Olbermann Rips AP Reporter's Analysis Of Obama Speech (VIDEO)

In an unusually heated attack on a veteran political reporter by a cable news host, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann laced into the Associated Press's Charles Babington an hour after Barack Obama had concluded his speech in Denver on Thursday night.

With rare exception, nearly all of the top commentators and reporters on the three cable news networks had hailed Obama's speech as something new and powerful, and filled with specifics, and predicted it would have a positive effect on his chances vs. John McCain. This hallelujah chorus included conservatives such as Bill Kristol and Pat Buchanan and the longtime Republican David Gergen, as well as Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. Buchanan called it the best and most important political convention speech he had ever heard, going back 48 years.

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WATCH OLBERMANN'S CRITICISM:

Comments

[123dee]

KO speaks his mind and heart I feel he is very honest. At times I have disagreed with his
view and I have heard him disagree or be disappointed with Obama. I am a 59 W/F, I started
watching countdown 8 months ago, I cannot believe how much I have grown . Once a willing
little lamb eager to be fed BS from news print. I listened to Obama's speech last night, along
with the feeling of hope, pride I found comfort in his logical achievable strategies and solutions Americas 21st century challenges. That AP review is way off base.

[bygollymissmolly]

As more and more people figure out what O'bama is all about by things like listening to the speech last night and reading his web page, people are going to start realizing how much they are being lied to by the press. As that happens, they will stop reading newspapers and watching mainstream TV, and will turn to the internet for their news. The MSM may just be digging their own grave by this biased reporting.

[Okieborn]

CNN=FOX SLIME !!
NOT A NEWS Station a 3rd Rate Tabloid !!!!!

[DesertLight]

I had the same take as Babbington did before I ever heard of this.

O says he's changing politics of personal @ttacks, then spends 20 minutes personally att@cking JMC.

[Soundofthunder]

Like a high school kid who doesn't want to write a term paper, the AP released a prefabricated piece of froth as organ of record for what was a take-no-prisoners attack on McCain and the Bush years coupled with the delineation of 29 SPECIFIC platforms, stirring, vivid prose delivered with the elan and sangfroid of a statesman.

The MSM, once again, has proven itself to be laughably lacking in integrity, neutrality and facts.

SOT

[alieninvader]

It almost sounds like he wrote the piece without even hearing the speech. 35 minutes? Any journalist with integrity needs to get the basic facts right.

[semperfido]

We were on the edge of the political desert when the drugs began to take hold...I cannot believe the BS I am reading here. The AP, part of a right-wing conspiracy? 40 Pulitzers, more than any other single media outlet? Owned, not by the Moonies as suggested below, but by a non-profit co-op of 1500 local US media companies? With a website that puts false Obama rumors to rest http://www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/wn_071808b.htmll)? That's the same AP that's part of a right-wing, pro-McCain conspiracy? What are all you Cassandras smoking? It sure ain't facts and reason...

[alieninvader]

Are you familiar with Ron Fournier?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12149.html

[semperfido]

I don't see anything convincing in the piece you cite, even from the openly non-objective sources, that suggests Fournier is a McCain hitman--much less that proves Babbington and the AP in general are suspect.

[bygollymissmolly]

AP took a decided right turn months ago. Since all you listen to is Faux Noise and Rush Limpball, you missed the right turn.

[roch20]

I love Keith Olbermann, if you're a true democrat, you gotta love him; but if you're just watching politics for because of one candidate and one candidate only, then you may not like him... Kudos to Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, good job!!!!

[JohnShank]

If you are an American citizen who wants what's best for the U.S.A. you don't listen to just one knee-jerk commentator. I like Olbermann as well....fo­r some things, for others he is too liberal. You can't be just one thing or another. Be a thinking citizen FIRST.

[hoopesaz]

MSNBC has ruined their political coverage with Olbermann. He's as biased to the left as Rush is to the right, and he has the maturity of the average AM sports radio broadcast. It used to be my cable news of choice...n­ow I can't stand to watch it.

[bygollymissmolly]

Like the folks on Faux Noise and not biased and are so mature. Right...

I really don't care if you don't like Olberman. But I do think that we on the left deserve at least two champions of our cause (like Olberman and Maddow).

[Strywever]

I disagree. Olbermann doesn't fabricate. Rush and Co. do.

[Busterdawg]

A true democrat? Only anyone not a true democrat could love him.

He's a left-wing partisan, not a democrat. He spins and shades the truth to his liking. He is unfair and small minded.

Olbermann sees himself as some latter day Edward R. Murrow. He's not even close. His career trajectory is more like Walter Winchell's. Winchell was anti-Nazi and anti-fascist early on during the 1930s, a noble and just cause. By the late 1940s he had become an ego maniac who enjoyed wielding the power he had and tried to destroy the careers of personal or political enemies. He becomes a supporter Senator Joseph McCarthy and his Red Scare tactics and eventually disgraces himself.

Olbermann should stop the "Good Night and Good Luck" sign off at the end of Countdown and switch to "Good Night Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea." as a fitting tribute to his true media doppleganger.

[foxfan]

I just heard Hannitty say Obama's speech was a lackluster rehashing of things he has already said. Gee, I thought he and Keith would have been on the same page on this one.

[JohnShank]

Hannity is a coward and an idiot.

[foxfan]

I'm guessing you never bring much to a conversation, do you?

[hoopesaz]

Juan Williams from NPR said just about the same thing. Bill Kristol loved it, Juan felt it came up short. I was suprised to see that reversal on Fox. Of course, MSNBC could do nothing but croon over the speech. I like Obama a lot, but their Obama lust (led by Olbermann) was too much to stomach.

