Keith Olbermann Apologizes For RNC's Graphic 9/11 Tribute (VIDEO)

A visibly upset Keith Olbermann apologized to viewers Thursday night for the graphic 9/11 tribute played in the lead-up to John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

Olbermann said of the video:

"If at this late date, any television network had, of its own accord, shown that much video tape and that much graphic video tape of 9/11...it, we, would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that video tape the way I did, I apologize. It is a subject of great pain, for many of us still, and it was probably not appropriate to be shown."

Watch Olbermann's reaction:

The graphic video in question (WARNING: MAY BE DIFFICULT TO WATCH):

Comments

[Belladonnamc]

Keith,
Your comments about the 9/11 video displayed during the RNC showed deep sensitivity and compassion for the dead and for all of us who witnessed that day and are still grieving. Thank you, and please know I think the WORLD of you!

[jasinta]

A friend said it better than I could: Perhaps never in the course of American history have so few owed so much to the sacrifice of so many as the war profiteers and the borrow-and-spend Republicans who enrich them owe to the September 11, 2001 victims.

[jasinta]

a FRIEND OF MINE SAID IT BETTER THAN i COULD:::: Perhaps never in the course of American history have so few owed so much to the sacrifice of so many as the war profiteers and the borrow-and-spend Republicans who enrich them owe to the September 11, 2001 victims.

[jcharlotte]

I think many citizens in this country are too brainwashed and afraid to speak up as Mr. Olbermann does; we need him to push some buttons and awaken those who have been sleeping.
Too bad he's not running; but, then, who would fill his shoes: can not think of anyone.
It takes courage to look into that camera, eyeball the person your scrutinizing and angrily fill those mikes with sounds of truth. This man speaks what I think.

[gako]

Olbermann was seen taking money from the Obama staff to attack Palin on the air.

[suvbaby]

TALK ABOUT SCARY, EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS AND PASS IT ON.

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=PdJUCU1UH2w&rel=0&eurl=http%3A//www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/9/55118/43459/1023/591906&iurl=http%3A//i1.ytimg.com/vi/PdJUCU1UH2w/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskK-txDyWGQtxb2scbdCnLQo&use_get_video_info=1&load_modules=1&fs=1&hl=en&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1

[rubicon101]

hey wait a minute, I thought the republicans were the ones that use the 'fear card' ,,,you mean the democrats have that card in their deck too? man, that deck is loaded with fear cards and it's just whichever party wants to use it and how they want to use it...
in other words, the democrats are just like the republicans except the democrats 'claim' to be something other than what they truly are...
Another life long democrat that has left the party because of it's lies.

[samlu1]

The were no planes on 911. Watch "September Clues" online.

[CincyB]

Keith was right. It was simply despicable to use footage of the towers burning and the fireball from one of the planes for political purposes. Even if you could not see it, people were dying in that footage. As McCain campaign manager said it's not about the issues. The Republicans must stop this constant demagoguery.

[mikeherner]

If I had any say, those tapes would be re-broadcast every day at 6:00pm to remind all Americans, and liberals, what those savage, sub-humans did to us. We have gotten lazy again, and another attack is guaranteed if the appeaser Barack wins. (How many terroist attacks happened during the Clinton years? Bill is still trying to bring those bastards to justice.)

Olberman is a blowhard. He and he alone knows all, while we peons know nothing. The next good thing he says about our country will be the first good thing he says about our country.

[iambw]

The great thing about KO...there is no evil on the left. Olberman is O'Reilly. You folks who love each do so because they agree with you not because you can actually think independent of them. Party first!

[Katherineo]

It just enrages me to see how low the republicans continue to scrape. Still playing that fear card in spite of the fact that its worn out.
Thank you Keith Olbermann your one of the last classy and deceit newscasters remaining. My family and I admire you!

[dwhite1031]

If the Democrats had used similar footage, you liberals would all be praising it as wonderful, cutting edge, and historical. Worn out? Our country was attacked. Is the American Revolution and the lives lost for freedom from oppression worn out? If the footage had been of the beaches of Normandy, where your right s to exist were defended, would you consider that worn out to? Yeah let's just forget what happened and embrace Al-Queda and all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.
You libs attack McCain and Palin and forget about the infighting during the campaign within your own party. You libs say Sarah Palin isn't being truthful about things she did as Governor of Alaska, but forget about Hillary Clinton's blatant lies about coming under enemy fire on a visit to the Middle East, when it was revealed she was never under fire at all and admitted it later after she was called onn it. Oh but I forgot, she just "misspoke......." Is selective memory a prerequisite for being a liberal? Regardless, may God bless you all, and God Bless America.

[LiberalBuzz]

That was no more a "Tribute" to 9/11 than it wa a walk on Pluto.

THAT was fearmongering and using the deaths of thousands of people for pure political partisanship.

Disgusting. AND YET, people still think the GOP is actually working for them. At what point do they wake up and realize it is the T hug party that has been beating them over the head and claiming it's the dems doing the dirty work?

[rsg5354]

THE REPUBLICANS ARE TRUE JACKA$$E$..........HOW DARE THEY USE THIS FOR POLITICAL GAIN. HAVE NO COMPASSION FOR THE SUFFERING FAMLIES TO MAKE THEM RELIVE THIS. SOMEBODY SHOULD SLAP THEM FOR BEING SO UPPITY!!!

[sklfcats]

He is only upset because he is loosing his job..

[oedenfield]

Are you serious? I saw worse footage of the 911 attack on the History channel yesterday!

[STILLPISSED]

Hey Gako and to ANYBODY else who doesn't like or get KO. Try reading some more. Keith speaks quickly and intelligently. I admit some times it's hard to keep up with him. But if you KO haters and Repub lovers don't like what he says or "spews" change the channel. Continue to listen and BELIEVE what all of the other repugnants say. We Dems will ALWAYS keep the door open for you. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter I believe calls people like you "low information voters". GET INFORMED. Try taking a stand. KO rocks and it is ALWAYS someone below you that tries to take you out.............. It is lonely at the top.....

[InformedChoice]

He would be a great catch for moveon.org. Maybe they will give him a job. Oh wait, they already had, his teleprompter was just a blog feed from moveon.org partisan hacks.

Get used to President McCain, because it's still going to be Senator Obama. Maybe Olbermann can grow a beard and get a Michigan State hat and be the Michael Moore of cable television, that's the level of reporting and objectivity that he has.