same day, you declared the Library Tower one threat thwarted, and all their other ideas, a second threat thwarted.

Our colleague Mr. Cressey sums it up:

This "Southeast Asian cell" was indeed the tale of the Library Tower, simply repeated.

Repeated, Mr. Bush, in consecutive sentences in the State of the Union -- in your constitutionally mandated status report on the condition and safety of the nation.

You showed us the same baby twice and claimed it was twins.

And then you said that was two for you.

Your third claim, sir, read thusly:

[Direction: look downward at imaginary notes]

"We uncovered an al-Qaida cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America."

[Direction: PIVOT!]

Again, the professionals in counter-intelligence were startled to hear about this.

Last fall, two Washington Post articles cited sources in the FBI and other governmental agencies who said that hopes by foreign terrorists to use anthrax in this country were fanciful at best, farcical at worst.

And every effort to link the 2001 anthrax mailings in this country to foreign sources has also struck out. The entire investigation is barely still active.

Mr. Cressey goes a little further. Anything that might even resemble an al-Qaida cell "developing anthrax," he says, was in the "dreaming" stages.

He used as a parallel those pathetic arrests outside Miami last year in which a few men wound up getting charged as terrorists because they couldn't tell the difference between an al-Qaida operative and an FBI informant.

Their "ringleader" seemed to be much more interested in getting his "terrorist masters" to buy him a new car than in actually terrorizing anybody.

That's three for you, Mr. Bush.

[Direction: look downward at imaginary notes]

"And just last August," you concluded, "British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean."

In a series of dramatic raids, 24 men were arrested.

Turned out, sir, a few of them actually had gone on the Internets to check out some flight schedules.  

Turned out, sir, only a few of them actually had the passports needed to even get on the planes.

[Direction: PIVOT!]

The plot to which President Bush referred was a plot without bombs.

It was a plot without any indication that the essence of the operation -- the in-flight mixing of volatile chemicals carried on board in sports drink bottles -- was even doable by amateurs or professional chemists.

It was a plot even without sufficient probable cause.

A third of the 24 arrested that day -- exactly 90 days before the American midterm elections -- have since been released.

The British had been watching those men for a year.

Before the week was out, their first statement, that the plot was "ready to go, in days," had been rendered inoperative.

British officials told NBC News of the lack of passports and plans; told us that they had wanted to keep the suspects under surveillance for at least another week.

Even an American official confirmed to NBC's investigative unit that there was "disagreement over the timing."

The British then went further. Sources inside their government told the English newspaper the Guardian that the raids had occurred only because the Pakistanis had arrested a man named Rasheed Raouf.

That Raouf had been arrested by Pakistan only because we had threatened to do it for them.

That the British had acted only because our government was willing -- to quote that newspaper, The Guardian -- to "ride roughshod" over the plans of British intelligence.

Oh, by the way, Mr. Bush, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan reduced the charges against Mr. Raouf to possession of bomb-making materials and being there without proper documents.

Still, sir -- evidently, that's close enough.

Score four for you!

Your totally black-and-white conclusions in the State of the Union were based on one gray area, and on three palettes on which the experts can't even see smudge, let alone gray.

It would all be laughable, Mr. Bush, were you not the president of the United States.

It would all be political hyperbole, Mr. Bush, if you had not, on this kind of "intelligence," taken us to war, now sought to escalate [Ding!] that war, and are threatening new war in Iran and maybe even elsewhere.

What you gave us a week ago tonight, sir, was not intelligence, but rather a walk-through of how speculation and innuendo, guesswork and paranoia, daydreaming and fear-mongering, combine in your mind and the minds of your government, into proof of your derring-do and your success against the terrorists.

The ones who didn't have anthrax.

The ones who didn't have plane tickets or passports.

The ones who didn't have any clue, let alone any plots.

But they go now into our history books as the four terror schemes you've interrupted since 9/11.

They go into the collective consciousness as firm evidence of your diligence, of the necessity of your ham-handed treatment of our liberties, of the unavoidability of the 3,075 Americans dead in Iraq.

Congratulations, sir.

You are the hero of "Jaws 2."

You have kept the Piper Cub out of the hands of Spartacus.

Is it true that the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann can dish it out, but can't take it? On OlbyPlanet, does the world truly revolve around Krazy Keith? Is he just a wee bit self-absorbed? New York Post sports/television writer Phil Mushnick had some thoughts on this matter in his weekend column. It appeared in the print paper but not online, which may explain why we didn't see a "worst person" trashing of Mr Mushnick on Monday (apparently Media Matters and KO's other blue blog sources don't get the hardcopy edition):

[Special thanks to KB for sending this along.]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• WAR POLITICS: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• ANATOMY OF A LIE: "Outfoxed" documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald

We break from our regular format tonight, to examine a strange case. The discredited sports guy (who was up to something this afternoon as he didn't even show up for his radio gig) had a great plan for a segment tonight. It would bash Fox. It would slime the "right-wing". He might even have been able to work in a shot or two at Bill O'Reilly. Yet somehow, between this afternoon, when the A-Mess-NBC publicity department sent out its notices (replicated above) and the actual airing of The Hour of Spin, that great segment vanished. Poof! Why?

The idea was to flog the Insight/Obama/Fox story yet again. The great auteur Robert Greenwald, whose triumphs include Flatbed Annie & Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers, and his chef d'ouvre, Xanadu, was to be Olby's expert witness sock puppet. It would be "the anatomy of a lie".

Now we might ask, what exactly makes the claim that the Clinton campaign circulated this rumor a "lie"? Because someone at the campaign denied it? If all it takes to make a story a lie is to have someone deny it, then why are we trying Scooter Libby? He denied the charges against him, therefore, using OlbyLogic, the charges are all lies. Herr Olbermann repeatedly played up charges by Kirk Fordham in the Foley matter, all denied by the accused. Yet Olby reported them as fact, even though by his own logic, they were debunked and a "lie". Olbypocrisy? Ya think?

But we digress. This segment would have been a perfect opportunity for Oralmann to reprise his attack on Insight as a "slime machine". But this raises a few problems, and even if "Man on Fan" Olbermann didn't recognize them, it appears somewhat at A-Mess-NBC did. After all, Insight wasn't a "right-wing slime machine" when Keith Olbermann used it as a source on March 16. Or when he relied on Insight as fact to push a story about a Karl Rove enemies list. Or when an article from Insight, that cited only a single anonymous source, was good enough for Krazy Keith to use to slam Karl Rove. And there are five more where those came from.

Such rank hypocrisy has never stopped Krazy Keith before. But today there was a new element: the New York Times. Their article today cited A-Mess-NBC's repeated lifting of stories from Insight (first reported by OlbermannWatch). Every one of these examples, like the ones above, was perpetrated by Rev Olbermoronn, though the Times did not name our hero. And, as the paper pointedly noted, their requests for comment from A-Mess-NBC were refused.

Now if the Times catches Krazy Keith pulling this trick again, Olbypocrisy is dangerously close to leaving the pages of Olbermann Watch and Newsbusters and erupting in the biggest MSM publication of them all. Dan Abrams does not want that to happen to his golden boy. Keith "I answer to no one" Olbermann has to answer to Dan Abrams, even though KO claims Dan only runs daytime programming. And then there's that contract, that apparently hasn't been signed yet. End result: the segment was made to disappear. No doubt there will be some serious moping and soaking in the tub tonight.

As for the rest of The Hour of Spin, it led off with The Great Leak Case (Bush "on trial by proxy"), citing again the "16 words" as a lead-in to another Slippery Shuster recap of the trial. Slippery said today's testimony was "devasating for the defense" (how so, since just Friday he claimed Libby's defense was already dead?). Such brilliant analysis can only be welcomed with Great Thanks, as Keith blathered about "near-Nixonian [Ding!] paranoia". That led to the Wolffe Man's first appearance for this week. The White House is "obsessing" over the trial; "credibility"; Cheney speaks in "dark, apocalyptic terms". Great thanks.

Next on the agenda was the big battle where Iraqi troops killed or captured hundreds of terrorists and insurgents. KO had barely finished his first sentence when he immediately brought up "the timing" [Ding!] and the venue, while the details were left to a taped report from NBC. Then KO, with an eye on ratings (isn't American Idol on tomorrow?), plugged a Tuesday night Speshul Komment. Oh wow.

#3: Hillary Clinton, with generous clips of her criticizing "Mister" Bush. Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post was there to analyze her campaign. Hillary is trying to "imply" that troops should come home by 2009. Olby opined that in 2004 John Kerry was "slammed" for "being too subtle" and for requiring people to think. Great thanks.

Next: A mountain lion attack victim, Barbaro, Brandi (who could end up spending "a year behind jail"), and UFOs, complete with a serious interview with a "ufologist". In the Media Matters Minute, Andrew Sullivan (for criticizing Hillary; Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), Fox (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser), and Fox again (for running an ad, also by coincidence condemned on the Blue Blog Source: TVNewser).

Dogs that did not bark: The DC war protests included spitting at a wounded Iraq war veteran and defacing the steps of Capitol Hill. A suicide bomber kills three in Israel. New developments in the case of the National Guardsmen who retreated rather than face hostile gunfire from illegal aliens. Another state plans to offer tuition price breaks to illegals. Hillary Clinton's flip-flop. And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, an episode of Medical Investigation ran this morning and it dealt with a deadly anthrax attack. Keith Olbermann did not object. Medical Investigation is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,294 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #159. The OlbyTome is #2,586 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #421 there, and for the 17th week is still on the New York Times bestsellers list. On Friday, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann tanked, finishing in a humiliating fourth place--behind Paul Zahn, behind Nancy Grace, and way behind The Factor, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 5 [ELEVATED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRES. BUSH CHALLENGES CONGRESS: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NEB.) AND IRAQ: Dana Milbank, Washington Post national political reporter and MSNBC political analyst
• JAMES BROWN AND MICHAEL JACKSON: Paul F. Tompkins, VH-1's "Best Week Ever"

As the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann bellowed the opening spiel, it conjured up the image of the keynote speaker at a Tourette's convention: "The President still doesn't get it"... his decisions are "disasters"... Will Sen Hagel run for President as an independent?... That man in the White House actually wants to arrest and detain Iranian fighters in Iraq... A Michael Jackson sighting, and James Brown's body--all in puppets! Real journalism, folks.

After a clip from a Bush photo-op, KO "reported" that "Mister" Bush was just "blowing smoke"; Dem plans have ranged from "non-escalation [Ding!]" to "de-escalation [Ding!]"; he's engaging in "political manipulation". Clip of Hagel opposing the plan. The Wolffe Man said it's all "astonishing"--Bush even has the Presidential seal on his mountain bike. My stars, will the outrages never cease? Oralmann: Bush is "cynical". Wolffie: he's "playing politics". Oralmann: nobody in Congress advocates "failure in Iraq". Wolffie: most people think it's already a failure.

Then breaking news: an op-ed on a website excoriates Bush. "Hot Soup" suddenly becomes an important, authoritative voice, kind of like how Insight Magazine is a reliable OlbySource, until someone at Fox uses it. Cue Keith's Favorite Felon, John Dean. There followed a surreal conversation about credibility between America's most dangerous demagogue and a disbarred lawyer. Felon: Bush did it to himself. Olbermoronn: did "Mister" Bush lose his credibility with Katrina? Felon: Nah, that happened when he was elected. Olbermoronn: Is there any way "Mister" Bush can regain credibility? Felon: Sure, abandon principle and move to the "center". Olbermoronn: Who will "slap 'Mister' Bush around before it's too late"? Felon: He's got to do it on his own. Great thanks.

Next, subpoenas for Rove and Bartlett to testify for the defense in The Great Leak Case. Michael Isikoff called in on a terrible line to give details. Olby claimed they were "likely to testify", but Isikoff said something a bit different: "whether they're going to be called or not is not entirely clear". He went on to say Rove might help Libby, but in doing so Rove would have to admit what he told Matt Cooper. Not clear why that would make any difference since he already admitted it in Grand Jury testimony, but who are we to question Isikoff? Great thanks.

#3 was a paean to the wonderful surge opponent, Chuck Hagel, even replaying the same clip he ran the other day to make sure the propaganda is hammered home. Dana Milbank, without weird wardrobe, was asked, assuming the "escalation" [Ding!] fails, where does that leave Hagel? DM: It helps him. Krazy Keith: Might he, could he, please, please, please, run as an independent? DM: It's a "fantasy". KK: He "sounds like me" on civil liberties, views ascribed "these days" as "liberal attributes". (Wow, the infamous, deplorable one came this close to admitting he's a slovenly partisan hack!) Stupid Question Alert: In The Great Leak Case, won't Rove have to throw himself "under the bus" [Ding!], or Libby "under the bus" [Ding!], and isn't this just as bad as an indictment? DM: It's a window into how the White House tries to "control news" and "distort". KK: "It's a metaphor" [Ding!] Great thanks.

An OlbyUpdate: Mike Huckabee to file papers for a Presidential run. KO falsely claims this news broke while he was talking to Dana. No it didn't.

"Mister" Bush says Iranian fighters are fair game in Iraq. Whew, sez KO, because Bush's first comments were "widely interpreted" as a plan to launch a military attack on Iran. Hey Fat Ass, maybe they were "widely interpreted" in that way on OlbyPlanet, but here on Earth only moronic propagandists were claiming that to be fact. Bizarre OlbyLogic Point of the Day: the President's claim that he has a right to kill the enemy during a war has people "worried".

Then Obama, Steven Spielberg, Hillary, Liz Taylor, Lindsay Lohan (here KO read a made-up report that said she was visiting a liquor store; he later admitted it was made up), Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis, James Brown, and Michael Jackson (complete with puppets), with a last-minute recap of the "breaking" Leak Case news (featuring the nonsensical point that Rove might have to testify to something he's already testified to on multiple occasions.)

In the Media Matters Minute, Fox for planning to run a deleted scene from the 9/11 movie on Sunday night (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters.) Olbermann Lies here include the claim that the producer is a "right-wing nut job" who believes "it was all Bill Clinton's fault. Of course Herr Olbermann left out of his diatribe the fact that the man who created and ran the CIA's Bin Laden Unit (Michael Scheuer) will be on the program to analyze the accuracy of this deleted scene. But why spoil a good smear with facts? "Worst person" was, of course, you-know-who (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters. The mother of all Olbsessions.

Taciturn terriers: There's a whole pack of 'em today. Jimmy Carter objecting that there were too many Jews on the Holocuast council. Iran's nuke development continues apace with the installation of thousands of centrifuges. A top Taliban leader and many of his deputies are killed by airstrikes in Afgahnistan. Hugo Chavez threatens to expel the US ambassador. The Secretary of Defense warns that people like Olbermoronn are going to embolden the enemy. Hillary Clinton's deadbeat brother is in trouble again. The South Dakota Senate recommends censure for one of their members (D) who groped a male page. There are still calls for Sandy Berger to complete the terms of his plea agreement and take a polygraph test, but the media (especially Herr Olbermann) avoid the story. And this was KO's last change to apologize for lying about Simon Cowell, and to explain why he is entitled to report stories from Insight magazine, even reviving the meme of one of them again last night, but when someone at Fox does it they become "worst person".

