Time Critic: Olbermann's Special Comment Shows He's "Just Another Of The Cable Gasbags He Used To Be A Corrective To"

Last week on "Countdown," Keith Olbermann gave a special comment blasting Hillary Clinton for her remark that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June, which she claims was a historical referenced intended to show that the length of this primary is not unusual but which many took as an implicit announcement that she was staying in the race in case Barack Obama was assassinated.

The special comment was intense, and the video can be viewed below (transcript available here).

At least one critic thought Olbermann crossed the line regardless of the appropriateness of Clinton's comments. Time's media and television critic James Poniewozik wrote of Olbermann:

Even if we concede his argument--that Clinton was at best callously and at worst intentionally suggesting she should stay in the race because Obama might be killed--every time he turns up the volume to 11 like this lately, he sounds like just another of the cable gasbags he used to be a corrective to.

Read Poniewozik's entire column, which includes an interesting analysis of what it means when a viewer is "annoyed by someone you used to constantly agree with" here, and let us know what you thought of Olbermann's Special Comment in the comments below.

Comments

[Atoz2]

I stand behind Keith Olbermann in his view and would go a step further. I believe Hillary Clinton at her word on the comment giving reasons for staying in the race. That Obama with the death threats he HAS received and HAVE been taken very seriously, is a hope she has and a reason she holds for staying in the race. Once again we get the excuse of being tired and stressed for a campaign Gaffe or outright LIE! With all the problems she has had with being tired and stressed, we have gotten a very insightful view of her true character and motivations. With the stress of actually being president, I would be VERY afraid for her to be there to answer that phone at 3am let alone have a finger on THE BUTTON.

McCain is a puppet.

Hillary IS Hillary no puppet master needed!

TIME FOR CHANGE!

[chown]

Keith Olbermann called it "like he saw it". I think he got it right.

[zacher2005]

How come no one mentions how KO owes the state of NY 20 grand?

I am a left leaning indi, and I can't believe you all would support KO after trashing the likes of Oreilly.

That's why I can never be a democrate. I am voting for Barrack, but because I feel he will be bi partisan, unlike all of you.

You guy's are just like Hannity, and Rush, and thats sad. Stupid partisan hacks like Hannity, and Olbermann is what is ruining our country.

People who think everything their side says is what is ruining America.

Any KO fan is a hyprocrite if they say they like him because "he speaks teh truth". He bends people's words, and gives rants for rating. I will vote for Barrack, but people liek KO make it hard with his stupidity.

[crotairlogan]

I was greatly disturbed to watch Olberman morph into the left's version of O'Reilly and
Matthews into a version of Dobbs. I don't know the MSNBC's editors would allow these men to so manipulate the news that in the evening it became an Obama ad. But the worst is Schuster of the famed, " ..the Clinton's pimping Chelsea." One afternoon he showed the, "funny" clip of Hillary-Vadar. Vadar is killed. He compared Hillery to the runner up at the Kentucky Derby. She was Euthanized. Earlier a British announcer
quoted Trippi as saying, "Obama's campaign is a Hillary-slayer." Schu almost foams at the mouth as he mentions Hillary name. The ridicule, mockery, disdain and sarcasm
have damaged the premise of a democratic vote.

[railcom]

Keith, I love ya. You and Chris are the only reasons I got expanded cable. I love the tone and tempo of the show, but I honestly believe you went just a tad over the top with this special comment. In my view, you are much more effective and persuasive, when you let your comments reflect your disapproval and anger, not the full display of your emotions. While I believe your comment was appropriate, I believe some of the message you wished to deliver was lost in the emotion of the delivery.

You are clearly at your best when you show the fallacy of the right wing, and power seekers, regardless of party or religious affiliation.

P.S. Keep hitting Fox, Murdoch, Hannity and especially O'Reilly hard and often.

[Joeinloth]

I haven't read the critique and I'm not gonna read the critique! Olbermann's worth his weight in gold! I won't go to bed at night without watching Countdown's Worst Person In The World, either online or on TV. YOU'RE the gasbag, you ignorant buffoon!!

[jellinda]

Hillary, if you're going to keep whining, let's keep the stories straight. Thank goodness we have Keith Olbermann for that, because if you're going to rely on CNN, FOX or any of the networks, don't hold your breath. Don't you get it??? They are in it for the RATINGS, not balanced reportage. What exactly don't you understand ? That Hillary continuously and consistently lies to suit the time of day?? Then, she poisonously and disingenously alludes to assassination of another human being? The question is NOT about Keith Olbermann's motives, but of Hillary supporters. WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S OKAY TO DO ALL THAT?

[crotairlogan]

Joeinloath and killinda
Try and restain your anger at least a bit. Your presumed candidate will need the boomers and older women and poor white European Americans. This venting of your issues with authority or
or your mom or women, whatever, can alienate people. We are at a pivot in time. Though I enjoy
a good argument as much as anyone it has spun off into a vicious tangle of lies. rumors and inuendo. It become a hormone driven version of the cruelty displayed by junior high society.

[Bookkillrr]

Keith was 100% correct for this. KO is right on the money, and I could not believe HRC would use JFK, and why even if you do th e math she could not win she has decided to stay in the race. HRC should have made the special comment herself, with a special "I AM SORRY"
Keep doing what you do KO

[MiloWayne]

I agree with a lot of what Olbermann says, but does he have to go on for so long and in such high dudgeon? He is in danger of becoming a joke

[JBL]

For the past few months Hillary has been basically running as the McCain's Veep and pursuing a scorched-earth campaign that has left the Democratic party as viciously divided as Democratic and Republican America have been for the last decade and a half. She has demonstrated a complete lack of tact and diplomacy that would be disastrous in dealing with other nations, thus showing that she is not Presidential material. In my opinion, she has set the possibility of electing a woman President back by at least 20 years.

