Olbermann Urges Rumsfeld's Impeachment, Blasts Him as a 'Quack' Pushing 'Fascism' [+Kos Kookiness]

NewsBusters ^ | 8/31/06 | Brent Baker & Matthew Sheffield

[RatherBiased.com]

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Wednesday night used his Countdown show to deliver a vitriolic personal attack on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, “a reality check of Donald Rumsfeld's incendiary speech, a special comment on his attack on your right to disagree.” Olbermann concluded his program with a six-minute diatribe against Rumsfeld: “The man who sees absolutes, where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning, is either a prophet, or a quack. Donald H. Rumsfeld is not a prophet.” Olbermann equated the Bush administration with “the English government of Neville Chamberlain” which "knew that its staunchest critics needed to be marginalized and isolated.” The MSNBC star charged, “The confusion is about whether this Secretary of Defense, and this administration, are in fact now accomplishing what they claim the terrorists seek: The destruction of our freedoms, the very ones for which the same veterans Mr. Rumsfeld addressed yesterday in Salt Lake City, so valiantly fought.” The U.S., Olbermann asserted before concluding with Edward R. Murrow's "we must not confuse dissent with disloyalty," now “faces a new type of fascism.”

Olbermann opened his hour by claiming that during a Tuesday speech before the American Legion convention, Rumsfeld “compared critics of the current war in Iraq to those who tried to appease Adolf Hitler and the Nazis before World War II.” In fact, Rumsfeld simply worried about how not all realize how “we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism” from the Islamic world. Olbermann brought aboard DNC Chairman Howard Dean, proposing to him: “Is it, do you know, technically possible to impeach a Secretary of Defense and have we gotten to that stage after these remarks?” (Transcript follows. I realize Mark Finkelstein beat me on some of Olbermann's rant, but this post has additional quotes and video)

Video clip (3:20): Real (5.6 MB), Windows Media (6.5 MB), plus MP3 audio (1.2 MB)

UPDATE 08-31 2:30 by Matthew Sheffield. Allahpundit correctly calls Olbermann's schtick for what it is: "an instant classic of nutroots porn." By his count, there are seven threads on Democratic Underground worshipping the MSNBC anchor.

Allah's more right than he knows. I counted four at DailyKos, including one from the boss. Here's the first comment on that thread:

It was breathtaking to watch. Luckily, a Kossack had mentioned earlier today that he'd be doing some commentary on Rumsfeld, so I made sure I was home to watch it.

Wow. What an amazing commentary. Keith is about the only one out there willing to say the unfettered truth so boldly. I played a recording of it for my friend over the phone, and he was in awe of it too.

Last month, I marveled at Olbermann's incompetence as a broadcaster. Wednesday's rant proved he's also a poor marketer. Apparently, it is the official Olbermann strategy to reach out to leftist bloggers in the hopes that he'll get enough word of mouth so that more people will be willing to watch him than Headline News, i.e. above last-place in the ratings. (Details here.)

Trouble is, it ain't working. Olbermann's numbers have remained stagnant. They'll remain that way because not only is there a small number of people with acute Bush Derangement Syndrome, those poor souls are split up between Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, and the local mental institution. There simply aren't enough people to pull Olbermann out of the ratings basement.

But hey, at least he's good for a few unintentional laughs.

UPDATE 11:46 by Matthew Sheffield. The Kos Kiddies have noticed this posting and have launched a furious effort to "prevent the swiftboating of a journalist" by spamming MSNBC with emails in support of their self-described non-liberal idol. My favorite comment from the thread:

Hotmail is not working right now...gotta wonder...

[MikeHu]

The guy's a "liberal?"

I thought he was just unprecedentedly stupid.

[andy58-in-nh]

The MSNBC star charged
What is the definition of "star", these days?

A large ball of overheated gas.

[MikeHu]

MSNBC has lots of money to lose.

Bill Gates just got the first endowment from Warren Buffett.

[Gay State Conservative]

Did Keith happen to mention who won the Mets game?

[MikeHu]

He follows sports too?

[depressed in 06]

How does this nut job, with such poor ratings, get to make judgments about impeaching Rumsfeld. Hasn't the public voted on impeaching Olbermann?

[MikeHu]

That's a very good question.

That doesn't seem to be deterring any other media personality from appointing themselves the highest judge in the land.

[battletank]

MSNBC is still alive?? Seriously, I wondered if it was indeed "dead"...or at least in its death throes since there have been "ads" on XM for a number of days now about how as of they will no longer be carrying MSNBC!

[Merry]

I don't understand why anyone cares about his opinion. He is no different than a Hollywood actor spouting off on things he/she knows nothing about. Olbermann is a fired sports announcer and people treat him like his opinion matters. I don't get it. I refuse to watch the wasteland known as MSNBC. I refuse to write a letter to Dan Abrams and give him the impression I do watch MSNBC. Olbermann is a jerk and always has been one.

[toddlintown]

"played a recording of it for my friend over the phone"

What is this...1980? Was the phone a rotary?

[bassmaner]

Declare war. Arrest all drive-by pukes like Olbermann. Try for treason. Find them guilty and hang them. Then go about the business of ridding the world of the Islamonazis without their interference. Problem solved.

[MPJackal]

"The cabinet members are civil officers?"


Congress had to approve the nomination, so yes he is.

[MikeHu]

Or at least let him do what he does best.

Read sports scores.

[LibLieSlayer]

Isn't an olbermann an STD?


LLS

[talleyman]

What is an 'Olbermann?' Isn't that jock-itch medication?

I thought it was a VD test...

[AmishDude]

MSNBC is losing the MS. Microsoft is ending its subsidy soon. Everybody knows it will dissolve. Chrissy Matthews might survive to go to CNBC, but everybody else is done.

Olbermann better learn to blog because there ain't no way he's getting back on television.

Oh, wait, there is Gore's Current TV, isn't there?

[lakeman]

Is there a difference??

[Cheburashka]

So I would say the answer is yes, but I am not sure what crime Donny committed.
---
Breathing while Republican.

[MikeHu]

He has been blogging.

He's even worse at that.

This is somebody who needs to be taking Jimmy Carter lessons.

[bpjam]

are you saying there is a difference?