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name stands at #5,487 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" rose to #132. The OlbyTome is #2,641 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #341 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. Poor Keith; our favorite demagogue finished in third place--behind Nancy Grace and way behind The Factor, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 7 [HIGH]

What hath Olbermann wrought? Have standards at NBC totally collapsed? John Gibson, who worked there for eight years, had some thoughts today, and we have an mp3 audio clip for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• WAR ON TRIAL: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst
• VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Thomas DeFrank, New York Daily News Washington bureau chief
• 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS: Chris Cillizza, washingtonpost.com political reporter
• "AMERICAN IDOL": Maria Milito, Q104.3 radio host

No installment of Countdown would be complete without the opening spiel, and Keith Olbermann trumpeted it at the maximum allowable decibel level: Sen McCain is "servicing the President", The Great Leak Case, Cheney is a liability, a sky diver murder mystery, and another incisive report on American Idol. The Hour of Spin never disappoints.

The show led off with the "gigantic opposition to escalation [Ding!]", which Olby likened in size to the Loch Ness Monster. How could he have forgotten to say "proverbial"? This is just a plan "to throw away more American lives in Iraq". KO informed his viewers that lawmakers are "warying of giving more money to that reconstrut-ton", and that Gen Keane "told members he was not only defeating the, that, not only, defeating the insurgency was never a US military objective", but the plan was to leave it to the Iraqis. A testy exchange between Sen Levin and Sen Richard McCain was spicy enough that Edward R Olbermann actually permitted a soundbite from a supporter of reinforcements to air, albeit one where he is being berated by someone else.

KO suggested to lefty Alter that McCain is pretty much "on his own", but Alter didn't agree, and reminded Fat Ass that all the wrangling is over a non-binding resolution. He then went on to Jay Rockefeller blasting Cheney, and in response to Olby's hope that the surge could be stopped noted that Hillary wants to cut off funding for Iraq's "mickey-mouse government". Great thanks.

In The Great Leak Case, Oralmann claimed that the trial is all about Cheney's credibility and that the Veep had previously said "he had virtually no knowledge about Wilson at all". To "prove" this he played a clip where Cheney says he has no idea who hired Joe Wilson. Um, non-sequitur much? Slippery Shuster gave one of his typically unreliable summaries of the day's testimony, the kind where he rattles off the prosecution's case but ignores the points made on cross-examintion. At Olby's urging, Slippery opined that after today Libby's defense is dead. Since this comes from David "Karl Rove will be indicted" Shuster, the Libby attorneys will be popping champagne corks tonight. Great thanks.

Next: how much trouble is Cheney in? He's in trouble? Well, on OlbyPlanet anyhow. Joe Biden doesn't like him [clip]. Richard McCain doesn't like him [onscreen quote]. KO wanted to get DeFrank to agree that the Veep might resign, but the newshawk called that "totally far-fetched".

Stop the tivo! It wasn't that long ago that the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann was flogging a story that Cheney would resign sometime in 2007. Here he is, raising the same subject. Only this time, he was careful to avoid any mention of his original source, the "right-wing slime rag" that only "mongrels" would use as a source: Insight Magazine. Har. Great thanks.

A Time poll shows Hillary leading all Dems, but losing narrowly to Rudy. Cillizza opined about Hillary's numbers: there's room for growth. Obama: as he becomes better known, he'll improve but his negatives will rise. KO asked if Giuliani's numbers will drop as the "mayor's ex-wives start hammering him in public". (That would be almost as bad as some slovenly political hack's ex-girlfriends ratting on his pathetic behavior.) Great thanks.

#2: A sky-diving murder (regurgitated NBC reportage), Nicole Kidman, Isaiah Washington, Tara Conner on the Today show (plug) and the Tonight show (plug). #1: Another American Idol analysis. In the Media Matters Minute, a radio station was slammed because a prize winner, who was an illegal alien, threatened to sue them and they in turn threated to inform on her to ICE. Reporting a crime: the latest bizarre qualification to be a "worst person". Plus Melanie Morgan (conservative; Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), and "Fatso" (Olbersaurus) "comedian Rush Limbaugh" (conservative; Blue Blog Source: Media Matters), whom Olby claimed was a KKK-style bigot.

Quiescent canines: There's a danger when you get your Great Leak Case news from the team of Fat Ass and Slippery. The danger is that they will just leave out anything that doesn't fit the nighly talking points agenda. You will recall how yesterday they failed to mention a key moment in the cross examination of a witness. And there are more non-barking dogs in the Keith's koverage. Joe Wilson tried to give the impression he was sent at the request of the Vice-President, or the Vice-President's office, on his little mission, and repeatedly insisted his wife had nothing to do with it. Yet the AP reports that now we have sworn testimony that his trip was in fact "the brainchild of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame". Why do you suppose the discredited sports guy refuses to report this? Could it be because he's afraid it makes the sainted Mr Wilson look a little bit disingenous? Ya think? Then there are the calls for Sandy Berger to complete the terms of his plea agreement and take a polygraph test, but the media (especially Herr Olbermann) avoid the story. Olby's still ignoring this SotU poll. We're still waiting for KO to apologize for lying about Simon Cowell, and to explain why he is entitled to report stories from Insight magazine, even reviving the meme of one of them again tonight, but when someone at Fox does it they become "worst person". And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, an episode of Alias involving a terrorist threat ran this morning. Keith Olbermann did not object. Alias is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name sunk even further to #7,855 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" rose to #136. The OlbyTome is #2,579 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #189 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Wednesday Olbermann once again was creamed by his Factor nemesis, though KO did eke out a distant second-place finish in viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

Constitutional attorney and talk show host Mark Levin once again has commented on the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann. And as your one-stop source for all things Olby, we are happy to bring you this brief mp3 audio clip for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE BUSH WAR PLAN: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor
• SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL: Thomas DeFrank, NY Daily News Washington bureau chief
• TOM CRUISE AND SCIENTOLOGY: Michael Musto, Village Voice columnist

As our favorite carnival barker spat out his traditional patter, he touched on all the proper spin points: the "escalation" (DNC spin-term for sending in reinforcements, with the added bonus that it has VietNam resonance), lawmakers opposing the surge, The Great Leak Case, Kerry bows out, Hillary, and--glory be!--Cruise News!

The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann led off with "Mister" Bush and Capitol Hill Republicans: the honeymoon "could be over". Only one Republican supported the anti-surge resolution, and that Republican was rewarded with a lengthy clip. Was he the only one who spoke? Silly rabbit, of course not. All of the rest of the Republicans disagreed with him, but how many of them got clips from Edward R Olbermann? You guessed it: zero. The most biased hour in television news.

So to balance that out, Oralmann brought in Sen James Webb (D). Another Democrat?!? The List is updated anew. He got Great Thanks before he even said a word! Olby complained about the phrasing on the "nine-binding resolution" because they didn't use the "escalation" spin-term, and insisted that Congress has an "obligation" to stop the reinforcements at any cost. KO asked "is it fair to say" (a giveaway phrase that means another sloppy softball is coming) that this is just an "attention-getter" and more action is to come. Webb of course agreed. That's the reason he's there. Hammering home "escalation" about fifty dozen more times, Fat Ass finally ceased his fawning chatfest

Olbermoronn then asked The Wolffe Man whose speech had more impact, Bush's or Webb's? There is, of course, one way to gauge this, but somehow "Man on Fan" Olbermann didn't mention it. (See hounds, below.) Wolffie of course said Webb was more effective, Edward R Olbermann referenced "the proverbial [Ding!] sound of one hand clapping", and wondered if the silence "was not deafening enough". (Ace wordsmith Monkeymann leaves no cliche unturned.) Chuck Hagel's words of opposition to the surge "will go down in history". KO claimed "the people" don't want bipartisanship on Iraq, and naturally The Wolffe Man whimpered his agreement. Great thanks.

In a classic moment, Keith managed to say that the "Scooter Libbery trial" has brought claims of "destruction of evidence". Oops, could this be Another Olbermann Lie? Looks like. Olby waxed poetic about the importance of The Great Leak Case, because regardless of the "guilt or innocent of" Libby, its priceless gift is its "unprecessedented revelations about how Mister Cheney operaish". Slippery Shuster's rundown of the day's doings was extraordinary, because it was a recitation of prosecution testimony as if it were fact, with nothing about the cross-examination that tattered a high State Department Official. The guy was caught making the exact same error (forgetting what he told people, getting the chronology wrong) that Libby is being charged with doing on purpose! Any knowledgeable trial attorney will tell you that this is a key moment for any witness's credibility, but it should be no surprise that the quintuply-discredited Shuster left it out, while letting Olby's lie about "destruction of evidence" stand. After all, he did doctor that tape for Herr Olbermann.

After oddball, John Kerry is still not running for President, followed by the rest of Keith's blue-dress interview with Madame Hillary. And another update to The List. (It gets more incriminating with each update.) KO bragged about his ratings, once again using unpublished data in a special demographic about an hour of post-primetime coverage. And people wonder why we post the true ratings numbers every night. Then an attack on a Congresswoman (R) who hugged the President (Blue Blog Source: Crooks and Liars), Britney Spears, K-Fed, Anna Nicole Smith. The #1 story was Cruise News with the creepy Michael Musto, and we apologize to our readers: we could not take another minute of Fat Ass Olbermann, particularly when he's engaged in another painful exercise in mutual onanism with the Village Voice Idiot.

In the Media Matters Minute, five conservatives and Fox people, including Steve Doocy, were attacked for theorizing that Hillary's announcement video may have been pre-taped because of the green foliage in the background (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). Juan Williams was cited because he said, on Fox, that the statement was taped in DC, not NY. But what is Mr Merkle not telling us this time? Doocy raised the foliage question to Juan Williams and asked him about it, prompting the explanation. And so he gets made "worst person" because he asked a question which elicited the answer that Keith uses to call him a "worst person"? If you think Pan's Labyrinth is convoluted, just try to make sense out of that gem of OlbyLogic.

Hushed hounds: Keith wanted to know about the impact of the SotU speech. Funny, the poll-happy propagandist very carefully avoided any mention of this poll. Could it be because he doesn't like the results? Ya think? In other news: The stock market hits another historic high. Hundreds of illegal aliens arrested. North Korea is helping Iran with Nuke tests, and Iran confirms it has received technology from Russia. Another US strike against Al Qaeda in Somalia. None of this is news on OlbyPlanet. We're still waiting for KO to apologize for smearing Simon Cowell, and to explain why he is entitled to report stories from Insight magazine, but when someone at Fox does it they become "worst person". And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, last night's episode of NCIS found the team disrupting a terrorist attack in the DC area, but Oralmann did not devote an entire segment to bashing them. NCIS is not on Fox

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name slipped further to #4,596 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #194. The OlbyTome is #2,464 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #115 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. Tuesday's SotU coverage found Fox creaming A-Mess-NBC, while the Hour of Spin again found Herr Olbermann in third place, though he did eke out a second-place finish in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

Robert Cox, founder and managing editor of Olbermann Watch, as well as founder and head of the Media Bloggers Association, will appear today on Your World with Neil Cavuto on Fox News Channel. Mr Cox will discuss the role of the internet in partisan politics, with a particular focus on its use by Presidential candidates. Your World airs at 4:00 pm Eastern, and is repeated the next morning at 5:00 am Eastern.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• SCOTTER LIBBY TRIAL: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent
• IRAN: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, fmr. Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief and author of "Imperial Life in the Emerald City"

Keith bellowed in the opening spiel that the SotU speech has been "overshadowed" by The Great Leak Case. Yeah, America can't stop talking about it. Everything is Cheney's fault. Plus Hillary Clinton's "first interview" since launching her committee, and...oh yeah...the State of the Union which maybe this year will have "intentional" jokes. The Hour of Spin lives up to its nickname once again.

The lead story was The Great Leak Case. Ah, it's like the good old days once again on OlbyPlanet. Fitzgerald "alleging" that Cheney was somehow involved; Libby's attorneys "attempting to paint" Libby as innocent. And of course, that means Slippery Shuster is on the scene. He gave a detailed rundown of the most salacious portions from Fitzgerald's opening statement, and Krazy Keith suggested that all this being made public the day of the SotU address was "fortuitous". KO noted that "they threw Libby under the bus" [Bingo!]. Great thanks.

Then we got a repeat of an Olbermann Lie; an oldie, but a goodie:

Those 16 words in which "Mister" Bush had claimed in 2003's address that Iraq had tried to secure weapon-grade from Niger ultimately proving to be false.

For those who tuned in late, "Mister" Bush never mentioned Niger in that SotU, and never claimed anything other than what British intelligence reported. But Olbermann is only a stickler for accuracy when he wants to be, and tonight he didn't want to be. This was a precursor to Herr Olbermann's claim that Iran wasn't really involved in Iraq as the eeevil Bush claims. When Howard Fineman came on, Oralmann amplified his lie, now stating that "Mister" Bush stated that Iraq "had obtained uranium from Niger". Olbermann lies are like a screensaver: they constantly change, but they hide the real truth. The Pundit for All Occasions harped on "credibility" as KO came up with one example after another of Rule #1 (it's bad for Bush): Dick Cheney will be sitting behind him, the Libby trial is going on, he's trying to do a "U-turn" to domestic issues, yada yada yada. Great thanks.

Next came "Lying in State", the Fat Ass rundown of "lies" from previous Bush SotU speeches (Blue Blog Source: Daily Kos). Since Oralmann lied twice about what Bush said in just the first segment, why should anyone believe any of this propaganda? And when he said that Gen Shinseki asked for more troops and then was "ousted", making this the third Olbermann lie of the night, we quit counting.

