Dana Milbank Leaving Countdown With Keith Olbermann

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank will no longer appear on MSNBC's Countdown. Keith Olbermann posted the announcement on Daily Kos:

Dana Milbank of The Washington Post, who notified us today that after four years appearing with us, he had accepted another television offer.

This saved your crack Countdown staff an increasingly difficult decision.

For nearly a week we'd been waiting for him to offer a correction or an explanation for his column from last week in which he apparently reported an Obama quote without a full context turned the meaning of the quote inside-out.

Then he called criticisms of his column "whines" even though the dispute was over whether Obama said the self-deprecating: "It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign -- that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It's about America. I have just become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions" -- or only the part about "I have just become a symbol..."

We had decided not to have Dana on this news-hour again until this was cleared up, and, sadly after some very happy years, he's apparently chosen to make that cloud permanent.

As the Huffington Post reported last week, Milbank took a quote from Barack Obama out of context, using it to label the Democrat "presumptuous."

Olbermann himself writes of Milbank's departure:

It was quite a surprise conclusion, obviously, and I'll take it (before anybody tries to take it back).

I'm sure that wasn't his intention, but often one's best work is inadvertent. I'm just as sure his version of the provenance of the original version of the quote the Post's source provided was accurate. What happened thereafter was the problem.

Comments

[imjustawitchywoman007]

Dana needs to go. Good bye and Good luck. We need the truth.....not spin. It is obvious that this man has an agenda.....instead of admitting to an error (how Bushlike) he leaves the Olbermann show.

What a piece of work!

[All57States]

Can you blame him? If you are going to be on TV why not be on show with some ratings?

[masha2008]

campbell brown does not rate better than keith.

[TKDMike]

MONEY trumps HONOR with these type of people.....idiot

[lennix]

you will be right home with the rest of the liars at cnn you and that f**k up smirk on your face now the lies will flow like rain you pice of s**it

[Superbus]

What, nobody allowed to disagree with Olberman?? Anybody surprised?

[mj11051]

He didn't disagree with Keith, he outright lied and wouldn't correct the lie and he knew Keith wasn't having it so he quit.

[eanderso]

If someone says, "If you think I want to kill people, you're crazy" and you print that the person said "I want to kill people," it's not the same thing. It's about a comment being taken out of context to fit a specious argument. But as an advocate of the specious argument, you knew that, didn't you?

[masha2008]

oh my gosh. this is getting to be tiring. people keep up. they didnt even have a disagreement. is this rally how ignorant americans have become?

[UnbiasView]

Now Keith is down to like 3 guests . .

[ohiomark]

That's what happens when you only allow people you agree with on your show.

[masha2008]

NOT. guess you dont watch it, am i right? so rove. so dosmissive.

[truegreen]

Good riddance to that jacka$$

[liberalnfree]

These two jokers, Olbermann and Milbank, laughed it up and felt disgust together over any number of comments by Senator Clinton taken out of context. As in this case, they pretended words meant what they did not mean by cutting the quote. They went along with the media spin depicting Clinton as a monster. Now Olbermann's values, ie his absolute devotion to Senator Obama, are suddenly affronted by this kind of garbage journalism. Olbermann and Milbank both are hacks. And Olbermann is worse than that, he is a self-righteous poseur who has the gall to compare himself to Edward R Murrow. Any more "special comments" about Geraldine Ferraro, Keith? You defamed her by taking her words out of context. But hey, she supported Clinton so by your lights it was all for a good cause.

[Justsaynodeal]

Katie Couric won the Edward R. Murrow award in journalism this year.............must have made KO cranky!
So maybe it is more appropriate for Katie to sign off with "Good night, and good luck", than it is for wannabee KO who has sold his soul to the 0 campaign. It is quite pretentious for him to use that signature Murrow sign off; but on the other hand he is as presumptuous as his hero, so one might expect him to do it.

[masha2008]

dodnt know who katie slept with to get that awawrd. so undeserved.

[crankiyanki]

I doubt it, he already has an Edward R. Murrow award. You really should do your research before you post.

[Bettysdad]

Pretty
Ugly
Most
Agree

[masha2008]

if ferraro did not say what she said, she'd be in a better position now. she got it wrong and persisted in getting it wrong. it's her fault.

[liberalnfree]

And those who condemn Obama's supposed quote, not knowing the context and not caring to investigate further, are equally convinced that it reveals him to somehow be arrogant. These are the games played by hack journalists and the candidates' political opposition.

[DilemaFl]

Hey Dana

you a hoe!

[Cookie100]

Write to the Wash Post and tell them, you'll contact their advertisers unless they print a correction, ON THE FRONT PAGE! That's all they care about, if you tell them, you will simply complain to their advertisers you'll refuse to buy/use products/services, that outta do it!
I'm in advertising, this always works, everytime.

[Justsaynodeal]

Welcome to the "Freepers" Club..........that is one of their tactics.

[scorpioleidy]

Good riddance to bad rubbish!!!

I was ecstatic last night when Keith said Dana wouldn't be on the show any more! (And it really says a lot about Ms. Milbank if he'd rather quit the show than issue an apology or correction for his erroneous reporting about Obama!)

I was so upset over this last week that I sent emails to Ms. Dana and MSNBC demanding a retraction or correction ... and, of course, I got no response. When Keith didn't address what Dana did, I thought he was letting him get away with it. Little did I know ...

Keith, you did the right thing, and my faith in your integrity and Countdown is restored!!!

I'm a faithful viewer (twice a night!) and your most devoted Olbermanniac!!!

[jayburd]

Dana Milbank is a coward. All he had to do was admit that he messed up, that it wasn't his intention to characterize Obama as the raging egotist his column made him out to be, and all would be forgiven and forgotten. But no. In the great modern American tradition he chose the road of deny, make excuse, deny again, make yourself out to be the victim, deny again, dismiss allegation as "whining," and finally give it the classic "F you all, I don't need you" maneuver and take a "better offer."

Good riddance, I say.

[Justsaynodeal]

"Dana Milbank is a coward. All he had to do was admit that he messed up"

To some people that shows courage......not to go with the sheeple!

[westreal]

Guess we know how Milbank's going to vote.

[scorpioleidy]

I'm thinking Fox/Faux/Fake/Fixed Noise/News is in his future ...

[SMP]

He was on Campbell Brown Election Center last night.

[michaelgp72]

Good riddens!!! Do not let the door hit you in the a** on the way out !!! You were pretty dishonest to begin with. (You swiftboster)!

[DebofMD]

I've been reading Milbank's articles on Obama in the Washington Post the last 4/5 months and they have been so sarcastic and negative toward Obama. It's clear he's not a fan and this time all his prejudices caught up with him. Have fun at CNN, Dana. You will not be missed.

[starfire426]

Could FOXNOISE be in Dana's future???