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

[Meok]

Keith, if you are reading this...Why don't you question or research Sean Hannity's association with a known Nazi? (it's a claim, maybe it's true maybe it's not.)
If Hannity is going to judge Senator Obama by his friends, shouldn't he be also judged by the same standards?
We like your efforts in exposing O'Reilly's big ego but in my opinion, Hannity does more damage to American politics than O'Reilly's ego does.

[tbone99]

Olbermann .Will he be Ruperts new O'Reilly now that Obama has been officially endorsed as Fox's latest "phenomena"

[Thabit]

you cant say that untill Rupert puts Bill Orally and and Bluntskull Hannity on the sidewalk selling pencils

[Hotshortie]

I love KEITH!
I actually tivo KEITH!
KEITH ROCKS!

LOL

I just think KEITH is the only one telling the truth! He's seems fearless and we've needed a fearless advocate for a long time!

[BlackMagicWoman]

I Tivo Keith too.

[ReggaeFan]

I agree - I think he just appears so "out there" because so many other liberal and progressives are milk toast.

[mach]

Hahaha

Keith doesnt like to pay his taxes either.

[kidrips]

This guy's entire show is usually about another guy's show.

[mach]

And he doesnt like paying his taxes either

[mbrownNY]

Olberman jumped the shark with this "special comment."

[johnblackman]

Sure, he can beat twice as hard on Bush and Cheney, but when he tells it like it is about Hillary, half of the Democrats think he "jumped the shark".

[mbrownNY]

It's ok if he beats on Hillary... he just doesn't have to be so lame about it.

[Hotshortie]

Keith didn't jump the shark. Keith for the first time is kicking BILL O's azz!

Yeah, Keith is kicking Billo's AZZZZZ!!!

I just like typing it!!

[ystasino]

People do not understand that in the History of the US political assassinations are the #1 threats to its democracy.

Olberman's comment was dead on.

[USApatriot]

Smells like another neocon smear. Olbermann rocks. If we had thousands more like him in the media, we wouldn't be talking about Iraq today.

[mach]

If we had thousands like him, we would have little to no tax base either, since he cant seem to pay his taxes.

[glaze]

JEEZ, mach- YOU MADE YOUR POINT! THREE TIMES! We get it!
And if you're so concerned that people pay their taxes, get a fuckin' job at the IRS!

[Hotshortie]

I agree Keith has been a fearless advocate and I believe that we wouldn't be in Iraq if we had more Olbermann's

[Sandra1234]

I've tuned into Keith's Obermann's show religiously for some time for my political news.
And, yes, I'm an Obama supporter.

However, over the last two weeks I've not much cared whether I hear Obermann's show or not.
I had overlooked the parts of the show I don't find appealing (oddball, sports arenas, his feud with Bill O'Reilly, etc.) Now the 'meat' of his show has devolved to the level of any of the other newspeople on MSNBC.

Mr. Obermann, I listen to you to hear what other newspeople are too intimidated or partial to say. I don't care for Senator Clinton myself but your special comment was unappealing to me. Perhaps, Time magazine has this one right.

If Rachel Maddow should ever have her own show, I think she will hold the limelight. She appears to have a very rational, objective head on her shoulders with an appealing directness. I wonder what's happened to you lately? Now, I find myself interested more in her on-target observations on this political race.

Sorry Mr. Obermann, but I hold you to a higher standard.

[Sandra1234]

My apologies that I consistently misspelled your name.

[provgrays]

Olbermann's Hillary comment was intense, but it deserved to be when Hillary implied that she was hanging on because politicians get shot sometimes.

Olbermann's comments always have complete context and they are very precise. If you disagree, then that is the entire point of an editorial comment.

[zota]

Wait a minute... The Time-Warner corporation puts out a magazine? Huh. Who knew?

[mbrownNY]

Yeah... and who knew that the General Electric Corporation and Microsoft Corporations co-own a cable news network?

[glaze]

You never heard of 'Good Warnerkeeping', 'The Warnerday Evening Post', 'Warner Beat', "Playwarner', "Better Homes and Warners"?
(sorry... had to do it... my apologies.­.. won't warner again...)

[meister666]

Yes the truth hurts, and Keith tells them. Time (Newsweek, and US News as well) have become wimpy little corporate magazines. TIME is jealous as their gutless and pro-Iraq war, Pro Bush last 7 years have proved them very very wrong. TIME HAS NO BASIS TO COMPARE OLBERMAN TO THE WORTHLESS OPINION-ONLY FACT-LESS SCHILLS THEIR PARENT COMPANY "FOX WANNBEES" TIME/WARNER CNN. Please consider the envious source of yet another writer at TIME magazine. We need more like Keith!

[JGL58]

Obertmann tells the truth. The truth hurts some people. End of story.

[Waterbug]

I used to love Keith Olbermann's show. I especially admire his Special Comments on the Iraq War and the 2006 Military Commissions Act. I hope they will live on as important historical political commentary.

A noticeable shift in Mr. Olbermann's journalistic voice occurred several months ago when his Obama support became obvious. His credibility went downhill with this change. In April, he commented "Right. Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out." This message implies beating or killing Senator Clinton. He followed the public outcry with what was roundly called a "half apology".

A few weeks later, Senator Clinton, while trying to fend off calls to concede, tried to show historical examples of the nomination process lasting into June. She referenced RFK’s assassination which was seen as offensive by many. I was surprised this reached the “Special Comment” level of importance considering it is illogical to assume Senator Clinton meant that she wanted an assassination to happen. She is as likely an assassination target as any politician.

What disappointed me most about Mr. Olbermann’s Special Comment on this “issue” was the hypocrisy. He blasted Clinton for something he had just done to her. In fact, he *specifically referenced* Clinton in his gaffe, yet he lambasted her over an impersonal example.

This lame hypocrisy reduces him to the level of another blow-hard pundit. I’m sad because I thought he was better than that.

[dora rice]

YES I USED TO WATCH HIS COMMENTS ON THE WAR AND THE ADMINISTRATION . BUT NOW HE HAS BECOME A WHINER AND TELLS SOP STORIES AND HATEFUL RETHORIC ABOUT ANOTHER CANDIDATE. HE HAS THROWN IN TOWEL FOR OBAMA. GOOD WRITENS OLBERMAN WE CAN DO WITHOUT YOU.

[handyallen1]

quit yelling

[highlighter]

try spelling

[lloydc123]

Hillary Clinton was making the point that other campaigns had lasted til June. That's it. Olberman, like Hannity, Mike Molloy, Linbaugh and Colmes say what they say to stir up their followers. That's how they keep their jobs and make big bucks.

[rlthorn]

Hillary is nothing if not a polarizer (sic).If you are a fan, anything that detracts from her forward movement is trampling on the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, etc. Olberman was spot on with his comment on Ms. Clinton. The last reference to "assassination" was just one in a series of such references, six, in all,I believe. She is transparently just and only a politician. She will say anything, do anything to get this nomination. Unite the "hard working white people" with "assassination" and you get a relative of Lee Harvey Oswald. I believe she has come unhinged. Of course,

[dora rice]

AND SO DOES OBAMA.

[benedict15]

Hey rlthorn where did you get the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald was hard working?