Then the Big Interview with Hillary. It was another hard-hitting, brilliantly incisive job of questioning from "Man on Fan" Olbermann:

• What, if anything, could the president of the United States say during the State of the Union tonight that would cause you to stand up and applaud and cheer?
• Do you think he has grasped the actual nature of bipartisanship? To this point is there evidence to that that is the case?
• You mentioned health care, an issue likely to come up in the speech. The early indications about that are that it would -- whatever would be provided for people would be taken out of hospital budgets -- out of public hospital budgets. That can't sit well with you?
• If you were president, as opposed to January, 2009, what would you do as we finish this interview about Iraq?
• Would you reach out immediately to the Syrians and the Iranians even with the tensions between this country and Iraq?
• Richard Clarke said on this newscast last night that the administration -- current administration has operated without any intelligence for the last few years. I thought it was quite a double entendre on this subject, especially.
• How would you answer people who've approached this and say, I could not possibly vote for anyone who, no matter how misled they might have been, no matter how misled the country might have been, voted in any way to authorize what has happened in Iraq? How would you answer them?
• The president was hard-pressed to find in a period of four years anything that he viewed as a mistake in his presidency. Would you apply the word mistake to your vote to authorize the war in Iraq?
• So how can you, and Senator Obama, and Senator Edwards and Governor Vilsack, and Governor Richardson, and everybody else who is considering, or has considered, or will run for the Democratic nomination, maintain and survive a campaign of that length, to say nothing of the American people? How do we do this?
• What, if you could pick and could only show to the voters one element of your resume, would you say, "This is it, this why"?
• But having spent eight years in the White House under the conditions in which you and your husband spent them, that's a reason to want to go back to the White House?
• What role will the former president play in your campaign between now and January, 2009?
• Would he be in the administration?
• Are you sort of setting up on your own using the technology and really trying to get unfiltered even by the people who think they are unfiltered on the net?
• What, in your opinion, is, as of right now, the State of the Union?
• Senator, our greatest thanks for your time.

Oh, that's right, we have to update The List. Done.

In the Media Matters Minute, John Gibson (who works at--of all places--Fox!) was "worst person" for daring to defend something that Fat Ass himself has done repeatedly: report a story from Insight magazine (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser). After Olbermoronn repeated his Niger lie again, Matthews joined Olby for SotU coverage, and that's when we bowed out. Anything to avoid having to suffer through more of the slovenly political hack, even if he is sharing time with Chrissy.

Since this was SotU night, we'll give the infamous, deplorable one a pass on non-barking dogs. Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is down to #5,550 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #163. The OlbyTome is #2,490 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #562 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. Monday's Hour of Spin, the one that brought us one of Krazy Keith's most outrageous examples of Olbypocrisy, found the discredited sports guy in third place, losing even to Paula Zahn, though he did eke out a second-place finish in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 9 [SEVERE]


UPDATE: Newsbusters caught Keith in an embarrassing blunder tonight. And they put even more flesh on the bones of the rank Olbypocrisy first reported by Olbermann Watch. Good work, Busters.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRESIDENT BUSH'S IRAQ PLAN: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek
• NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE: Richard Clarke, author of "Breakpoint" and fmr. presidential advisor

Tonight we break from our usual format, because the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann has done it again. If we had an Olbypocrisy Meter, it would have to go to 11 to register his latest outrage. It's so egregious that it absolutely has to lead this report on tonight's Hour of Spin.

In the Media Matters Minute tonight, first Olby attacked Bill Kristol (conservative, Fox; Blue Blog Source: The Huffington Post). But he saved his most poisonous venom for Insight magazine, and the outlets (like "Fox Nothing Channel") that picked up their Obama/Madrassa story (one that they still stand by). Fat Ass whined that Insight reported using "unnamed" sources (a la Bob Woodward), and that because Obama and Clinton both denied the story, therefore it was a "lie" spread by the "right-wing slime machine". Of course the real point was not whether Barack was actually a student at a Madrassa, but that the Clinton campaign was leaking the story to damage him.

Now why is this the height of Olbypocrisy? Very simply because Olbermann himself has considered Insight a reliable source time after time after time. Stories from Insight, based on unnamed sources, have been reported uncritically by Olbermann as fact. We're not making this up. Insight has been a Monkeymann source on at least four occasions--as long as the stories are anti-Bush, or anti-Rove, or anti-Condi, or in any way anti-GOP. We ask Keith Olbermann to make a public explanation of why he is entitled to report stories from Insight, but Fox is not. And why he should not be named "worst person in the world" for doing the same thing that Fox and the NY Post did.

With that out of the way, we'll rewind to the top of the hour. It began with President Bush being "thrown under the proverbial bus". Sheesh! Does every hoary old cliche used by Herr Olbermann have to be (wrongly) called "proverbial"? Multiple clips and quotes from lawmakers who oppose sending reinforcements. Zero clips or quotes from lawmakers who support the surge. On Countdown you get the full gamut of opinion: everything from A to B. Olby bellowed (Webb's response to the SotU address will be the "strongest" ever!). The Wolffe Man whimpered. Great thanks.

#4 dealt with the Hillary announcement and the 2008 Presidential field. Recycled video of Hillary on NBC led into a chat with lefty Jonathan Alter, who seemed to like all the Dem candidates. KO's questioning was remarkably sane, at least by the standards of OlbyPlanet. For a little perspective on this, how much coverage did Monkeymann give John McCain when he announced his exploratory committee on November 13, or Giuliani? Answer: one sentence apiece. And how much coverage did he give Mitt Romney when he formed his exploratory committee on Jan 3? Answer: none. Oh, and Madame Clinton will be on Tuesday's Hour of Spin for a hard-hitting OlbyInterview. You know, just like McCain and Romney and Giuliani were. Not!

After another thrilling edition of oddball, the National Intelligence Estimate was on the plate: why is Bush daring to send in troop reinforcements before the NIE is released? (Blue Blog Source: TomPaine.com.) Olby asked Clarke if "Mister" Bush is playing politics; Dick said there are professionals behind the report. Then the latest Krazy Keith Konspiracy: the ABC News report about Iraqi Al Qaeda planning attacks in the US is just more propaganda timed to scare the American people before the SotU, a theory he first floated with the Wolffe Man. Clarke vouched for the story top to bottom, and you could hear Fat Ass grumbling and moaning as he did so.

#2: The SNL spoof of Hillary Clinton, and a "parody" of the new promos being run by what KO calls the "Fox Nothing Channel". (He's confusing it there with A-Mess-NBC, at least when it comes to ratings.) Plus James Brown, Sharon Stone, and the eeevil American Idol--again!

Dogs that did not bark: Oralmann's continued protection of his friends in Iran is stunning. A top Iranian cleric attacks Ahmadinejad. Iran conducts missile tests, and bars 38 UN nuclear inspectors. As usual on The Hour of Spin, stories that don't reflect well on Iran get spiked. Iraq's Prime Minister ceases protection of Al-Sadr's militia. Hugo Chavez tells the US to go to Hell, with plans to give himself the authority to make laws "by decree". And thousands marched in Washington against abortion. None of this is news on OlbyPlanet. Of course, the big dog that did not bark is Monkeymann's failure to apologize to Simon Cowell for using a doctored tape to smear him with a lie. And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, the discredited sports guy forgot to bash Numb3rs, whose Saturday night episode dealt with counter-terrorism. Numb3rs is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is #3,489 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #141. The OlbyTome is #2,529 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #322 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Friday, Herr Olbermann got whomped again by Bill O'Reilly, but managed to pull out a distant second-place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 4 [GUARDED]

The News Watch panel took on criticisms by Keith Olbermann and others claiming 24 is "right-wing propaganda". You can view a QuickTime video of the segment here.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRESIDENT BUSH: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek
• Bill O'Reilly VS. Stephen Colbert: Seth MacFarlane, voice of "Stewie" on "Family Guy"

The Hour of Spin lived up to its name tonight, as Krazy Keith carefully left out half of a story to deliberately deceive his credulous viewers. Olbermann spat out the introductory patter in his best carnival barker style: the President is making US troops "human shields", according to Pelosi; China's space shot; another O'Reilly attack; a pregnant chimpanzee with no apparent father ("and no, it's not immaculate conception"); and O'Reilly ("the fraud") vs the satirizer. At this point it is incumbent on us to note that Rev Olbermann's reference to the Immaculate Conception is, like most of his references, ignorant and wrong. The concept refers to the fact that Mary was without sin, not to her divine impregnation. But stupidity will be the least of Olby's crimes on this Hour of Spin.

China destroyed one of its own space satellites, because "Mister" Bush didn't jump for an agreement that would ban such tests. But first, Pelosi's charge, that "Mister" Bush timed the surge announcement in such a way that it would make it difficult for the Dems to cut off funds for it. It was enthusiastically embraced by Krazy Keith.

All right, stop the tivo! Just what is Keith not telling us this time? Oh, possibly the fact that he's so enamored with Madame Pelosi's dramatic charge that he didn't want viewers to know that she took it back? When asked about her GMA comments and whether she was accusing the President of timing the surge to affect political decisions on funding, she replied:

No, I don't think the President would do that.... I don't think the President is acting for political reasons at all.

OK, class. Why did Keith leave out the second half of this story? Why did KO not tell us that Pelosi backtracked and pretty much retracted her earlier words? Because he runs the most biased hour of news on television. But we digress. The Wolffe Man crept onto the stage to parrot OlbySpin. Isn't our foreign policy "unilateral" and "disastrous"? Oh yes, Keith. Isn't the new poll from Fox proof that Americans dislike "Mister" Bush? Oh yes, Keith. (Odd how he picked that number out of the poll, but not the one noted below in "hounds".) Didn't his last speech go over "like the proverbial lead balloon"? (Ahem. Attn Edward R Murrow of our time. There is no "proverbial" lead balloon, because there is no proverb about lead balloons. "Lead balloon" is not proverbial. It is cliched. Like everything else about The Hour of Spin.) Great thanks, of course.

On to the Chinese satellite shot, which Olby wants to control with an unverifiable treaty--after all, the one with North Korea worked so well. Joe Cirincione, from the lefty Center for American Progress, was guest "expert". He blamed the administration for the test, because the eeevil Bush wants to "militarize" space and that scared the innocent Chinese. Besides, it's the military industrial complex, don'tcha know. You know he got Great Thanks.

After we've been hectoring Olbermann all week about ignoring the trial in The Great Leak Case, tonight he bowed to our pressure and brought in Slippery Shuster. At Olby's urging, he focused on a potential juror from Lockheed Martin who happened to agree with the Iraq war, and another who called Cheney a "professional politician". Of course, since Slippery is quadruple-discredited, anything he says must be taken with a grain of salt. And no, that's not the "proverbial" grain of salt. It's just the Olby-style-cliched grain of salt. Great thanks.

Fat Ass launched O'Reilly attack #143 with a new twist: instead of just lying about Mr Bill, or smearing him, or calling him names, or cherry-picking phrases out of context, he wants the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to disinvite him from speaking there. You know, like Universities disinvite eeevil conservatives from being allowed to be heard. Of course, O'Reilly does more in one week on behalf of tough law enforcement for predators than Monkeymann has in his entire low-rated career. KO ran the same excerpt from the first day of coverage that he quoted from before, and then led into regurgitated video of the victim's family from this morning's Today Show.

Stop the tivo again! We were under the impression that Countdown was above this sort of exploitation for ratings. We heard the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann say on the radio today that he didn't want to run this interview. But those pesky producers. Somehow they just made him do it. It's the best of both worlds for Mr Merkle. He's above running the interview, but his damn bosses forced him to do it for ratings. Such is the hypocrisy of Keith "I answer to no one" Olbermann.

#2: The miracle pregnant chimp with no apparent father (again, KO ignorantly references the Immaculate Conception), with more recycled video from NBC. Plus Robert Redford (who attacked Bush--when did an actor who praised Bush ever get such notice on Countdown?) and Lindsay Lohan. In the Media Matters Minute, the "worst person" was...Rich Little. Say what? Yes, he plans to do humor at the Washington Correspondents' Dinner without attacking Bush or the Iraq war. And such humor is outlawed on OlbyPlanet. (Blue Blog Source: Daily Kos.)

Then the big "analysis" of O'Reilly vs Colbert, in actuality attack #144. If Olby and his sock puppet are to be believed, Colbert was funny, O'Reilly was too dumb to know Colbert was making fun of him, he didn't get off a single joke. But McFarlane did: he said Bush is "retarded". That made the discredited sports guy laugh. He probably finds pulling wings off flies a hilarious pastime as well.

Hushed hounds: Of course, the big dog here is Monkeymann's failure to apologize to Simon Cowell for using a doctored tape to smear him with a lie. Olbermoronn loves to cite stories from Insight Magazine--as long as they are anti-Bush, or anti-Rove, or anti-Condi, or in any way anti-GOP. But when they make news with a story about Barack Obama's background, and the Clinton campaign is implicated, Fat Ass suddenly pretends like the magazine doesn't even exist. How about that? The capture of a top Al Sadr lieutenant? The fact that Al Sadr himself is feeling the pressure? Hate speech from an Imam? North Korea rips off tens of millions of dollars in UN funds? How about John Edwards's secretive land deal? None of these is considered news on OlbyPlanet. Just like the fact that the Fox poll KO picked one number out of also shows public support for the surge is now double what it was when Olby was trumpeting that it was only 17%. And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, somehow the discredited sports guy didn't devote an entire segment to demonizing Law and Order. An episode that ran earlier today dealt with an anthrax threat. But then, Law and Order is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is #4,102 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #107. The OlbyTome is #2,742 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #75 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Thursday, Herr Olbermann just got whomped by Bill O'Reilly (who had nearly 3 million viewers). With all the competition eclipsed by Mr Bill's stellar ratings, Krazy Keith managed to pull out a distant, way distant, second-place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 6 [ELEVATED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQI PRIME MINISTER AL-MALIKI VS. PRESIDENT BUSH: Dana Milbank, Washington Post; Gen. Barry McCaffrey, U.S. Army (ret.)
• FMR. SEN. GEORGE MCGOVERN ON IRAQ: Fmr. Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.)
• IS "AMERICAN IDOL" TOO MEAN?: Maria Milito, Q104.3 midday host

Herr Olbermann was on his high horse as soon as he barked the opening spiel: Maliki smacks down Condi, George McGovern has a solution for Iraq, the Missouri kidnappings, another O'Reilly attack (why does he "still have a job?"), and the grand, overwhelming eeevil of American Idol. But the best was yet to come, as an Olby guest catches him pulling stuff out of his rearward orafice, and The Future of Television News stoops to doctoring a clip in order to lie about Simon Cowell. Man, you just don't get this stuff on reputable programs.

Krazy Keith was all over Maliki's comments, giving "context" with a heavily snipped quote from Condi, and running the usual clips of Tony Snow being hectored by the MSM, in particular the tonsorially-enhanced David Gregory. Dana Milbank, sans gaudy garb, says the Bush plan is dead anyhow, so this is just more headaches for the Prez.

After some grousing about the Attorney General, and more complaints that Bill O'Reilly should be fired, it was on to Gen Barry McCaffrey, a surge opponent. Monkeymann rattled off four generals who were against sending reinforcements, and the gullible viewers might have swallowed that had the General not pointed out that one of those four actually supports the plan. Yes, A-Mess-NBC's own expert catches Keith making up facts, live, on national television. One of the very small pleasures of having to sit through The Hour of Spin.

But there was more. When the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann brought up one of his favorite schemes, manipulating the funding to keep the surge from happening, the good General shot that down too: a "bad idea, it's probably not constitutional, it would be deeply resented by the armed forces". Word! Guess what the General didn't get? Great thanks.