Olbermann was "spot on" with his comments and his righteous indignation.

[MiloWayne]

That's for the voters to decide, and I think they're doing a perfectly capable job. But hasn't anyone told KO that brevity is the soul of wit? Jeez, the guy rattles on for 10 minutes at a stretch! Did Eric Sevareid ever go on that long? I don't think so.

[nickyhartzell]

HRC had become dangerous. She was hanging w a crowd that's all about "God, guns and ammo," knocking back Jaegies, constantly touting her shooting creds, issuing remarks about "hard working whites," and generally getting back to her Appalachian roots. That she brought up (completely unecessarily - there were plenty of alternative examples) three times the assassination of Bobby Kennedy on the campaign trail, along with the repeated phrase "anything can happen," was and is (until she bows out) a series of little word bombs, destined to explode in some hard-working white person's head over time. She had become a danger to herself and to others. Obama's campaign weathered her constant references to him as "unelectable," with her only (non-verbalized) rationale being that he is of mixed race ("He can't win, he can't win in November"), without themselves responding with any comments that would air her dirty laundry, for the entire primary season, is a testament to his extraordinary discipline. She had become entirely out of control, along with her husband and some of her campaign staff. Resilience and effort are one thing. Trying to knock off your opponent by any means possible is another. She should have stuck to the issues. She should have used another example. She failed to knock him out of the race herself, and she was in essence painting a target on him, enciting others to deal the final blow that she was unable to deliver herself.

[ReggaeFan]

Agreed. HILLARY has jumped the shark.

[conned]

Mike O., it might be worth noting that you are criticizing me for criticizing the criitic for criticizing Olbermann's level of outrage. Kind of circular logic, don't you think? But somehow you believe that the critic IS the arbiter of others feelings? I disagree. I think KO's level outrage is wholly appropriate considering the damage done to this nation over the past eight years by a right wing, complicit, enabling media. Maybe if others in the media acted in concert with KO and did their jobs, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today.

Jackass

[benedict15]

I have great admiration for Keith. His delivery is so intense that you must either listen to him or turn him off. Who cares if occasionally his head explodes. I defy any one to pack as much indignation and fury into a little 5" screen. A man and a medium dwell perfectly together. If you listen, you will learn. He is quite moderate. I haven't heard all of his shows, but I have yet to hear him call for the assassination of Sean Hannity. I don't have cable, only the least evil satellite. The cheap package only offers Fox and and CNN and CSPAN so I get a steady barrage of right wing ideology and insane libertarianism from the American Enterprise Institute. Even strange kids come in off the street and turn my TV off. I see Keith and Stephen on the internet which restoreth my soul. I am deeply happy that at this time of threat to our people and their Constitution that we have these great people, and Barack and Hillary to keep the ichor circulating. May the best man win, so to speak. And anyway, Liberals deserve their own gasbag.

[americanalien]

Oops Keith did it again! Baby one more time. You Go Keith!!!

[truthseeker111]

One more thing about Keith:

When he is next to Chris Matthews, he often appears as if he is trying to get permission from Chris to think!!

[truthseeker111]

Keith Olbermann is what is called a sexist!
He can not stand a woman being smarter than he is!
Even though at times I agree with some of his points, he makes me question my judgment for agreeing with him! His reasoning is like black and white, no introspection!
No intellectual honesty!

[americanalien]

Keith is the most intellectually honest of all the pundits on television. Frankly sometimes I think he is too intellectual, a bit too cerebral for the average man's taste and wish that he would cut down on the verbiage a bit but he's never failed to impress or command my attention. Your accusation against Keith is completely bankrupt and a total cheapshot. You'd be better served if you said that about Orally or Sean Hannibal.

[highlighter]

Rachel Maddow is smarter than him and he has her on the show all the time.

[Thabit]

Rofl i am a 53 yr old man and i am a fan of Rachel Maddow cause she tells it like it is and by my count she agrees with Keith a lot more often than not . to be honest i would much rather see her in her own show right next to Keith than some of the other shows on Msnbc at this time

[SharonWantsToTalk]

I have also been fond of Kieth's exposures and insights. But I'll also admit that I think that the Clinton remarks were hasty. Take a step back Kieth. By employment you are embedded in the bubble of MSNBC. For sure you are extremely busy and rely on others to help you with the show. That has to be the only reason that you took the meanings of her statement and ranted out of context. Watching from the outside of your media world it was SO obvious to me as a regular viewer that she by no way suggested what you said. I am NOT a Clinton supported. And I did not hear what you did. Take some time off Kieth and regroup. Get your bearings back. We need you. You know you don't want to be a left sided Rush.

[ReggaeFan]

I think Keith's remarks were totally on point, giving the fact that HRC not once, not twice, but 3 times has chosen to speak assassination on her opponent. Words are powerful things, and words to kill. She, of all people, knows the power of language and propaganda and knows exactly what she is doing.

[EbonBear]

Granted, Olbermann's not perfect but given how few liberals there are on tv and how very, very few there are in this kind of position (Stewart/Colbert are satirists, they don't count), he's the veritible island in a sea of dross.

That said, add me to the list that would love to see Rachel Maddow get her own show.

[Thabit]

ok EbonBear i agree with everything you said EXCEPT Stewart and Colbert not counting cause a lot of the time politicans deserve to be called on their silliness and what better way to fight sillines than WITH silliness