[foxfan]

i think people hear what they want to hear and then like or dislike those who they think heard the same thing. All I want from the great KO is for him to politely accept that others may have an opinion different than his.

[debrasue]

Yes, the idea that the media is liberal is crazy....w­hy is this still being touted by everyone..­..the majority of the media companies seem so biased against Obama that it is time to insist on true journalists to come back as part of the news. The AP news article KO mentions is sad. It is as if he wrote it before the speech and wasn't in the arena with everyone else who was truly moved and inspired. Thank goodness for KO for his candor. I am thankful MSNBC still allows some critical opinions based on facts and intelligence.

[foxfan]

I hear the right complain that the media is so pro-Obama, but I hear the left complain the the media is so anti-Obama. Does this mean that the media is presenting a balanced argument or that we can't stand it if the media isn't in 100% agreement with our own opinions?

[alieninvader]

Um...no. If you look at the actual coverage, yes, Mc Cain has less coverage, but most of it is positive. O's coverage is more frequent, but more negative.

[Rjmartinelli]

No, it means the Republicans are considering more coverage to all be good for Obama, whereas anyone watching knows that 75% of it is negative coverage deeply looking into any possible flaw they can find on the man.

They're doing their damnedest to tear this man apart for ratings and he isn't budging.

[Kiabell04]

Not at all. The media is highly critical of Sen. Obama. Though I don't expect them to love him 24/7, I do expect unbiased coverage. The majority of McCains coverage is positive and he's never questioned or taken to task by the AP. Its disgusting.

[alieninvader]

The repug tactic is always to call things the opposite of what they are...libe­ral media, blue skies initiative, patriot act, WMD's, etc.

[wndrwrthg]

Constitution "nothing more than a damned piece of paper".

[vlebje]

Don't be so optimistic about MSNBC. If you have watched Morning Joe recently, you know that his program is now pretty much an echo of Fox News. Indeed, as I was watching, I thought I saw the image of Roger Ailes in the background! Keith, and perhaps Andrea are the only two left that has anything positive to say about Obama. I am now watching other news programs, but CNN with their Campbell Brown, the most biased Republican "reporter" ever to be, is just as bad. I am flat sick of the slop that we are seeing on these channels. The media have gone over the edge and we must come up with another way of communicating news.

[hoopesaz]

"it is time to insist on true journalists to come back as part of the news"

And this is a response in support of Olbermann? A true journalist is not one who has picked a side and then shamelessly promotes his opinion. A true journalist tells the story as best s/he can through unbiased glasses. Olbermann, bless his heart, isn't even aware of the fact that there is such a thing as "two sides to every story".

[alieninvader]

Olbermann doesn't claim to be objective. He's a commentator, not a journalist. He knows the difference.

[bygollymissmolly]

Because the right wing thinks if you tell a lie enough times people will start believing it. Unfortunately for them, they have cried wolf one too many times.

[Mysticalsister]

Thanks Keith -- for staying vigilant. I would never have believed that the AP could be as corrupt as Faux Noise -- but whoop, there it is. Unlike the other falsehoods that AP has promoted, 38 million people just happened to have watched the speech last night. And if those people are like me, they are sending their e-mails to: ap.orgp.org and letting them know just how much this stinks.

No matter what party you belong to, the knowledge that the media outlet that hundreds of newspapers trust to give them the facts is blatantly corrupt, should make you furious.

Charles Babington -- FIND NEW WORK.

[Opus007]

I love Olbermann. I thought Obama's speech was the best speech I have ever seen. I liked the whole event from start to finish. It's no surprise that the speech got rave reviews- I don't know what Babington was smoking- but that was a dumb position to take when you could so easily see how well it was received. You have to do your own thinking anyway- not just swallow what the MSM media is force feeding us. The corportate owned media has it's own agenda and it is not us! Theh MSM was instrumental in the selling of the Iraq war.

Now with McCain picking the totally unqualified Sara Palin for VP you can be sure there is some other agenda other than the woman's vote- like BIG OIL. But don't expect the MSM to dig into that backstory.

[hhkeller]

Olberman is working for the campaign and lost all sense of balance.
Havent watch his show in a year.

[Lolasmom]

It is entirely YOUR LOSS hhkeller.

Olbermann and Maddow the FEW intelligent voices left in TV LAND.

He was absolutely CORRECT, as he always is. THe ONLY ONE to stand up and demand accountability.

WAY TO GO KEITH!
THANK YOU For being out there

[hoopesaz]

Demand accountability for what? A different opinion? Nobody can disagree with the massively intelligent Maddow and Olbermann anymore?

[bygollymissmolly]

So, I suppose you watch Fox and think they are balanced. Right.... I doubt you ever watched Olberman in the first place.

[norkas]

hhkeller sit back drink you beer Mc Cain has picked a GREAT V.P.. for and also take your shotgun sit it on your lap with your rocking chair and relax

[JohnTalbutt]

As the posts below indicate, many people are wise to the lying that has characterized the AP more and more in recent years,

And again Keith Olbermann is the first to tell the public through the mass media that the fish stinks..

[1rewd1]

I'm beginning to like KO less and less ...

[clearthinker2008]

Yeah, that truth telling is a reason to dislike the guy. I like to be lied to by AP all the time. So, I'm with you 1rewd1 100%.

[1rewd1]

Um, I'm a Democrat and can't stand FOX ... but the snide snarkiness of the left isn't an appealing alternative.

[bygollymissmolly]

So, go back to Fox, we won't miss you.