The topic stayed on Iraq as KO resuscitated George McGovern, the failed Democrat Presidential candidate. Another Dem interviewed on Countdown? Stop the presses! Time to update The List, a stunning documentation of why this is the most biased hour of news on television. George immediately slobbered all over Krazy Keith, praising him for his "common sense", and promoted his book plan to withdraw every single American in the next six months. Oddly, neither ace journalist Edward R Olbermann, nor the rejected candidate, bothered to explore what would happen to Iraq should George's plan be adopted. TMI. Instead, McGovern came up with a startling new insight all his own: Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. Great thanks.

O'Reilly attack #142 began with Olby, naturally, twisting what Bill said (Blue Blog Source: Media Matters) about the Hornbeck kidnapping, taking a sentence out of context and ignoring everything else. Standard practice at The Hour of Spin, as is describing O'Reilly's "perversity" (pretty bold talk for "Man on Fan" Olbermann) and again calling for him to be fired. Well, that would be one way to stop losing to The Factor by anywhere from 3-1 to 9-1 night after night after night. The actual reportage on the kidnapping was recycled from NBC. Then a typical Countdown segue directly into Britney Spears, Buddy Holly, and Art Buchwald.

The #1 story was the Breaking News that American Idol judges can be mean. They've been mean for how many seasons now? Five? Six? Oh wait, isn't American Idol on Fox? Oh, OK. While whining about the "cruelty" of the program, Fat Ass Olbermann played a clip, where Simon told a shrieking singer, "Why don't you get a job down in the port?" Outraged, Olby bellowed, "Did she have to be told that she should go prostitute herself?" His "expert" guest had no clue, but in fact, this is just another small example of how Olbermann lies to his viewers. After Cowell made that statement, Randy asked him what he meant. Simon replied she could get work as a foghorn. Guess what? Edward R Olbermann cut the clip to take that part out, so he could pontificate without having to worry about his diatribe being reality-based. What a tool.

The Media Matters Minute was the usual assemblage of stuff filched from far-left, highly partisan websites. John Gibson (Fox slot) defending 24 (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser)--that really makes him a "worst person" contender, doesn't it? Bo Dietl (conservative) was "worser" (Blue Blog Source: the 9/11 conspiracy site PrisonPlanet), and "worst" was "Mister" Bush's Republican administration (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress). Surprise, all three slots filled!

Muted mongrels: Herr Olbermann loves to lift stuff from the New York Times. Yet today the paper reported some news that Olbermoronn completely spiked. Why was that? Could it be because it dealt with Iraq cracking down on Shiite militias, with some 400 arrests, and Olby doesn't want to report any kind of progress in Iraq? Ya think? He was so eager to spike this news that when he ran a clip of Tony Snow, he cut it off just at the point when Snow mentioned all this! Classic. The discredited sports guy pounded horrible poll numbers re the surge: only 17% support sending more troops to Iraq. But these numbers only get reported when they move in Olbermann's direction, and now that the latest poll says that support for sending reinforcements has more than doubled, it doesn't get reported on The Hour of Spin. Meanwhile, just as Krazy Keith covered for Sylvestre Reyes's unforgivable ignorance about the war on terror, he has pointedly avoided reporting how Reyes, like many other Dems, was for a troop surge before he was against it. And what about The Great Leak Case? Is Slippery Shuster still waiting outside the courthouse for that Karl Rove indictment? It's coming! Any day now!

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name has gurgled all the way down to #12,997 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #124. The OlbyTome is #2,665 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #222 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. Wednesday's cable news numbers were down, thanks to the eeevil American Idol, and KO just barely edged out Paula Zahn for a close second-place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 4 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ; THE SENATE; SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-N.Y.): Howard Fineman, Newsweek and MSNBC political analyst
• WHAT IS THE WHITE HOUSE DOING TO FEDERAL PROSECUTORS?: Jonathan Turley, George Washington University law professor and constitutional law expert

Keith was spoilin' for a fight as he bellowed the opening spiel: Congress to propose pass resolutions (non-binding), a troop limit, and who will be the saviour: Hillary or Obama? Eeevil Bush is replacing federal prosecutors according to the law. "Domestic spying." Girls gone wild. James Brown. What, no segment on the far-right propaganda that suffuses Grease: You're the One That I Want?

The Hour of Spin proper began with Olby decrying a head of state who refuses to act in accordance with "elected lawmakers" or the most recent vote. On OlbyPlanet, you don't need a President. Just conduct a poll and there's your policy. Adoration of Chuckie Hagel, since he joined with Dems to oppose the troop surge escalation. A general says the plan has a 50/50 chance of success. Well that's better than it got from the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann who before it was even announced decreed it would fail. Clips of lawmakers against the surge: Hagel, Biden, Clinton. Olby tossed in a "wonderfully" to describe Hillary's comments. Clips of lawmakers supporting the surge: [sound of crickets]. Another reason why The Hour of Spin is the most biased hour of "news" on television.

Olby asked the Pundit for All Occasions if non-binding resolutions can have any effect; Howie whined that the President "ignored the advice of Congress" and the "mid-term elections". Does that sound familiar? Yes, it is near-perfect parrotting of the OlbySpin that began the hour. Keith was worried that the Senate bill might be filibustered, and Fineman thought that might work. But KO brightened up because, see, the Dems really do have a plan for Iraq. Or two, or three, or four. Great thanks.

Then it was time to give some free PR to Hillary and Obama--that is, beyond the glorification they got in the first segment. Are they really electable? For that Monkeymann turned to Craig Crawford, aka Olbermann's Brain. He had a convoluted electoral analysis that boiled down to: if you get enough electoral votes, you win. KO tried to take any issue of experience off the table with both his approved candidates, suggesting it was "just a front for qualms about race or gender". It's a "code word". Brain, of course, chortled his agreement. He knows better than to do otherwise. Citizen Keith warned the Dems that they had better not nominate someone who appeals to red states because Brain has the math all worked out. So there.

After oddball and an attack on Fox and O'Reilly, came another episode of Olby and the Perfessor, this time about "Mister" Bush and his federal prosecutors. This "controversy" naturally emenates from a Blue Blog Source (Talking Points Memo). Apparently some prosecutors have resigned, and the real reason has to be not what the Department of Justice says, but rather what Fat Ass and his Kingsfield insist: payback for prosecuting politicians. What's more, they're using an outrageous method to fill the vacancies: they're following the law!

The "purge" of prosecutors is "frightening", according to Citizen Keith. They're "circumventing" the Congress, claimed The Perfessor, because they're following a law passed by Congress. Then The Perfessor went off on his usual tear: habeas corpus, they're acting "outside the rule of law", "violating the constitution". Edward R Olbermann wants Gonzalez impeached. Yada yada yada. You've heard it all before. Great thanks.

The girl-fight caught on video (regurgitated from a local NBC station), student tasered, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan (KO avoided calling her mother a "bag" this time around), O.J., and James Brown, whose body lies not amouldering, in a room somewhere. "Man on Fan" Olbermann was really concerned about why his family doesn't just dig a hole and put him in it, so much so that it took up an entire program block. In the Media Matters Minute, the "worst person" was Dinesh DeSouza (conservative), for making a rather sophisticated argument:

FDR gave away Eastern Europe through Yalta, and then the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the Muslims had to fight back and that's where bin Laden got his start.

To an anti-intellectual like Olbermoronn, of course, this is just high-browed, pointy-headed stuff; so he simplified the point to DeSouza "specifically blames" FDR for 9/11 (Blue Blog Source: Think Progress).

Taciturn terriers: Whatever happened to The Great Leak Case? Is Slippery Shuster still waiting outside the courthouse for that Karl Rove indictment? It's coming! Any minute now! The stock market hit another historic high today, oil prices continue to decline, $2 a gallon gas could be on the horizon, but you won't hear any of that on Countdown. Nothing on the indictment of the guy who ran the UN's Oil for Food program. An American Imam's hate speech is never going to get coverage from Herr Olbermann. Just like the top Al Qaeda militant killed, or the calls to pardon border patrol agents who fired on a drug dealer. And in the ongoing scrutiny of Naked Right-Wing Propaganda Masquerading as Entertainment, somehow the discredited sports guy didn't get around to railing against NCIS. On their last episode, the team disrupted an terrorist plot to set off a massive explosion in the DC area. NCIS is not on Fox.

Olbermann's book In the wake of his attack on Jack Bauer, the book that bears Olberman's name has sunk to #8,861 at amazon.com, while "Culture Warrior" is #106. The OlbyTome is #2,714 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #94 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. The ratings for Tuesday have not yet been published, but you can take this to the bank: the discredited sports guy lost to his nemesis by orders of magnitude, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 3 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• IRAQ: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post
• OLBERMANN'S ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH: Jonathan Turley
• O.J. SIMPON
• AMERICAN IDOL

The opening spiel found Krazy Keith in rare form: an unnamed source about why Bush is wrong, another story about why Bush is wrong, why Cheney is wrong, why the Bush administration is like Stalin and Hitler. Plus O.J. Simpson's book and American Idol.

Tony Blair is against the surge. Oh, sorry, the "escalation". Clip from 60 Minutes interview (guess what clip? Right, "Mister" Bush admits mistakes!). Edward R Olbermann said 655,000 civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion, citing no source. "Mister" Bush is under fire from all sides, Cheney is even more stubborn. Olby cited Gen Casey to the effect that US troops are under US command, thereby making his hyperbolic outburst in the opening spiel ("under the command of an Iraqi general") just Another Olbermann Lie.

Monkeymann suggested to Rajiv that our troops are being inserted into a civil war. "It's not encouraging." We're being played like a pawn, aren't we? "Maliki could well dig in his heels." Aren't we actually helping Iran? The Iraqis "really aren't on board" with our Iran policy. Great thanks.

Next came another episode of Olby and The Perfessor, something about lawyers for the terrorists being the real victims because CEO's might not want to hire law firms who defend terrorists. The Perfessor immediately cried "intimidation" against the "troglodyte" in the administration who dared make that observation (never mind that pesky 1st Amendment, it can be so inconvenient on OlbyPlanet). This whole segment was another excursion into Olbysurrealism, where the right of corporations to refuse to hire law firms they don't like is no different than it has been for centuries, but never mind, this is the eeevil administration of "Mister" Bush taking away your rights. Or somebody's. You know, like habeas corpus.

Next up were copious quotes and analysis of the leaked O.J. Simpson book chapter. Now wait, wasn't it not that long ago that Fat Ass was slamming the eeevil O'Reilly because Mr Bill wasn't denouncing the whole book project enough? That claim, of course, was just Another Olbermann Lie, but as soon as parts of the book are published, there's Monkeymann, reveling in every detail, complete with an interview guest. An entire segment! Need we point out this is another sterling example of Olbypocrisy at its finest?

The kidnapped boys (regurgitated NBC video), Miss New Jersey, the internet box (this segment running immediately after Olby refers to Donald Trump's pageants as "tawdry"), and American Idol's Paula Abdul. In the Media Matters Minute, "comedian Rush Limbaugh" was attacked for speaking of the Barbara Bouncer matter (conservative slot; Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). Olby drew comparisons to earlier Laura Bush comments, and in doing so, indicted himself and verified what you read here first--Olbermann is a hypocrite. And "Fox & Fiends" (Fox slot) was attacked for daring to criticize NBC.

Dogs that did not bark: The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann made no mention of a key Islamic militant arrested in Kenya. And for sure Herr Olbermann went out of his way not to mention the London terrorists' trial. Meanwhile, still not one word about the resignations from the Carter center. Nothing about the dramatic increase in recruiting for Iraqi police. And nothing, not even a snarky "worst person" nomination, for the speaker at the MLK service in Atlanta who analogized the hanging of Saddam Hussein to the crucifixion of Christ. Come to think of it, there was hardly any mention (maybe none?) of Martin Luther King. No time for that, of course. We need more coverage of Paula Abdul and the internet box!

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name rallied all the way up to #3,591 at amazon.com, but "Culture Warrior" is #98. The OlbyTome is #2,660 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #246 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. The ratings for Friday's Hour of Spin are not available due to today being King Day, but we have no doubt that the discredited sports guy suffered another humiliating loss to the eeevil O'Reilly, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 8 [HIGH]

When you endure one of Keith Olbermann's Speshul Komments, the lighting, the B-roll, the scripted camera pivots, the carefully timed looks...all of these have been meticulously crafted by KO's writers and producers. Even the audio is tweaked for maximum demagogic effect. But what would Keith sound like without electronic assistance? On his radio show Friday, John Gibson was able to run the tape through special circuitry that stripped away the artificial enhancements to reveal for the first time the true sound of the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann. It's Olbermann unplugged! We have an mp3 clip for your listening pleasure:

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRESIDENT BUSH'S PLAN UNDER SCRUTINY: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek and MSNBC political analyst
• CONGRESS VS. PRESIDENT BUSH: John Dean, author of "Conservatives Without Conscience" and FindLaw.com columnist
• SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D/I-CONN.): Arianna Huffington, huffingtonpost.com

It was Freaky Friday on The Hour of Spin. Herr Olbermann kicked things off with another dramatic reading of the carnival barker patter that opens each Countdown: It's a "constitutional crisis!" They're gonna mess with Iran! Is the Senate really in the hands of Joe Lieberthal? And the internet box singer. LIVE! EXCLUSIVE! ONLY ON A-MESS-NBC!

Oh no--Bush isn't just "escalating" Iraq, he's gonna march into Tehran too! "Most Democrats and some Republicans" worried about that. But the clips from Peter Pace were quite specific about not going into Iran. So what to make of Keith's hyperbolic bellowing? Mere propaganda.

After some adulation of Joe Biden (D) and the usual clips of press hectoring of Tony Snow, it was time for KO to conduct another session in the ongoing Olbermann Rehabilitation of Left-Wing Criminals Program. Felon Dean was asked if there was any way to stop the "escalation" [2]. In the short term "Snow is right", but in the long run, there will be more votes. Monkeymann kept pressing him on ways to block the money. He isn't even pretending to be a journalist any more. Olby: is it a "constitutional crisis" if Iran is drawn in? (See Peter Pace, above; Fat Ass doesn't even listen to his own clips.) The infamous, deplorable one kept coming up with bizarre scenarios about how the eeevil Bush is going to demolish Tehran (why is Olbermann so obsessively defensive of Iran?!?), but even the disbarred lawyer seemed amused at Olbermoronn's desperation. The felon got in a mention of "the neocons", and that made things right. Great thanks.

Next came Flynt Leverett. Olby ID'd him as a former member of the Bush NSC, period. In fact, Our Man Flynt is an anti-Bush activist who left government service to campaign for John Kerry, and is a favorite of such far-left sites as Democracy Now. Now why do you suppose Edward R Olbermann left all that out? Flynt railed that Bush is raising a "causus belli", it's a "disasterous course", "devastating", while he promoted his own agenda for grand negotiations with Iran's dictator. That's our Olby: still worried about his buddies in Tehran. Oh, and of course, great thanks.

