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

[tedbear]

McCain, as Bush before, him have taken a play from Hermann Goering's play book:

"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." Hermann Goering

[Wallysmom]

WOW, tedbear...that quote was incredible. So much of the great commentary is on these forums and posts. Too bad the mainstream media doesn't peruse the HuffPost site. They are missing some great opinions and writings....

[macintoshsauce]

That is just too ironic IMO.

[peteepoo]

Did 9/11 happen? then what's the problem....... "difficult to watch" what kind of disclaimer is that? Disclaimer doesn't read: WARNING "graphic scenes" or even "parental discretion is advised".... but
"DIFFICULT TO WATCH". Tough!!!
Watch it, remember it, and take to heart the message that we are still at war with an enemy that wants to kill us. Why?
Our freedom, incidentally the same freedom that allows us all to disagree on this forum.
"Freedom isn't free"..... yeah whatever...... to 90% of you loose tongued ingrates, your freedom has been and will continue to be free.
no service to country, no service beyond self.... just the same obsession with your own "freedom" and how you can hide behind a rock and hope that noone with more motivation comes and takes it from you.

[dancewosleeping]

"The first attack occurred in Iran..." WTF???

[blue meanie]

I cannot agree with Keith Olbermann that this video was objectionably graphic. This video was, however, disturbingly inaccurate and misleading.

The first "attack" was the taking of American hostages in Tehran? No. In fact, the Iranians helped us defeat the Taliban after 9/11. But of course Jimmy Carter was president when the hostages were taken. That was the unspoken point there. Notice, no mention of the Beirut bombing of our marine barracks under Reagan, or the fact that Reagan traded arms to Iran.

Then there was the reference to "a war we never chose to fight." Really. We did not choose to fight the first Gulf War? Does anyone really think we would have been attacked on U.S. soil on 9/11 if we had not waged that war?

"And we remember the heroes ..." Yeah, we remember all right. We remember how Bush's EPA told those workers that it was safe to breathe the air at ground zero. We remember in just what regard they held those heroes.

"We will never let it happen again." Yeah, but you did let it happen on 9/11, didn't you? Just the pretext you needed to launch your second Gulf War. You know, the one you intended to launch even before your were elected. The one Osama bin Laden himself hoped you would launch because he knew how much it would cost, and how much it would aid his cause.

[doctordoubt]

Too sick at heart to comment.

[SamThornton]

As others have correctly pointed out, Iraq bears exactly zero relationship to the 9/11 attack. The Afghanistan link is less tenuous, although, after having routed Al-Qaeda from their safe haven in Afghanistan, the rationale for our continued military presence even there is becoming increasingly less obvious, sort of analogous to curing cancer by killing all the potential cancer patients.

Republican political tactics using 9/11 are what used to be called, "waving the bloody flag," an attempt to rally political support with patriotic demagoguery aimed at inducing group war hysteria. Say of him what you will, but Rudy Guiliani, one of Keith's frequent (and well deserved) targets correctly discerned early on that the only effective Republican focus should be on a noun, a verb, and 9/11.

[votingforobama08]

In my opinion, the RNC has sunk to an all time new low....and quite frankly I didn't think that was possible. How DARE they take this day of national tragedy and exploit it for their own use. Where was the mention of how Bush had ignored the memos warning of impending attacks by the terrorists? Where was the footage of Bush reading "My Pet Goat" and staring into space for 7 minutes before reacting? If they wanted to show a truthful portrayal of how they would handle things differently, then they needed to show all of what happened in the time leading up to as well as the events of that day. But no.....instead, our wounds were reopened and they exploited the memories of all those wonderful people whose voices have been silenced. How dare they do this....and be applauded. How dare they. I am disgusted.

[Pamela1961]

I watched the first tower hit and then the second. It was so much a nightmare at first I wouldn't accept it. My insides wanted to sink into the pavement. Just typing this makes me cry, as not only was it horrific. We saw people jumping. I worked there a couple years before and I lost a lot of friends. I know there is a saying that we should not forget history or we are doomed to repeat it. We see the horrors still of the holocaust and still morons don't believe it took place.

[outragedaustin]

Surely you people can't be serious?!! Right after 9/11 America was filled w/ the promise that "We will never forget!" Our nation was united in grief and we realized that the enemy is NOT each other (ie not BUSH), it's those maniacal terrorists who flew the planes into the buildings...who attacked us unprovoked. America may not be a perfect nation (show me one that is) but I believe our good FAR outweighs our bad (see also the billions in aid we give away ever year, our example of democracy, WWII, etc...). That's why this attack was so despicable.
We should never forget. I hope those images of the buildings burning never leave any of our minds! Shame on you Olbermann for your BLATANTLY partisan bias! Really, we're bodies shown flying from the windows? From your comments I expected to see "R rated" violence.
London has a 3 story museum dedicated ENTIRELY to the Holocaust. Washington D.C. has a museum entirely dedicated to the Holocaust. I'm not a Jew but I've spent hours in both and I've seen myriads of pictures of emaciated, cruelly murdered humans. Those exhibits make that video look like a disney show. Yet, know one, especially the Jewish community, takes offense at these. No...because we WANT to REMEMBER.
Stop drinking the kool-aidl. NEVER FORGET!

