Olbermann Timeline: How The Bush Administration Exploited Terror Threats For Political Gain, 2002-2008

In case you missed it, on Thursday night's "Countdown" Keith Olbermann presented an impressively detailed timeline he called "The Nexus of Politics and Terror," in which he chronicled the Bush administration's exploitation of terror threats for political gain. Olbermann's exhaustive account weaves from each revelation of an intelligence failure or a Democratic political victory to an almost immediate orange alert or "new threat" from al Qaeda.

The clip is 17 minutes long and entirely worth it, and its conclusion — "what we were told about terror, and not told, for security reasons, has overlapped considerably with what we were told about terror, and not told, for political reasons" — is a dutiful summary of the past six years.

Watch:

Comments

[kempis]

Olbermann jumped the shark this year.

I'm about as sick of his bloviations as I am of Bill O'Reilly's.

Glad to see that he's taken some time off from shilling for Obama to focus again on Bush, but I'm not inclined to sit through his program ever again, not after this campaign.

[nutmegger]

Obviously, some don't see the difference between bloviation and telling the hard truth. To draw a comparison between Olbermann and O'Reilly is ridiculous, and indicates a tin ear for discerning reality delivered with tempered and justified outrage over the witless mewlings of rightwing hack. To suggest there is no difference indicates to me that Kempis and Callidem are too uninformed to make an intelligent opinion regarding this very insightful and disturbing Olbermann piece. How sad for them.

[ScooterLiddy]

Gee. What a reasoned analysis. I'm convinced!

[knowhelpnow]

I'm confused I understood the fear mongering from the beginning, just how long does it take to convince the majority of people what Bush has done and he continues to do it, now with Iran. We have got to show that this is all a set up to take our rights away. Immunity for telecoms BS all that break our laws including this administration needs to be punished. Congress get a grip and take a risk, do your jobs and follow though. We need to get a Congress that can stop this man before he starts another war. He is pushing for it. He wants to be King I would watch for some kind of confrontation soon so he can call for Marshall Law.

[laocoon]

very good question. I am usually amazed at people who claim they support the war(s) and insist on continuing the current leadership. Nothing was done right on or before 911. It has taken 5 years to even figure out the allegedly right troop levels in Iraq. Bush hasnt come close to finding bin Laden. noone in the administration apparently thought to ask about revealing the front company before giving out information about Ms Plame to the world. If you are serious about success in the war(s) why would you want such incompetence??

[peacehappens]

Excellent work Keith!!!

We were attacked here on Bush's watch but he claims to be the great protector.

I am ever thankful that you are here to tell the emperor he is not wearing any clothes.

[CalliDem]

Olbermann is a fucking traitor who drank the Kool-Aid. He is the Bill O of the left and his "unbiased" reporting is the same joke he turned out to be.

[KyleCope]

That's right, Keith. I suppose you're right, and terrorism doesn't exist. Hm. Wonder where my fireman friend from high school is? Oh yeah, he died on 9/11. Wonder how that happened if terror isn't a threat.

[sebastian6]

Typical black/white perspective of a Republican. He's not saying terrorism doesn't exist. He's say that our leaders politicization of terror is awful and manipulative. Pay attention.

[Robertsteven]

Sorry for the lost of your friend or anyone that lost someone in 9/11, but non of that makes it O.K for our goverment to lie or play games with the memory of the lost and cleary this president is doing jest that, you can be OK with that I'm not

[TimN]

I got an idea Keith, rather than submitting your uncontested countdowns and one-sided time lines why don't you invite someone on your show who actually disagrees with you. I'm not asking for a shouting match, but just some alternative to the usual unchallenged propaganda you pump out. You know, a reasoned debate on the issues. Invite someone like Laura Ingraham, Charles Krauthammer, or maybe even John McCain.

Come one Keith, you're a tough guy. I'm sure you can handle it.

[sebastian6]

So there is one SINGLE show that speaks truth to power while FOX has an entire network, and you decide to pick on the one show that goes against the mainstream grain? Give me a break.

[TimN]

I'd pick on any show that provides 60 minutes of unchallenged propaganda five times a week. Even Limbaugh in all his pompous glory has Liberal callers on a regular basis. Granted he'll cut the mic when they get one over on him, but hell Olbermann won't even do that. If you prefer to have your opinions uncontested by all means stick with Olbermann. I prefer to have my opinions challenged on a regular basis - the main reason I come to HuffPo. Unfortunately, most of what I usually get is unsupportable diatribe by lazy-minded and easily misled persons such as yourself.

[Robertsteven]

No one and I mean no one want to hear from Laura Ingraham she has no cred lol, she can stay at Fox, with the most uninformed people in the country Fox Laura and you can have that 19% of the country that aprove of George Bush.
Debate Laura Ingraham LMAOROF

[TimN]

"No one and I mean no one want to hear from Laura Ingraham"

(see below).