KO sought to tell us the real dangers in "Mister" Bush's "escalation" [3]. The "grim details" were relegated to some recycled NBC reportage. Oddball followed, then Rev Olbermann turned to another burning issue: "Just what are Sen Joe Lieberman's intentions?" Well, the obvious way to get the answer to that is to ask Sen Joe Lieberman. But things are never that simple on OlbyPlanet, where actually talking with the Senator might just result in non-approved opinions leaking out to viewers too delicate to have their sensibilities offended by anything but OlbySpin. So instead we got yet another visit from sock puppet Zsa Zsa.

The intro (complete with six "Misters" and two "escalations" [4,5]) attacked Joe Lieberthal for daring to agree with the eeevil John McCain (Olbermoronn's jihad against that war hero has been ongoing for some time now. The Huffer cackled that because Lieberman sides with McCain on sending reinforcements, "it's like having a guy who's crazy and feeling much more comfortable when there is somebody else there" and said their opinions are "delusional". (Note how this parrots KO's accusation that Sen Richard McCain has become delusional. We don't call The Huffer a sock puppet for nothing.) Zsa Zsa's explanation: "this is like having terminal cancer and saying but, you know, I'm losing wait". Wow. They're mentally ill, delusional, and they're like dying from cancer. How did our noble hero, who has spoken out so eloquently against hate speech, react? "Great thanks".

#2: a missing child found (more regurgitated video from the network mothership), James Brown, Britney Spears, K-Fed. #1: Exclusive, live interview with the internet Box singer. In the Media Matters Minute, Olby attacked an arms control bureaucrat (R; Blue Blog Source: Think Progress) and Bill Kristol (conservative; Blue Blog Source: Media Matters). But the gem here was his attack on foxnews.com (Blue Blog Source: TVNewser). Their crime: they have a story about an MSNBC commentator stating that "Cheney always wants to kill." (Olby was careful not to tell viewers it was Chris Matthews who said it.) So why exactly was it wrong for foxnews to post it? Does Rev Olbermann defend that comment? Remember it was none other than Krazy Keith who claimed that you must "take your own network to the same degree of task" or else you have no "manhood". And yet, he refuses to do so. Could this be...Olbypocrisy?

Muted mongrels: Surprise: not one word about Barbara Bouncer's controversial comments to Condi Rice. Too bad it wasn't Laura Bush talking. Again the stock market closed at historic highs, thanks to better-than-expected December sales figures. But on OlbyPlanet, only bad economic news is reported. Islamic terrorists were in possession of embassy blueprints. Yawn. 150 Taliban militants killed? Ho-hum. And still not a word about the resignations from the Carter center.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name, thanks to KO's latest Speshul Komment (a special condensed edition can be viewed here), has cratered at #10,106 at amazon.com; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" went up to #85. The OlbyTome is #2,755 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #760 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. All those emails, promotions, and hype-commercials for Olby's Speshul Komment had their effect on Thursday night's Hour of Spin. The Nielsen numbers reveal that the discredited sports guy ended up in an embarrassing, humiliating fourth place, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Hahahahaaa! Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 11 [DANGER!]

The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann slants the news, censors stories that don't agree with his spin, keeps opposing views off his show, and makes up nonexistent facts out of thin air. None of this is news to the clear-headed readers of this site. The same can be said of the pervasive, rank hypocrisy that oozes from every pore of the discredited sports guy, as he has proven once again.

Case in point: Laura Bush gave an interview to people magazine, and was asked about a possible Presidential run by Condoleeza Rice. The first lady doubted that Condi would run:

probably because she is single, her parents are no longer living, she's an only child. You need a very supportive family and supportive friends to have this job.

This was the opening Herr Olbermann needed to attack Laura Bush. On The Hour of Spin for Dec 15, that interview was one of the top stories of the day: it was in the opening spiel, and took up an entire segment of the show. And Krazy Keith was in rare form, as he talked with Margaret Carlson:

Why Laura Bush thinks Condoleezza Rice won't run for president. It is a reason that is certain to infuriate about half the adult population, the unmarried half....

The answer is simple, she has not got a man. You'll forgive me if I don't do the whole finger-snap neck-move thing....

And who would know better that Rice has a lack of supportive friends than her supportive friend, Mrs. Bush?...

This is almost inscrutable. Is she intending to compliment the secretary of state here, or is she actually taking a big bite out of her leg?...

Not to get overly psychoanalytical on it, but another question on that area. Is there something--could there something--be something in here of the revenge of the real wife against the office wife?...

This story, to some degree, seems to have flown under everybody's radar....

That is how Keith Olbermann spins when he sees a chance to smear Laura Bush. But what happens when the shoe is on the other foot?

During yesterday's testimony by Sec Rice, there was a remarkable exchange with Barbara Boxer (D). The California Senator ridiculed Condi Rice's expressions of concern over casualties by telling her they are meaningless, because Rice is childless and has no "immediate family".

Boxer's intense personalization, using the Secretary's private life to impugn her qualifications to serve, was obviously newsworthy. On The Hour of Spin--based on Keith's hyperbolic coverage of Laura Bush--it should have been one of the stories you'll be talking about tomorrow.

But there was no bellowing about it in the opening spiel. No five-minute interview with Margaret Carlson to chew over the ramifications. Olbermann didn't tell viewers that Boxer's comments were "certain to infuriate about half the adult population". He never accused the Senator of trying to take a bit out of anyone's leg. He didn't spin psychoanalytical theories regarding Barbara Boxer's repressed motivations.

And Edward R Olbermann most certainly didn't bemoan the lack of press coverage. How could he? He himself spiked the story. Because on OlbyPlanet, news always takes second place to Olbypocrisy.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRESIDENT BUSH'S PLAN FACES SCRUTINY: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst
• WE'VE SURGED BEFORE - WHAT HAPPENED?: Col. Jack Jacobs, U.S. Army (ret.) and MSNBC military analyst

KO was just five seconds into the opening spiel when, as predicted, up popped up a clip of Sen Hagel. Plus Russ Feingold and a Speshul Komment on "insanity". Natch.

Herr Olbermann started off The Hour of Spin proper with the wacky suggestion that if we had a parliamentary government, Bush would have to resign. Keith, adjust your medication. The plan has "very few buyers", and the fact that Iranians in Iraq were detained raises "alarm bells". Yeah, we can't have your buddies inconvenienced, eh Monkeymann?

Clips from Secy Rice (who was trying to "mislead" the Senate), and clips from various senators: Hagel (again), Nelson (D), Boxer (D), Obama (D). What do all these lawmakers have in common? They're all against the President's plan.

But what about the ones who spoke in favor? Silly rabbit, this is The Hour of Spin.

Those clips don't get played. Do they, Mr Olbermann, sir?

Then a clip from Joe Biden (D) about a theoretical "invasion" of Iran (as predicted). What about the lawmakers who had a different view? Those clips don't get played on The Hour of Spin. Do they, Mr Olbermann, sir?

Leftist Alter immediately started singing Monkeymann's tune: cut off funding. KO made another Bush/Nixon comparison--on OlbyPlanet, that never gets old. He went on to predict "another gulf of Tonkin", because the eeevil Bush wants to "provoke" the innocent, freedom-loving Iran. What's more, the polls say people are against it, and if Bush doesn't base his foreign policy on poll numbers, then what good are they? Or words to that effect. Alter croaked that Bush is trying to sustain his base despite "erosion". Great thanks.

Next, an EXCLUSIVE! interview with The Statesman: Russ Feingold (D). Another in the long string of Dems, documented in The List, updated to keep the historical record accurate. Krazy Keith asked the tough questions, like: How do you cut off the money? What about expanding the war to Iran and Syria? Doesn't threatening Iran just bolster them? (Rule #1 again.) But it didn't matter what questions Fat Ass posed, The Statesman just rattled off his prepared talking points without follow-ups or challenge from the Edward R Murrow of our time, here doing a perfect impersonation of a microphone stand.

Those questioned don't get asked. Do they, Mr Olbermann, sir?

Another plug for his Speshul Komment about the "madness" of Bush, and oddball. Up to this point, Countdown was as one-sided as a mobius strip, and that surely didn't change with Olby's recitation of the history of troop surges. It was compiled by the National Security Network, said Olby. But he didn't mention that outfit is headed by John Kerry's foreign policy advisor.

That information doesn't get told. Does it, Mr Olbermann, sir?

Col Jacobs gave "Man on Fan" Olbermann what he wanted to hear: it won't work, it's just political cover, it's a big mistake. But what about the military analysts who think this could work? They don't get to appear on The Hour of Spin. Do they, Mr Olbermann, sir?

A recycled NBC report covered KO's favorite weapon system again; plus we got David Beckham and Golden Globes. In the Media Matters Minute, Monkeymann blasted a Congressman who happened to be an (R). But what about Democrats. They don't get named "worst person". Do they, Mr Olbermann, sir?

And then the Speshul Komment. It had everything. "Mister" Bush references a plenty. Stentorian tones of artificial outrage. And of course, a liberal dose of insinSirs, not to mention the carefully scripted, immacuately executed camera pivots [see APPENDIX for text]. "A Presidency of Cliff Notes"... "Are you thinking at all?"... "absurd and childish"... "The President who cried wolf". Then he launched into a replay of his pseudo-commentary from Wednesday night. It's an Instant Olbermann Rerun! Olby's orange face nearly turned purple and we feared he would have to take a few drags from Don Imus's oxygen tank. Yikes!

Quiescent canines: Four freshmen Dems announced they will not support defunding the troops. Gee, why do you suppose that didn't make it onto Olbermann's air? A whole passel of advisors to The Carter Center have resigned to protest the bias and inaccuracies in his book. Edward R Olbermann protects his party with his silence. You will recall Olby never covered the charges of plagiarism either. Bouyed by impressive jobs numbers, the stock market closed at a new historic high. There's the chorus from Yale University who got a welcome commensurate with San Francisco values. Plus new developments in the Sandy Burglar case--no way will the discredited sports guy touch that one. And finally, not even a snarky "worst person" nomination for the Dem Presidential candidate who thinks we've been in Iraq for five and a half years.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name sunk to #6,006 at amazon.com; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #98. The OlbyTome is #2,735 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #259 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Wednesday's Hour of Spin, Monkeymann lost to Bill O'Reilly by four to one, coming in a poor third both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading is a new all-time record: 25 [EXTREME DANGER!!!]

APPENDIX: Latest Olbermoronn Speshul Komment:

Only this president, only in this time, only with this dangerous, even messianic certitude, could answer a country demanding an exit strategy from Iraq, by offering an entrance strategy for Iran.

Only this president could look out over a vista of 3,008 dead and 22,834 wounded in Iraq, and finally say, "Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me" -- only to follow that by proposing to repeat the identical mistake ... in Iran.

Only this president could extol the "thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group," and then take its most far-sighted recommendation -- "engage Syria and Iran" -- and transform it into "threaten Syria and Iran" -- when al-Qaida would like nothing better than for us to threaten Syria, and when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would like nothing better than to be threatened by us.

This is diplomacy by skimming; it is internationalism by drawing pictures of Superman in the margins of the text books; it is a presidency of Cliff Notes.

And to Iran and Syria -- and, yes, also to the insurgents in Iraq -- we must look like a country run by the equivalent of the drunken pest who gets battered to the floor of the saloon by one punch, then staggers to his feet, and shouts at the other guy's friends, "Ok, which one of you is next?"

[PIVOT!]

Mr. Bush, the question is no longer "what are you thinking?," but rather "are you thinking at all?"

"I have made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended," you said last night.

And yet -- without any authorization from the public, which spoke so loudly and clearly to you in November's elections -- without any consultation with a Congress (in which key members of your own party, including Sens. Sam Brownback, Norm Coleman and Chuck Hagel, are fleeing for higher ground) -- without any awareness that you are doing exactly the opposite of what Baker-Hamilton urged you to do -- you seem to be ready to make an open-ended commitment (on America's behalf) to do whatever you want, in Iran.

Our military, Mr. Bush, is already stretched so thin by this bogus adventure in Iraq that even a majority of serving personnel are willing to tell pollsters that they are dissatisfied with your prosecution of the war.

It is so weary that many of the troops you have just consigned to Iraq will be on their second tours or their third tours or their fourth tours -- and now you're going to make them take on Iran and Syria as well?

Who is left to go and fight, sir?

Who are you going to send to "interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria"?

Laura and Barney?

[PIVOT!]

The line is from the movie "Chinatown" and I quote it often: "Middle of a drought," the mortician chuckles, "and the water commissioner drowns. Only in L.A.!"

Middle of a debate over the lives and deaths of another 21,500 of our citizens in Iraq, and the president wants to saddle up against Iran and Syria.

Maybe that's the point -- to shift the attention away from just how absurd and childish this   latest war strategy is, (strategy, that is, for the war already under way, and not the one on deck).

We are going to put 17,500 more troops into Baghdad and 4,000 more into Anbar Province to give the Iraqi government "breathing space."

In and of itself that is an awful and insulting term.

The lives of 21,500 more Americans endangered, to give "breathing space" to a government that just turned the first and perhaps the most sober act of any democracy -- the capital punishment of an ousted dictator -- into a vengeance lynching so barbaric and so lacking in the solemnities necessary for credible authority, that it might have offended the Ku Klux Klan of the 19th century.

And what will our men and women in Iraq do?

The ones who will truly live -- and die -- during what Mr. Bush said last night will be a "year ahead" that "will demand more patience, sacrifice, and resolve"?

They will try to seal Sadr City and other parts of Baghdad where the civil war is worst.

Mr. Bush did not mention that while our people are trying to do that, the factions in the civil war will no longer have to focus on killing each other, but rather they can focus anew on killing our people.

Because last night the president foolishly all but announced that we will be sending these 21,500 poor souls, but no more after that, and if the whole thing fizzles out, we're going home.

The plan fails militarily.

The plan fails symbolically.

The plan fails politically.

[PIVOT!]

Most importantly, perhaps, Mr. Bush, the plan fails because it still depends on your credibility.

You speak of mistakes and of the responsibility "resting" with you.

But you do not admit to making those mistakes.

And you offer us nothing to justify this clenched fist toward Iran and Syria.

In fact, when you briefed news correspondents off-the-record before the speech, they were told, once again, "if you knew what we knew …  if you saw what we saw … "

"If you knew what we knew" was how we got into this morass in Iraq in the first place.

The problem arose when it turned out that the question wasn't whether we knew what you knew, but whether you knew what you knew.

You, sir, have become the president who cried wolf.

All that you say about Iraq now could be gospel.

All that you say about Iran and Syria now could be prescient and essential.

We no longer have a clue, sir.

We have heard too many stories.

