Aaron Brown: Olbermann Is "Smarter, Funnier, Better Read, And Eminently More Talented" Than O'Reilly

Aaron Brown is back. Earlier this week, it was reported that he will be joining PBS' "Wide Angle" show and now, in an interview with TVNewser's Gail Shister, he's throwing punches and taking sides in the Olbermann-O'Reilly battle:

Brown says he never felt like a real cable guy. That doesn't exclude him from having opinions about it, thankfully.

His take on the battle at 8 p.m. between MSNBC and Fox News Channel, for example:

Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly "are both larger-than-life figures," he says, but Olbermann is "smarter, funnier, better read and eminently more talented."

Read Shister's entire interview here.

Comments

[kinnycut]

Olberman word dueling with O'reilly is laughable. O'Reilly is unarmed next to Olberman's full arsenal.

[VillyVal]

Keith Olbermann jumped the shark when he compared Geraldine Ferraro to David Duke.

I practically stood up and cheered in my TV room when he first started doing his Special Comments, but now that he's turned his obsessive attention to dissing Hillary Clinton, I've begun to feel about him the way I've always felt about O'Reilly. He's becoming unwatchable.

And, if he's bowed to Tim Russert's banning of Arriana Huffington (or anyone else), his claim to being an independent voice is a wee bit tattered.

Rachel Maddow keeps me coming back.

[LauraWho]

I don't like Bill O'Reilly, and I don't watch his program. Having said that, it doesn't surprise me at all to see the mean-spirited Aaron Brown praising the equally mean-spirited Keith Olbermann. These two strange men are cut from the same cloth.

[Choicelady]

Mean spirited? I've never seen anything from either other than ironic commentary.

Aaron Brown mysteriously disappeared from CNN when he had the principle and backbone to call the immediate post-Katrina disasters "racisim". I will believe forever that although he's been proven accurate, he paid for naming it what it was. He has tremendous courage and integrity, and I'm delighted he's back working again. Speaking truth to power is costly as his dismissal shows, and perhaps now he can shine light on the ugly once again. Olbermann is cut from the same cloth - the fabric of real journalism that does not pander to those in office nor demean those who watch. If that's mean spirited (though why do they uplift so many of us?) then let's have more.

[Mollye]

Brown forgot to add "more self-righteously indignant" than O'Reilly.

[THEhillbilly]

Hilarious. Smarmy mediocrity Aaron Brown thinks he's in a position to assess those two. Talk about "bitter"..­. He most certainly isn''t a "cable guy," but he did give it his best shot before he got run out of town. People tuned in and said "Who's this bore who reads the film clip captions and then does all those 'body language' things to tell us what we're supposed to think?"

[tonyrich]

suppose you could do better?

[pilgrim7]

We seldom have the TV on these days except when we can remember to turn it on to catch Keith Olberman. Don't know what we'd we without him or Huffington Post for political news.

[kylie]

Olbermann is the only television, I'm watching.

Thought Aaron Brown did honest and the best coverage post-Katrina.

CNN has gone down-hill since letting Brown go.

How can any real newsman handle the corporate control over news content?

To have to repeat the false and opininated news "script" would be a downer(no matter how much money you are getting).

[gbht12]

Billo , is he still on TV???? What are your ratings Billo?

[ohiomark]

O'Reilly's ratings are 3 times higher than Olbermann's. That must be the reason why Keith is so obsessed with Bill.

[leftbehind2000]

Just proves, even though KO is much more intelligent than BillO, one cannot say the same for the viewing public.

[ShockinglyAweful]

I bet almost all conservatives watch Fox. Not all liberals tune into MSMBC. We are more likely to know the shortfalls of corporate media. I think Keith is sometimes a little weak on the content, but he is by far my favorite.

[tonyrich]

Yea, three times that got us into the mess were in

[gbht12]

Hey Keith , I love your show.

There is a wonderful you tube video of Mickey Kantor a Clinton Staffer chucking it up about Indiana voters. We all know that Clinton feels the pain of the Blue Collar workers. This youtube video really shows how much they really care. If you can't open the link go to youtube and search: Indiana? Those people are ...."
Lovely people the Clinton's. Keith, your show is the only one that I will watch since the other pundits continue to let Clinton and McCain have a free ride. Please look this youtube video up. Air it on your show. Show the Love between the Clintons and the voters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-MzByUHIzw

[Vespasian]

Almost everyone in the country is... except maybe dubya!

[Wilbur]

I despise O'Reilly, but I've stopped watching K.O., as his unceasing promotion of Obama in conjunction with his unceasing denigration of HRC has become a major turn-off for me. I'm not a fan of either BHO or HRC, but K.O.'s one-sided promotion of Obama over Clinton rubs me the wrong way.

Well, it was a nice run watching K.O. from 8/06 until now, but there are other things in life to do.

Wilbur

[gbht12]

Welcome to the world of the Obama Supporters. That is all we get is trash talk over and over again about bitter remarks, Wright . We the people don't want to hear it but the pundits LOVE Clinton and McCain.

So, we have one reporter that actually has a brain. Go Keith, and go OBAMA

[Wilbur]

For the record, I supported EDWARDS during his ill-fated run for the Dem's nomination (since Al Gore chose not to enter the fray). Among the legitimate Dem candidates for prez (not counting Kucinich or Gravel in that group), HRC and BHO were my LAST TWO choices for the nomination.

K.O. is getting to be a bit too much little the talking heads whom he castigates regularly on his show. He acts as if Obama can do no wrong and Clinton can do or say nothing correctly. IMHO, this is simply the wrong way to go about things. Both HRC and BHO have strengths and weaknesses, but you'd never know that by the way K.O. runs his mouth.

Wilbur

[superrobot]

The first time I dropped acid I stayed up all night watching Aaron Brown host ABC World News Now while listening to Ministry.

[JuniorBug]

And they're both tiresome, pompous blowhards. As far as personality is concerned, I think I prefer O'Reilly's arrogant petulance to Olbermann's self righteous indignation. At least it's more amusing.

[gbht12]

Of course you do, you little sheep/ditto head.

[redraymonds]

thats true olberman is better than oreilly

[4wehttam]

Keith is also better looking, decent, has more integrity, is honest and doesn't try to play gotcha and act like he knows it all.......­like Mr. I know better than you so shut up while I interupt you even though I invited you here ORALly.

[AtticusinPa]

Yeah. I think the integrity shines through. When he makes a mistake, he acknowledges it and apologizes and moves on. BO wouldn't even acknowledge his mistake about Malmedy. Made it worse by repeating his claim that US troops committed the atrocities there. Unbelievable. Completely unnecessary. We all make mistakes. In the end, it all comes down to integrity.

[iPolitics]

Insert Any Name is "Smarter, Funnier, Better Read" Than O'Reilly

[faveuncle]

I have turds smarter than the Falafel Phone Philandere­r...