[ohiomark]

Memo to Keith:

Stop pretending that you speak for all of us. It's not even close. At best, you speak to the DailyKook and MoveOn.org crowd.

It's important to be reminded who our enemies are and the destruction they are capable of.

[iralarry]

When you stop being fearful of death, the most natural course for human life, all life, then fear tactics will not work. What is being exploited is just that. We are "endowed (by their Creator) with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We are also self-aware of our transience in life and that acceptance of the inevitable is point and center to how well adjusted we are in actually living fully and productively, to how we view and respect others in the same boat. If we are so one for all and all for one, why then do we constantly offer up our neighbors to save us-ie the men and women who serve-rather than just going ourselves and doing the work? Pretty hypocritical if you ask me.

[jerseymaiden]

Jeepers! Talk about PROPAGANDA!!

[LordVaden]

Never Forget!

[Vermontah]

Never Forget?
Never forget that the Republicans have been exploiting this tragedy for political gain for 7 long years?
Never forget that GWB forgot the people who attacked us on 9/11 so he could attack Iraq?
Never forget that people like LordVaden have used 9/11 to divide us, to challenge the patriotism of others.
Never forget the politics of fear, which is still being employed.
Never forget the war profiteering.
Never forget the torture.

Never forget it was our policies that created the hatred that led to these attacks.

NEVER FORGET that these people did not lose their lives just so the Republicans can hold political power.

I'm not going to forget that day, Mr. LordVaden, but I don't need you or the Republicans to remind me of it. What I'm really never going to forget is how you and your party have perverted this national tragedy for political gain. That I will never forget.

[RDStrength]

I'll never forget!! ...that Georgie Jr. and the soft, roly-poly chickenhawk republicans were in charge that day. The administration should have wanted to run as far away as possible from 9/11 instead of embracing it - mentioning it every other word.

The democrats did a disservice to this country by having too much dignity to play politics with 9/11. You can't play fair with cheaters, can't play clean with dirt bags, and you can't appeal to the good sense of people who have none.

The democrats should have hung the tragedy around the neck of the republicans where it belongs - and then beat them like a drum with it.

[GBrown]

Yes I remember - in my 40's I was ready to enlist. I live 12 miles from the Pentagon and 5 members of my church died in that attack. I also remember the sympathy of the world.

I also remember writing to the O'Reilly Factor, at the time my favorite show, and suggesting they lay out the companies buying oil from the Middle East so we could choose to not enrich our enemies every time we filled our tanks. No story, no reply. I was so stupid.

Mark Warner put it well at his DNC address - by showing some leadership Bush could have, at that time, guided our country to true energy independence. You know, sort of the way Kennedy inspired us to get to the moon? It wasn't about Kennedy - just like, today, the election isn't about Obama. It's about what we can achieve as a society.

For the GOP, though, it really is about enriching some folks - in Alaska, in Texas, in Saudi Arabia. It's about bucks - not caribou, dollars.

To attempt to use the events of 9/11 for political ends, as this video does, is beneath contempt.

[Pamela1961]

Exactly! Thank you. It is painful but we must NEVER forget!

[johnthomascook]

It is ok. I guess the children in the country just do not matter. Sounds like he go pressured or just forgot to make sure the children are protected next time.

[vincealy]

The people running John McCain will lie ; cheat; smear . Do or say anything. . Rove trained . That McCain has decided to be branded with the KR brand tells the truth about his maverick status .McCain once a proud maverick now just one more hack in the Bush, Chaney ,Rove heard

[yngcelt]

"The people running John McCain will lie ; cheat; smear . Do or say anything. "
Oh, unlike the people running Obama? Let's see, first he says how he understands and represents the working class in our country and then turns around and says they rely on "religion and guns"?
LOL
How freakin' naive are you? I mean seriously! Do you honestly believe that a democrat politician or candidate is 100% honest?
If you do, I have some really beautiful ocean front property in Tucson I can sell you at a really great price!
LOL

[ccpostman]

They should have shown Bush reading "My Pet Goat" with it.

[foxflood]

Haha. YES. God, they should all be in jail.

[tedbear]

I can visualize that!
Keith is a sweetheart, I hope he decides to run that Palin church video, not the one just her talking, the whole deal that is on this site today from utube. Scary. Every media outlet should run it all day for a month like Rev. Wright!

[SenzuriChampion]

Community service is a joke, weren't you paying attention to the RNC?