Many of us are as inclined to believe you just shuffled the director of national intelligence over to the State Department because he thought you were wrong about Iran.

Many of us are as inclined to believe you just put a pilot in charge of ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because he would be truly useful in an air war next door in Iran.

Your assurances, sir, and your demands that we trust you, have lost all shape and texture. 

They are now merely fertilizer for conspiracy theories.

They are now fertilizer, indeed.

[PIVOT!--plus dramatic downward look!]

The pile has been built slowly and with seeming care.

I read this list last night, before the president's speech, and it bears repeating because its shape and texture are perceptible only in such a context.

Before Mr. Bush was elected, he said nation-building was wrong for America.

Now he says it is vital.

He said he would never put U.S. troops under foreign control.

Last night he promised to embed them in Iraqi units.

He told us about WMD.

Mobile labs.

Secret sources.

Aluminum tubes.

Yellow-cake.

He has told us the war is necessary:

Because Saddam was a material threat.

Because of 9/11.

Because of Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaida. Terrorism in general.

To liberate Iraq. To spread freedom. To spread Democracy. To prevent terrorism by gas price increases.

Because this was a guy who tried to kill his dad.

Because -- 439 words in to the speech last night -- he trotted out 9/11 again.

In advocating and prosecuting this war he passed on a chance to get Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

To get Muqtada Al-Sadr. To get Bin Laden.

He sent in fewer troops than the generals told him to. He ordered the Iraqi army disbanded and the Iraqi government "de-Baathified."

He short-changed Iraqi training. He neglected to plan for widespread looting. He did not anticipate sectarian violence.

He sent in troops without life-saving equipment. He gave jobs to foreign contractors, and not Iraqis. He staffed U.S. positions there, based on partisanship, not professionalism.

He and his government told us: America had prevailed, mission accomplished, the resistance was in its last throes.

He has insisted more troops were not necessary. He has now insisted more troops are necessary.

He has insisted it's up to the generals, and then removed some of the generals who said more troops would not be necessary.

He has trumpeted the turning points:

The fall of Baghdad, the death of Uday and Qusay, the capture of Saddam. A provisional government, a charter, a constitution, the trial of Saddam. Elections, purple fingers, another government, the death of Saddam.

He has assured us: We would be greeted as liberators -- with flowers;

As they stood up, we would stand down. We would stay the course; we were never about "stay the course."

We would never have to go door-to-door in Baghdad. And, last night, that to gain Iraqis' trust,  we would go door-to-door in Baghdad.

He told us the enemy was al-Qaida, foreign fighters, terrorists, Baathists, and now Iran and Syria.

He told us the war would pay for itself. It would cost $1.7 billion. $100 billion. $400 billion. Half a trillion. Last night's speech alone cost another $6 billion.

And after all of that, now it is his credibility versus that of generals, diplomats, allies, Democrats, Republicans, the Iraq Study Group, past presidents, voters last November and the majority of the American people.

Oh, and one more to add, tonight: Oceania has always been at war with East Asia.

[PIVOT!]

Mr. Bush, this is madness.

You have lost the military. You have lost the Congress to the Democrats. You have lost most of the Iraqis. You have lost many of the Republicans. You have lost our allies.

You are losing the credibility, not just of your presidency, but more importantly of the office itself.

And most imperatively, you are guaranteeing that more American troops will be losing their lives, and more families their loved ones. You are guaranteeing it!

This becomes your legacy, sir: How many of those you addressed last night as your "fellow citizens" you just sent to their deaths.

And for what, Mr. Bush?

So the next president has to pull the survivors out of Iraq instead of you?

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRESIDENT BUSH'S CREDIBILITY: Howard Fineman, MSNBC political analyst
• WHAT ABOUT THE TROOPS? Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of "Chasing Ghosts"
• COUNTDOWN TO THE SPEECH: Chris Matthews, MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews"

The opening spiel was grave and laden with portentious tones of doom. "Two more Republican Senators jumped ship." More lawmakers who oppose the surge. No mention of or clips from any who support it. Heavens, Keith was about to have the an attack of the vapors as he announced it's the "Countdown to 'Mister' Bush's Address"!

The Prez will use the "m-word" ("mistake"). The surge is like a stairmaster "that never, ever stops". More clips of people opposing the surge. No clips of anyone supporting it. Olbermoronn tells the tonsorially-enhanced David Gregory it all sounds familiar, it's more of the same. Great thanks.

More talk of Repubs opposing the plan; no mention of anyone supporting it. Krazy Keith komplained to Richard Wolffe that the Dems' opposition seems too symbolic, brought up the battleship (for the second time), and again cited the Repubs against the plan. The Wolffe Man opined that he's said it all before. AGAIN Olby rattles off the Repubs opposed to the plan. When in bloody hell is he going to talk about someone else?!? Great thanks, and a plug for a guest tomorrow: John Madden Murtha (D). The List will be updated.

Another episode of Olby and The Perfessor: how can the Dems stop the Commander in Chief from sending reinforcements to Iraq? Jonathan Turley says Bush can't wage war if Congress cuts off funds or restricts their use, if they have the "intestinal fortitude". Non-binding resolutions are "insulting and ridiculous". Great thanks.

Then a cherry-picked poll, and Olby's use of Dem talking-point term "escalation". Recycled video from Iraq. Great thanks. Asinine moment of the day: Fat Ass lecturing Michelle Malkin, who apologized for a mistake, something Monkeymann never does. How many of his 2006 lies has the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann apologized for? Zero!

Next another lecture, this one a list of "Mister" Bush's war rationales and mistakes, as Krazy Keith, of all people, raised the question of credibility. Fineman, Pundit for All Occasions, sucked up in true sycophantic style (gushing "Wow!" after Monkeyman's laundry list). Bush has no credibility; nobody trusts him; comparisons to Nixon and Johnson. He can't buy any time. Great thanks.

Rieckhoff was next, to discuss what Olby called the "loss, pain, and strain" on the military. YET AGAIN KO brings up a Repub against the plan. Reickhoff: "It won't work". It's a "half-cooked plan" and "stupid". Divorce rates are up; so is post-traumatic stress disorder. Herr Olbermann makes a VietNam comparison. Great thanks. #1 segment featured Chrissie Matthews, with "Man on Fan" Olbermann mentioning for what seemed like the 89th time the Republicans opposed to the plan, but not anyone in support. No wait, make that the 90th time--he rattled them off again while talking to Matthews, and then Matthews repeated the names again. Lather, rinse, repeat. It will be nothing but bloody casualties. Hey, viewer, are you getting the message?

There was still time for the Media Matters Minute: "delusional bigot" Glenn Beck (conservative; Blue Blog Source: TVNewser), John McCain (R; Blue Blog Source: Think Progress), and Gretchen Carlson (Fox; Blue Blog Source: Think Progress and TVNewser). Another trifecta: all three slots filled!

The dogs that did not bark tonight were all of one breed. Every quote cited by Edward R Olbermann was from an opponent of the President or the plan. Not one soundbite, not one quote from anyone in support. The lawmakers against the plan were cited over and over ad nauseam--but not one second of coverage for supporters. Not one guest argued for the plan or the President. Every person on the program, including the host, argued from the same anti-Bush, anti-surge platform. By comparison, on The O'Reilly Factor there was opinions in favor of the plan (Dan Senor, O'Reilly), and opinions against (Col David Hunt, Gen Wesley Clark, Dick Morris). Olbermann thinks Bill O'Reilly is eeevil incarnate, but at least Mr Bill understands the difference between balanced analysis, and rank propaganda in the style of Radio North Korea--Olbermoronn's stock-in-trade.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name sunk to #5,640 at amazon.com; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" rose to #85. The OlbyTome slipped to #2,794 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #332 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Tuesday's Hour of Spin, the discredited sports guy slipped comfortably into a typical third place finish, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 7 [HIGH]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• PRES. BUSH'S SPEECH TOMORROW: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; Roger Cressey, MSNBC terrorism analyst
• NEW WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: John Dean, fmr. Nixon White House counsel
• BLAMING LIBERAL MEDIA: Rachel Maddow, Air America Radio host

The opening spiel found our favorite carnival barker back in form: Ted Kennedy (D) was "eloquent"; the army refuses to protect our troops; Fred Fielding is part of "the watergate crew"; plus Royal Rumours, the Hall of Fame, and more.

Of all the people who have made speeches about the "surge", it's Kennedy's that gets to be made the lead story on The Hour of Spin. Gallup says most people don't like the surge, while some Dems "continue to insist they are powerless" to stop the maniacal madman from sending our children to the slaughterhouse. OK, that was paraphrased. Olby cited Steny Hoyer (D): "house majority leader, or house minority, majority, uh, leader". That about covers everything. Hoyer's got it all wrong, according to Monkeymann, in thinking the Commander in Chief actually gets to send troops places. But "Senator Kenny" (lengthy clip--nearly four minutes!) is introducing legislation to make sure "Mister" Bush doesn't usurp the constitutional powers of the true Commander-in-Chief, the Senator from Massachussetts. No clips were run representing any other point of view.

Olbermoronn asked The Wolffe Man why those rascals Hoyer and Biden are letting the constitution hamstring them from taking over troop deployment decisions. Oh, it's all politics, sez Wolffie. KO naturally adopted the term "escalate"--after all, it is part of the Dems' talking points. How could anyone not expect a Dem talking point to turn up on The Hour of Spin? A regurgitated NBC report on a controversial weapons system followed, with Olby doing a little back and forth with Lisa Myers.

After another Pulitzer-worthy oddball, it was time to analyze Fred Fielding, the new White House counsel. A prime opportunity for the latest chapter in Olbermann's Left-Wing Criminal Rehabilitation Program, featuring felon John Dean. Watergate, watergate, watergate. Even the disbarred lawyer had to admit Fielding had no watergate taint, despite Monkeymann's obsessive repetition of the word. Then it was on to signing statements, domestic eavesdropping, detainees, Jack Abramoff, and all the familiar notes that sound from Olby's player piano. Special thanks to the felon.

The news continued with the royal girlfriend (recycled video again), the malibu fire, and Howard Stern. Plus a full segment on the elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Herr Olbermann must have been especially intent that tonight's Media Matters Minute would get the worldwide recognition that his every word so richly deserves. After all, he went out of his way yesterday to make public his attacks on Geraldo Rivera: first blasting him on the radio, then tweaking the wording a bit and rerunning his attack during Countdown. But what happened? His acolyte, TVNewser, didn't post on either of his pronouncements. That cannot be allowed to stand on OlbyPlanet, so KO dashed off an email to TVN. Actually, the email was just a rewrite of the "worst person" comments, which in turn were a rewrite of his radio diatribe. But it worked: TVN obediently ran an item claiming that Olby responded to Geraldo "in an email to TVNewser". Mission accomplished, but we're sure Fat Ass would rather not have to take that extra step to get Brian to fulfill his PR duties.

So tonight Keith "Man on Fan" Olbermann, to get maximum attention, swung for the fences. Steve Jobs got a nomination, but the "worst person" was Tony Snow. KO's claim is that he lied about the "mission accomplished" speech. As soon as Olby tipped earlier in the show that Tony would be "worst" we knew what he would say, because, as usual, Keith lifted his "outrage" from someone else--and not just the target, but even large chunks of the commentary. Olbermann's Blue Blog Source: Think Progress. Bellowed Monkeymann: "Tony, my God, you're just bald-faced lying." There. Did you get that, Brian? Was that statement bold and courageous enough? Or does Keith have to send you another email?

Silent Schnauzers: One of these is left over from yesterday: Krazy Keith ran a clip from Gordon Smith (R) appearing to oppose the troop surge. But it turns out his position was more nuanced than KO let on, since Monkeymann left out Smith's comments that it would be "dishonorable" to withhold funding for said troops. For all the talk tonight about the "surge", isn't it odd that Olbermoronn took pains not to tell his viewers the position of the Iraqi government? Well, not really. The discredited sports guy will always go out of his way not to report new terror threats. And he has no interest in medical developments that don't comport with OlbySpin. A story that combines illegal immigration with sexual child abuse gives KO two reasons to ignore it. But the biggest dog that didn't bark is still the absence of a retraction and apology for Olbermoronn's Friday night lie about Bill O'Reilly.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is a runaway success at amazon.com: it's now all the way up to #3,105; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #108. The OlbyTome slipped to #2,747 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #41 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. On Monday's Hour of Spin, Bill O'Reilly beat our favorite discredited sports guy by more than three to one, though Olby did manage a second place finish in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• SURGE SUPRESSION: Dana Milbank; P.J. Crowley, Center for American Progress
• JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCES: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek
• LIFE ON MARS: Derrick Pitts

The opening spiel started off in typical fashion, with Olby bellowing about justifications for the war, Joe Biden, Mars, internet videos, and "the best place to work". Tonight will answer the question: what's worse? A full hour of furious, intensive propaganda and spin? Or 60 minutes padded out with inane attempts at humor and tasteless dreck?

First was "Mister" Bush's surge, with clips from Sen Smith (R)--because he opposes the President, natch!--but no clips from supporters. Dana Milbank, sans splashy suits, offered the heretical opinion that Democrats would be "silly" to try to defund the war (exactly the course Olby has been hyping for weeks), but rebounded with talk of "true oversight". KO was miffed with Biden, who said there is no practical way for the Congress to take over the duties of Commander-in-Chief. Then Krazy Keith invoked Rule #1 to say that tapping Fred Fielding to replace Harriet Miers because his name "echoes of Watergate". No great thanks; only a "thank you".

Leftist (but not identified as such) P.J. Crowley joined the party to say Bush's benchmarks won't work. So there. What's more, the mission is unclear (maybe because it hasn't been announce yet), and we have no business being there. It's not a surge, said nonpartisan Keith, it's "indentured servitude". Huh? Don't try to make sense out of it. It's OlbySpin. But KO explained it all when he wrapped the interview, saying it's like "conducting a war in the middle of Alice and Wonderland". O.K. A brief recap of the Somalia airstrike followed.

#4 was Joe Biden, with lefty Alter. Clip of Biden saying he's going to be "the best Biden I can be", which should concern John Edwards, because he wanted to be Biden. Alter spoke of JFK, Biden's verbosity ("he talks too much"), and how he needs a "breakthrough". But he managed somehow to get the topic around to Iraq, and what a great opportunity for the country it will be to have Joe holding hearings (because of the "rubber stamp Congress", of course). That earned him great thanks.

Then we got the Mars landing and possible life on the planet, complete with supposed-to-be-clever animation and "funny" voices. Mr Pitts lent some erudition to the host's wacky antics. The "top 3 soundbites" was particularly incestuous, running a clip from "Tucker" where MSNBC's own "experts" talked about Olby vs O'Reilly (rather misleadingly, since the clip of O'Reilly was from an segment that wasn't about Olby).