You see folks this is exactly what I'm saying. You've come some irresponsible tool like 'Robertsteven' (or Olbermann) spouting a bunch of unsupportable nonsense and all it takes is a contrary opinion like mine (or Laura, or Charles, or Sen McCain) based upon facts to come in and expose the nonsense.



http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2007/narrative_radio_talk_radio.asp?cat=8&media=9
Laura Ingraham is believed to have in excess of 5 million listeners.


http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/default.asp
Olbermann's nightly viewers are less than a tenth of that at substantially less than 500K

[Hirnlego]

Krauthamme­r.. a PNAC member whos idol is Leo Strauss who said the ruling elite should fool the ignorant public?

PNAC members were number one benefactors out of 9/11. They need terrorism to exist, to have their agenda active. They do not wish to destroy it because they know it's the entirely wrong way to do it.

[TimN]

Then Olbermann would have no problem having him on his program.

[thomdavis1]

Olbermann is the most intelligent, best reseached person on any news network, and his show "Countdown" is by far the most revealing and topical anywhere on TV. Thank you Keith for your righteous anger.

[NATIONALSECURITY4US]

My life was utterly destroyed for doing what I did, & by telling the truth while trying to resolve these matters...

The other link is a site I made to put the truth out there, for all the world to know, & the legal e-mails that I sent to various members of Congress..­.

The worst part is the one on the bottom left was captured & he was held for like 30+ months, & then dumped in Somalia in 1/2007 & highly likely was on some of the CIA tapes that were destroyed,
thus hiding any evidence of him being captured..­.

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/may04/bolo052604.htm

Top middle = Aafia Siddiqui = 5/29/2004
Bottom left = Fazul Abdullah Mohammed = 5/29/2004 captured & dumped in Somalia 1/2007 after being held for 30+ months...

Bottom right = Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani = 7/??/2004 = he was flown to Pakistan for Pakistan to say that they found him to get out of paying his reward...

Plus it gets much more complex, since both were captured with laptops in their possession­...

http://360.yahoo.com/caspereraser1

[neoprimordial]

JUST WHO IN THE HELL IS THIS GUY OLBERMANN? A great reporter and an even greater American. The more I hear of this guy, the more I like him. Impressive, and also not surprising (to me) at this point. We can all be thankful that, come hell or high water, Bush is outta there in less than a year. HURRAH!

[jimdog1954]

Keith Olbermann debating Dildo Riley would be a battle of wits with an unarmed man.

[tumblewind]

I heard part of it on Thursday night and as always enjoyed it. But, most of it I had already figured out long before this. Whenever Bush's ratings when down he always created another terror alert. It's something he always kept at the forefront to drag out and remind American's he was their true savior. For a long time his BS worked too. But, like all good things eventually most people wise up. The sad part about it. If there were a real threat to our nation there aren't many people who would believe it now. He has lied and played games for so long most of us have grown cynical when it comes to anything and everything he has to say.

[rollingdivision]

Political gain??? Republicans lost both houses of congress and Bush has a 20% positive rating.

[sufi0828]

Bush sought political gain. The fact that it might have failed as a strategy belies your point.

Or maybe this is what you want to say? It's not clear. You could appear to be stating a Republican spin trying to negate Olbermann's story.

Come clean.

[Danind]

Got him elected twice, though, didn't it?

[peacehappens]

Bush was not elected - he was appointed

[armadillious2002]

Good work Keith - you've put it all in perspective.

[Austintatious]

Yes, Keith deserves kudos for his efforts on this one but it is very important that all of you LET THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS IN CONGRESS KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT THEM.

The day that they finally stood up to Bush/Cheney,the despicable Republicans, and the even more despicable and cowardly Democrats voting with them, I called each leader's office to make sure each knows that some of us out here are with them. In today's political climate, politicians really do take political risk when they stand up for the Constitution.

Representatives Pelosi, Hoyer, Lewis, Conyers and Reyes have finally shown some real backbone, folks, and you need to do your part. All the contact info you need to do so is on the C-SPAN website. If you haven't checked out that website, you need to do so, anyway. It's a great resource.

Do yourself a favor and give'em am call. Thank them for standing up for the American people.

[DELICIOUS]

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE BU$H ADMINISTRATION NEVER DOES ANYTHING THAT IS HONEST AND ABOVE BOARD. HE IS TRULY THE ANTI-CHRIST AND HIS SUPPORTERS MUST LOVE KOOL-AID!

[Hollyse]

Is there a parallel Time Line to Olberman's escalation of WAR UPON AMERICA? A government created for the Elite since Bush's arrival at the White House was an intentional set up for CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) a more NAFTA philosophy than NWO statement by HW Bush. TWENTY YEARS of Clinton-Bush psychologi­cal-emotio­nal-social­-physical-­economical agenda to elevate the Elite off the sweat of We the People is what Olberman has intellectually and realistically offered. Reality and Reason are often distant cousins. Do we all go up or downstream from here?

[Pleidian]

I say, dissolve the NSC and tell the Council of Foreign Relations to go f**k themselves.

[1differentdrummer]

But, but, but Clinton...­.

[mageduley]

Keith caught Hillary playing the FEAR card as well to scare up votes in NH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BB4Vvgn_4k
Hear it for youself. Keith really nailed her.

[Pleidian]

Just eaxctly HOW much lying qualifies one as a "bushie"? Has to be a lot!
Despite claims by the less informed to the contracry, quite a few of ud were on to both Bush and Cheney before they appointed to the white house.