The hard news continued with "the best employer in America" (per Forbes magazine, via recycled NBC reportage), Britney Spears, K-Fed, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, and seven minutes on some internet dancing video. In the Media Matters Minute, Sean Hannity (conservative) and Geraldo Rivera (Fox) were both attacked. Olby claimed that a new Hannity segment ("Enemy of the State") was a ripoff of his "worst person" bit. Yeah, right. The Geraldo smear was just a rewrite of the comments noted here.

Dogs That Did Not Bark: Nothing about the Dallas restaurant catering to illegals by accepting pesos. Or Nancy Pelosi breaking another campaign promise. Or Hugo Chavez announcing that he is taking his country on the road to socialism. You'd think that the sentencing of someone implicated in the 9/11 attacks would be news--but not on OlbyPlanet. And the discredited sports guy continues to protect his party leaders; he has yet to report even one word about Sen Harry Reid's controversial bridge project. But the biggest dog that didn't bark is the absence of a retraction and apology for Olbermoronn's Friday night lie about Bill O'Reilly.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name continues to rocket at amazon.com: it's now all the way up to #3,539; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #61. The OlbyTome slipped to #2,601 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #113 there, as well as being one of 2006's top ten best sellers. Friday's Hour of Spin: Bill O'Reilly beat our favorite discredited sports guy by nearly four to one, though Olby did eke out a second place finish in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

Inside Cable News alerts us that Geraldo Rivera has had his fill of our hero, Keith Olbermann. Rivera, still smarting over Olby's cackles of delight regarding an incident from three years ago, let loose on "punk" Edward R Olbermann with both barrels:

He called Olbermann a coward -- specifically a "[female part of the anatomy] who wouldn't walk across the street against the red light." He then said he was ready to fight him, saying: "I would make a pizza out of him."

This of course got Olby all a twitter, and he quickly emailed his pal Dan Patrick at ESPN to make sure the subject would come up today. And sure enough, it did. Listen to the mp3 audio:

KO's hot flashes are never-ending sources for amusement, but we note all this here because it is yet another example of Krazy Keith rewriting history to make himself look good. Shall we lay out the fabrications in his version of this story?

Olby: Geraldo wrote a huge "blog about me the next day" after being removed from Iraq.
Fact: The blog article actually appeared over three weeks later (April 24 2003), after Geraldo had been reinstated with the troops and had completed his tour. Olbermann wants to make it look like he was immediately attacked by Rivera for no reason, but in fact it was Olbermann who fired first, on April 8 2003. And the blog entry was not all about Olbermann, as KO falsely claimed.

Olby: KO says he reported on Rivera making a false claim that he was at the site of a massacre.
Fact: The Rivera incident involved a site of a friendly fire occurrence, not a massacre. And it happened in 2001, two years before Countdown was even on the air.

Olby: KO claims Geraldo's blog states he was part of an "NBC conspiracy" to "avenge the fact that he [Geraldo] left, which is really crazy because everybody here wanted him to leave".
Fact: The blog alleges no conspiracy. What's more, it says nothing about some sort of revenge motive over Rivera's leaving NBC. Where did Olbermann get that from? He made it up!

Don't take our word for it. Read Geraldo's blog entry, compare it with KO's version, and decide for yourself if this amounts to Another Olbermann Lie.

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• THE NEW CONGRESS; PRESIDENT BUSH AND IRAQ: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC Political Analyst; Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst
• SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-ARIZ.) AND THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post

The opening spiel started off the Big News of the Day. This is Big. Really Big. It's That Big. Democrats sent a letter to President on Iraq. And Obama (D). And Biden (D). John McCain on the "far-far right". Plus Oddballs of the month. Herr Olbermann's noxious bellowing was the first indicator that this would be an Hour of Spin for the record books. And that it was, capped by yet another instance of Keith Olbermann lying about Bill O'Reilly.

"The Democrats" are opposed to a surge. Biden, being the great intellect that he is, says Iraq is lost and Bush is trying to fob it off on his successor. Reid (D) and Pelosi (D) oppose a surge. KO asked lefty Jonathan Alter if all hopes of winning over Dems evaporated (Rule #1), and the lap dog immediately agreed. He wondered if the Dems will cut funds from our troops, and Krazy Keith mumbled his agreement in the background. Great thanks.

KO reported: Chuck Shumer (D) said "there is no plan". Mary Landrieu (D) was also cited. (Are you starting to sense a pattern regarding whose comments are newsworthy and whose are not?) The Wolffe Man was asked if the President really didn't have enough time to make a decision. Huh? Monkeymann was complaining a few weeks ago that he was taking too long to make a decision! Don't try to make sense out of it. It's OlbyLogic. Biden (D) referenced again by KO. Wolffie suspects the plan is already in place, and (gasp!) Biden is overstating it. Tony Snow criticized for asking for the Dems to produce a plan ("ridiculous", sez Wolffie). KO: there's a sense "Mister Bush doesn't know what he's doing". Wolffe Man: Karl Rove strategy. Aha, he played the Karl Rove card.

Next a slam at Dan Burton (R) because he didn't vote for Nancy Pelosi's "ethics" bills (because he thought it was too weak). Olby slammed Burton's ethics because--get this--a far-left special interest group once wanted him to be investigated, but couldn't find one member of the House in either party who took their claims seriously enough to file a request. An archetypical OlbySmear--he's guilty because he was never charged with anything. Regurgitated NBC video on Pelosi & Co, and oddball, followed.

Then it was time for Keith's favorite kind of segment: the kind where he and a chosen sock-puppet join forces to attack one of Herr Olbermann's hated "enemies". And it wasn't hard to see this coming. When Bill O'Reilly disagreed with Sen McCain, Olby brandished the Senator like a whip, slamming Mr Bill for daring to disagree with the vaunted Richard McCain. But the problem with the Appeal to Authority (one of Edward R Olbermann's favorite fallacies) is: what happens when the Authority doesn't agree with you? In the case of Monkeymann, the answer is obvious: attack, attack, attack! During his Speshul Komment, McCain was ridiculed, with Krazy Keith even suggesting the war hero was losing touch with reality. Why did Olbermoronn claim the Senator was delusional? McCain dared to support a troop surge. Those who disagree with The Great and Powerful Olb must be destroyed, so KO fired another salvo, making Richard McCain a "worst person" based on cherry-picked quotes lifted (without attribution, of course) from Think Progress, an unreliable source. And since the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann takes a back seat to no one when it comes to obsessing over eeevil enemies and not letting go, tonight we got a whole segment designed to attack and defame the Authority who dared to disagree with the Fat Ass.

So it was on to condemning the "far-far-right" Sen Richard McCain with Madame Arianna, sounding more than ever like the spawn of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Count Dracula. "The wheels are coming off", bloviated Herr Olbermann; people don't respect him any more. HuffPo was the ideal Countdown guest--a human Xerox machine raising OlbySpin to the second power. KO: McCain is "gaming". HuffPo: it's all "calculation"; McCain doesn't know what he's talking about; Jack Murtha (D) has all the answers. KO: he's trying to pull off a "little dance" and he'll be associated with the "failed bloodletting that would follow a surge". (Note Olby's Kreskin-like ability to tell the future.) Plus McCain's a flip-flopper. HuffPo: "absolutely". To watch Olbermann throw a war hero under the bus merely reinforced the fact that if this were 1972, Keith Olbermann would be Jane Fonda.

Aging action heroes (more recycled video from NBC), Britney Spears, Oprah Winfrey, and even more oddball. In the Media Matters Minute, this little item was made to order for some OlbySnark. But Kourageous Keith, who answers to no one, isn't about to bite the hand that feeds Dan Abrams. So instead we got another O'Reilly attack, this time for a respectful interview with Andrea Mitchell. Wait, that interview was on at the same time as The Hour of Spin. Doesn't that mean...? Right. Olbermann hadn't even seen it. What's more, Fat Ass claimed O'Reilly was "attacking Chris Matthews and me", "pushed around" Mitchell, and then told her "you're OK". In fact, O'Reilly never "pushed around" Andrea Mitchell, and, more to the point, he didn't attack, mention, or in any way reference Olbermann at all. He never came up in the interview whatsoever. Where did KO get the idea that he did? He made it up! Yes, it's Another Olbermann Lie.

KO also slammed Michelle Malkin for doing some investigative journalism about sources used by AP. So let's see. KO slams an interview without seeing it? Perfectly fine. Malkin seeks accountability in reporting? Eeeeevil. The inverted morality of Edward R Olbermann.

Taciturn Terriers: Let's see... Job reports better than expected, unemployment at a six-year low. Zawahiri issues a jihad to IslamoNazis in Somalia. Terror leader deported. National Guardsmen are overrun and forced to retreat at the Mexico border. (Hmm, if this had happened in Iraq, would Herr Olbermann, instead of spiking it, make it headline news? Ya think?) Illegal aliens may get social security benefits. U.N. troops reprimanded for sexual abuse. Bill Clinton authorized thief and liar Sandy Burglar's trip to the National Archives. Disgraced, under-investigation Congressman William Jefferson (D) gets a standing ovation. Why are these stories not news on OlbyPlanet? Because Countdown is the most biased hour of news on television. But you already knew that.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name continues to soar at amazon.com: it's now all the way up to #5,089; Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #74. The OlbyTome slipped to #2,551 at Barnes & Noble; O'Reilly's book is #539 there, as well as being one of the year's top ten best sellers. On Thursday night's spine-tingling, engrossing edition of The Hour of Spin, Bill O'Reilly beat our favorite discredited sports guy by nearly four to one! Viewers preferred Howie to Olby, as Countdown sunk to a miserable fourth place, behind Nancy Grace and a rerun of Deal of No Deal, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 4 [GUARDED]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• THE NEW CONGRESS: Dana Milbank, Washington Post national political reporter and MSNBC political analyst; Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC political analyst
• PRESIDENT BUSH CAN READ YOUR MAIL: Jonathan Turley, George Washington University law professor
• NEW CONGRESS: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chair of Senate Intelligence Committee

Olby was in great form bellowing the opening spiel: a snipe at Denny Hastert, another plug for cutting off funds supporting our troops, and a claim that "Mister Bush has authorized himself to read your mail". [1] Plus UFOs, meteorites, and "something strange" (no, not the KO/KT arrangement).

Monkeymann was positively giddy about this "historic" day, with a lengthy clip from "Stretch" Pelosi. Since yesterday Olby had on a Democrat Congressman (Barney Frank), tonight, fair and balanced, he brought on...another Dem! John Madden Murtha. The List, an ever-expanding documentation of Olbermann's overwhelming bias, has been updated accordingly. KO slobbered all over the unindicted co-conspirator, and immediately asked him to "turn off the spigot" (i.e., withhold money from our troops in harm's way), but he ducked the question and talked about "hearings" and "consaulting" with the Congress. It was on to "the generals", with JMM saying victory is "not achievable", talking about "Secretary Rumsfield", and silently thanking The Great and Powerful Olb for not raising any questions about ethics. Olby was worried about Sen Levin not following the game plan (he said he would consider supporting a "surge"), which gave us our first glimpse at the template Krazy Keith will use to claim that he is "nonpartisan": criticize Dems who aren't far left enough!

After great thanksing the unindicted co-conspirator, it was time for Dana Milbank, without weird wardbrobe. DM threw some water on Herr Olbermann's orgasmic fantasies, and pointed out just what we noted above: Murtha refused to commit to cutting off funds and ducked the question. Then Dana pointed out that the surge talk was premature, as there is "no set White House policy at this point". Huh? Didn't we just get a rambling, apopleptic Speshul Komment about the policy? And didn't Olbermann Watch sagely point out at the time that the so-called policy hadn't even been announced yet? Finally, The Hour of Spin catches up with what we said 48 hours ago. Fat Ass preposterously claimed that the honeymoon for the Dems has ended. Not on OlbyPlanet it hasn't!

After talk about the administration "demonizing" Stretch Pelosi, DM was great thanksed. Then it was on to the President "giving himself the right to open and read your mail whenever he wants". [2] After repeating that gem [3], he went on to say that Bush is claiming "a new claim of power" [4]: to open the mail "of any American" without a warrant. This was all mere introduction to another episode of Olby and The Perfessor. But what do these [numbers] refer to? They count how many times Edward R Olbermann lied about the law. Because there is no "new power" involved. The law for decades has recognized exigent circumstances as an exception to the 4th amendment. Even the FISA law permits warrantless physical searches under some circumstances. So where did Olbermann get the idea that Bush claims the right to "read your mail whenever he wants"? Where did he get the idea that this was a "new claim of power"? He made it up! The technical term for this is: Another Olbermann Lie.

The Perfessor was off on his usual tear: Bush has an "obsession", his legal advisors are "radical", and then said that the White House contends:

You could take a citizen off the street, unilaterally strip him of all of his rights, hold him until you wanted to release him if at all.

The lessening of habeas corpus rights does not affect US citizens. It says so right in the law. Either the Perfessor is ignorant and doesn't know what he's talking about. Or he's deliberately spinning in order to suck up to "Man on Fan" Olbermann, which would make that statement Another Turley Lie.

To bring a different point of view to all this, Krazy Keith brought on...another Dem! Jay Rockefeller. Man, we couldn't make this up if we tried. Naturally, The List has been updated again. How can anyone defend the one-sided partisan propaganda-fest that is The Hour of Spin after consulting The List? But we digress.

Olbermoronn rattled off a list of possible investigations for Rocky to launch. But KO was more concerned with--guess who?--Carl Levin, for saying he would consider a "surge". Yes, it does appear we have a picture forming of the Olbermann of the Future. This was yet another anti-Polident interview (i.e. toothless), with all the usual OlbySpin points. Good grief, is the discredited sports guy so cowardly that he can't air even one interview with someone offering a different opinion? Is he that worried about getting "nauseous" in the presence of someone with a dissenting view? After all, he could have The Laughing Stagehand under the desk with a barf bag.

Next some regurgitated video about NY heroes, then Donald Trump and Miss USA: the latter may do a Playboy cover. It will surprise no one that Edward R Olbermann did not acknowledge where he lifted the story from: the eeevil bete-noir of all things Olbermann, Page Six. Aside from this semi-plagiarism, KO showed his class by mocking the way Trump speaks. Then the #1 story: UFOs and attacks from outer space. O.K.

In the Media Matters Minute, another attack on "dim-witted" O'Reilly (Olbersaurus update) for being critical of demagogues who claim the President is waging war just so profiteers can profit. But the "worst person" was Sen Richard McCain. Hey, wait a minute. Didn't KO make O'Reilly the "worst person" because he disagreed with Sen McCain? But now Monkeymann can slam McCain and...never mind. Don't bother to make sense of it. It's Olbypocrisy.

Silent Schnauzers: Still no mention of the Dems breaking a campaign promise regarding minority rights in the House. Just like he has spiked the uncomfortable video of Cindy Sheehan disrupting and shouting down a Democrat press conference. To be sure, he expertly avoided reporting "Stretch" Pelosi's boastful statement that she is the most powerful woman in America. He again protected his party by avoiding any mention of Hillary dissing Obama, not to mention the latter's drug use.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name continues to rocket at amazon.com: it's now all the way up to #5,757, while Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #101. The OlbyTome stands at #2,457 at Barnes & Noble, but O'Reilly's book is #533 there, as well as being one of the year's top ten best sellers per Nielsen's BookScan. On the night of his big-deal Speshul Komment Krazy Keith found himself in third place, coming in behind a rerun of Deal or No Deal. On Wednesday, when he wasn't insulting the intelligence of viewers with a "special" rant, the discredited sports guy actually did better and while still being crushed by The Factor, narrowly eked out a second place finish over Paula Zahn, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 2 [LOW]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• THE EVE OF THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS: Howard Fineman, Newsweek senior Washington correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; John Dean, fmr. Nixon White House counsel and author of "Conservatives without Conscience"
• MORE SADDAM HANGING VIDEO OUTRAGE: Craig Crawford, Congressional Quarterly columnist and MSNBC political analyst
• BRITNEY SPEARS NEW YEAR'S EVE FALLOUT: Paul F. Tompkins, VH-1's "Best Week Ever" contributor

The spin started in the opening spiel: the President is being "partisan" and is telling Dems "agree with him or else". Plus the old "signing statement" bugaboo, the "enduring nightmare" of Saddam's execution, and Britney. An auspicious opening to another stunning edition of The Hour of Spin.

It only took moments for Herr Olbermann to call "Mister" Bush "Orwellian" ("Nixonian" had the night off). The excuse was the President's WSJ Op-Ed, which he "rehashed" in the Rose Garden ("regurgitated" also had the night off). After the obligatory press-vs-Snow clippage, in slithered Howard Fineman, Pundit for All Occasions. Howie was obsequious to the max in echoing OlbySpin (Bush is being "partisan"), as Olby made the evening's most absurd observation: Bush has no business being against earmarks because the surge in Iraq is "Bush's own personal earmark". Howie made a half-hearted attempt to clarify that muddled metaphor, while Monkeymann quickly adopted the Cindy Sheehan phrasebook for describing the yet-unannounced Iraq plan ("escalation").

After great thanksing The Chameleon, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann commenced yet another chapter in his ongoing program to rehabilitate left-wing criminals. Yes, it was convicted felon John Dean and his impartial, nonpartisan analysis. The disbarred lawyer was in rare form: hypocrisy, ruthless Republicans, and the like. Krazy Keith went for the jugular: impeach the cabinet! The criminal loved that idea; if the votes aren't there to get Bush and Cheney, let's get cabinet officers and White House staffers in the dock! The felon tossed in a Nixon comparison (maybe "Nixonian" didn't have the night off after all) and a good time was had by all.

Just to make sure the propaganda wasn't too subtle, Monkeymann next brought in Barney Frank (D). Another Democrat politico on The Hour of Spin? The List has therefore been updated accordingly. B.F. hit the ground running: there hathn't been a more partithan adminithration, they're inthulting people'th intelligenth, they are conthithtently wrong, Republicanth are very partithan (obviously the spin word of the night is "partithan"...sorry, "partisan"). Lots of talk about cutting off money for the troops in the field, which is the latest bee in Man-on-Fan Olbermann's bonnet. As B.F. spoke, Citizen Keith grunted in approval: "Exactly...Yeah, exactly." We've made another love connection.

Next on the carnival of thpin spin: the Saddam execution, and how the US is "pretending it had nothing to do with it". Pretending? You mean there were Americans under those hoods? The hanging was a "grotesque, sectarian spectacle", and there to parrot the propaganda was Craig Crawford (aka Olbermann's Brain). OlbyLogic: because Saddam was a threat and we took him out, therefore we are responsible for how the Iraq government executed him. Brain snickered in mindless agreement, calling it "the biggest problem" for the Bush administration. KO: Is this "the beginning of the end for the hope of peace"? Brain: [snigger] something or other [chortle].

After a Ford internment recap [demoted way back to the #2 slot], it was straight off to O.J. Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Britney Spears. In the Media Matters Minute, Pat Robertson got a nod for talking about how God told him to expect a terrorist attack. We're still waiting for Citizen Keith to give a nod to Ray Nagin for claiming God sent Katrina to punish New Orleans. Olby also ridiculed a global warming skeptic: the guy claimed that hot water will not freeze into ice cubes faster than cold water. Prof Olbermann cackled about several studies about how hot water can freeze faster than cold, thereby neatly avoiding the fact that the guy was specifically talking abut ice cubes. You know, ice cubes, that freeze faster from cold water than from hot water. That's our Keith; he can't even get ice together.

Muted Mongrels: Rev Olbermann has preached about the eeevil Republicans in the House and how mean they treated the Dems. But now that Nancy Pelosi is about to break a campaign promise and ram through legislation without allowing the minority party any right to have hearings or even propose amendments, Mr Hypocrisy was silent. He also protected his party by avoiding any mention of Hillary dissing Obama, not to mention the latter's drug use. Of course, terrorism news is regularly spiked on The Hour of Spin. At the UN, the new Secretary General has taken an important finance-related position away from the US. No time for that; we need more Britney news!

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name surged at amazon.com: it's now all the way up to #6,088, while Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" has risen to #78. The OlbyTome stands at #2,517 at Barnes & Noble, but O'Reilly's book is #296, and is one of the year's top ten best sellers according to Nielsen's BookScan. With no numbers available for Tuesday, we can nonetheless state with confidence that The Hour of Spin lost overwhelmingly to the eeevil O'Reilly both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading: 7 [HIGH]

"COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN" (8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. ET)

Host: Keith Olbermann

Topics/Guests:

• SACRIFICE IN IRAQ: Richard Wolffe, Newsweek chief White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst; Lawrence Korb, former assistant defense secretary
• PRESIDENT FORD'S FUNERAL: David Gregory, NBC chief White House correspondent
• SADDAM'S HANGING VIDEO CAUSING AN OUTRAGE: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, former Washington Post Baghdad Bureau chief and author of "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone."

The opening spiel kicked off with Olby promising a Speshul Komment on the President's new plan for Iraq--even though "Mister" Bush hasn't announced it yet. And another thing, Bush is trying to "scapegoat" the generals. So eager was KO to hype his talking point of the day that he back-shelved the Ford funeral so he could lead The Hour of Spin with...spin.

The President is going to "sell" his new policy under the "brand name sacrifice". The decision is political, not military. Gen Casey is being made a "scapegoat". You can bet Thomas Ricks won't be called in to comment on this. Instead it was The Wolffe Man. KO: a "horrid milestone" (the body count), the President makes "infamous" mistatements, it's all Cheney's doing. What's more, it's a sneaky plan to shift the blame to Democrats. Whew! All that spin in less than ten minutes' time!

After great thanksing The Wolffe Man, up came Larry Korb, again (and as predicted) described as a Reagan man, not as the far-leftist that he is. Bush is wrong, it's all nonsense, yada yada yada. All of a sudden Gen Casey is the font of knowledge, and it's wrong to replace a General who hasn't been performing. (Sorry, "Mister" Truman.) KO hoped that the "illogic" of the yet-to-be-announced policy will cause GOPers to abandon Bush in droves, and Larry dittoed his wish-fulfillment. More great thanks, more plugs for the Speshul Komment.

After the delayed recap of today's Ford ceremonies and an Emmy-worthy edition of oddball, it was the execution of Saddam, where the chaos served as--ta da!--a metaphor. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the first OlbyMetaphor of 2007, and if past is prologue, merely the first of multiple dozens. The executioners taunted Saddam, but according to Monkeymann, the hanged dictator still maintained his "dignity". Krazy Keith asked Rajiv Chandrasekaran if this would be a "negative turning point". Now there's a shocker. RC agreed. Two shockers in a row, and very great thanks.

Then Britney Spears, K-Fed, Verne Troyer, and the Media Matters Minute. A Republican Congressman got a mention, so the streak continues.

The hilarious thing about the latest Fat Ass Speshul Komment [see APPENDIX below] is not all the hokey, scripted camera pivots, or the ever-growing abundance of insinSirs, with Krazy Keith running overtime so he could ad lib a few more. No, it's how beautifully it demonstrates Olbypocrisy. Just a few days ago Keith dismissed the Iraq Study group report as a meaningless "all things to all people" bromide. Tonight, he slams "Mister" Bush for not bowing down to it. But wait, there's more! Rev Olbermann proclaimed O'Reilly a "worst person" for daring to disagree with John McCain, but Krazy Keith blissfully slams the former P.O.W., declaring that McCain has lost touch with reality. Why is it wrong for Mr Bill to disagree with Sen McCain, but noble and righteous for Herr Olbermann to claim Senator McCain is delusional? Answer: it isn't wrong, as long as you're reporting from OlbyPlanet. Never before has Olbermoronn's rank hypocrisy been more flagrant.

Dogs that did not bark: Nothing from KO on the battle against Islamic militia in Somalia. Tony Blair's comments on Iraq were spiked, as were incendiary statements by the Iranian dictator. And you know Krazy Keith is going to ignore Jamilgate. As far as selective reporting and cherry-picking of stories, it seems 2007 will be a rerun of 2006.

Olbermann's book The book that bears Olberman's name is down to #7,581 at amazon, while Mr Bill's "Culture Warrior" is #118. The OlbyTome stands at #2,418 at Barnes & Noble, but O'Reilly's book is #714, and is one of the year's top ten best sellers according to Nielsen's BookScan. On his most recent broadcast, Herr Olbermann was not up against his nemesis, but even so, The Kasich Factor beat Olby by three to one, and left the discreted sports guy in fourth place, both in total viewers and in the critical, beloved, all-important, coveted "key demo". Tonight's MisterMeter reading is an all-time record: 16 [DANGER!]

APPENDIX: Tonight's Speshul Komment:

If in your presence an individual tried to sacrifice an American serviceman or woman, would you intervene?

Would you at least protest?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them -- and was then to announce his intention to sacrifice hundreds, maybe thousands, more?

This is where we stand tonight with the BBC report of President Bush's "new Iraq strategy," and his impending speech to the nation, which, according to a quoted senior American official, will be about troop increases and "sacrifice."

The president has delayed, dawdled and deferred for the month since the release of the Iraq Study Group.

He has seemingly heard out everybody, and listened to none of them.

If the BBC is right -- and we can only pray it is not -- he has settled on the only solution all the true experts agree cannot possibly work: more American personnel in Iraq, not as trainers for Iraqi troops, but as part of some flabby plan for "sacrifice."

Sacrifice!

More American servicemen and women will have their lives risked.

More American servicemen and women will have their lives ended.

More American families will have to bear the unbearable and rationalize the unforgivable --"sacrifice" -- sacrifice now, sacrifice tomorrow, sacrifice forever.

And more Americans -- more even than the two-thirds who already believe we need fewer troops in Iraq, not more -- will have to conclude the president does not have any idea what he's doing -- and that other Americans will have to die for that reason.

It must now be branded as propaganda -- for even the president cannot truly feel that very many people still believe him to be competent in this area, let alone "the decider."

But from our impeccable reporter at the Pentagon, Jim Miklaszewski, tonight comes confirmation of something called "surge and accelerate" -- as many as 20,000 additional troops --f or "political purposes" ...

This, in line with what we had previously heard, that this will be proclaimed a short-term measure, for the stated purpose of increasing security in and around Baghdad, and giving an Iraqi government a chance to establish some kind of order.

[PIVOT]

This is palpable nonsense, Mr. Bush.

If this is your intention -- if the centerpiece of your announcement next week will be "sacrifice" -- sacrifice your intention, not more American lives!

As Sen. Joseph Biden has pointed out, the new troops might improve the ratio our forces face relative to those living in Baghdad (friend and foe), from 200 to 1, to just 100 to 1.

"Sacrifice?"

No.

A drop in the bucket.

The additional men and women you have sentenced to go there, sir, will serve only as targets.

They will not be there "short-term," Mr. Bush; for many it will mean a year or more in death's shadow.

This is not temporary, Mr. Bush.

For the Americans who will die because of you, it will be as permanent as it gets.

The various rationales for what Mr. Bush will reportedly re-christen "sacrifice" constitute a very thin gruel, indeed.

The former labor secretary, Robert Reich, says Sen. John McCain told him that the "surge" would help the "morale" of the troops already in Iraq.

If Mr. McCain truly said that, and truly believes it, he has either forgotten completely his own experience in Vietnam ... or he is unaware of the recent Military Times poll indicating only 38 percent of our active military want to see more troops sent ... or Mr. McCain has departed from reality.

Then there is the argument that to take any steps toward reducing troop numbers would show weakness to the enemy in Iraq, or to the terrorists around the world.

This simplistic logic ignores the inescapable fact that we have indeed already showed weakness to the enemy, and to the terrorists.

We have shown them that we will let our own people be killed for no good reason.

We have now shown them that we will continue to do so.

We have shown them our stupidity.

[PIVOT]

Mr. Bush, your judgment about Iraq -- and now about "sacrifice" -- is at variance with your people's, to the point of delusion.

Your most respected generals see no value in a "surge" -- they could not possibly see it in this madness of "sacrifice."

The Iraq Study Group told you it would be a mistake.

Perhaps dozens more have told you it would be a mistake.

And you threw their wisdom back, until you finally heard what you wanted to hear, like some child drawing straws and then saying "best two out of three … best three out of five … hundredth one counts."

Your citizens, the people for whom you work, have told you they do not want this, and moreover, they do not want you to do this.

Yet once again, sir, you have ignored all of us.

Mr. Bush, you do not own this country!

To those Republicans who have not broken free from the slavery of partisanship -- those bonded still, to this president and this administration, and now bonded to this "sacrifice" --proceed at your own peril.

John McCain may still hear the applause of small crowds -- he has somehow inured himself to the hypocrisy, and the tragedy, of a man who considers himself the ultimate realist, courting the votes of those who support the government telling visitors to the Grand Canyon that it was caused by the Great Flood.

That Mr. McCain is selling himself off to the irrational right, parcel by parcel, like some great landowner facing bankruptcy, seems to be obvious to everybody but himself.

Or, maybe it is obvious to him and he simply no longer cares.

But to the rest of you in the Republican Party:

We need you to speak up, right now, in defense of your country's most precious assets -- the lives of its citizens who are in harm's way.

If you do not, you are not serving this nation's interests -- nor your own.

November should have told you this.

The opening of the new Congress on Wednesday and Thursday should tell you this.

Next time, those missing Republicans will be you.

And to the Democrats now yoked to the helm of this sinking ship, you proceed at your own peril, as well.

President Bush may not be very good at reality, but he and Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rove are still gifted at letting American troops be killed, and then turning their deaths to their own political advantage.