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

[Gina2929]

It appeared that the theme of the RNC convention was about WAR and McCain justifying his position to continue the war if he becomes President. It is scary to think that he, and not Palin, is a heartbeat away from the Presidency given the temperament of the man.

[dagiffy]

how do you know the temperament of the man? Have you met him? Chatted with him? How would you know? Oh, yes, the bleeding hearted liberal media! Well, they don't distort anything. You can take the viewpoint of any media but Fox right to the bank.

[herronsmith]

I think it scary either of them would be running the country.

[Susej]

Mark my word; In the coming weeks, the polls will show that 49% believe that Iran is behind 9/11.
Not sure if the Republicans are that manipulative, or half of us are that stoooopid.

[foxflood]

Only the 700 people with landlines that they called.

Modern polling is not taking into consideration how most people now have cellphones only.

[pbziegler]

I'd put my money on both theories. Maybe Americans deserve McCain and Palin. If as a nation we are so dumbed down as to be unable to separate fact from fiction, hype from reality, then what can you expect.? Haven't heard one really good argument for McCain and Palin presented by their fans. Lots of sound bites and inane comments. Sad comment on the future of a country founded on Enlightenment ideas that we're returning to the Age of Ignorance not seen since the Middle Ages. Only now we have nuclear weapons in the hands of crazy people

[politicalminded]

Agreed......That's why we should all go to the polls in Nov and get these War mongers out of there.

[poulette23]

Yes! I noticed that the video began with a comment about how all of this started in Iran. And Bush has been dying to go to war with Iran for months now. I'm so afraid that he'll get us into one more war...kicking us in the teeth one more time...before he leaves office. This is just so dangerous.
The only way McCain is going to win is if he scares people into voting for him. I have a bad feeling that this video is just the beginning.

[cimbassoman]

it can't be both?

[jumpjumphalt]

and my gut tells me our government was behind all of this. that is what is so sickening.

[thesedarkages]

Our government was not behind it. But the Republican party is trying to benefit from it, that is what is so sickening.

[Vinca]

jumpjumphalt: If you're talking about our gov being involved in 9/11, my gut tells me they are

[Cerus]

I could not watch the 9/11 video. It was too painful. And lest we fprget, our fearful leader was MIA for many critical hours during which the whole nation struggled to find leadership, in the midst of chaos. But it doesn't surprise me that the GOP and the McCain camp exploited those images to propagandize their agenda of "Me First!" After all, there's still more oil to drill, drill, drill for in Alaska. And there's also the matter of bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.

[Anonani]

Just imagine the DNC and Obama having used anything related to the tragic event! It would have been 10 times worse for Obama than the Rev Wright debacle!

[DG3]

Yep, they milked the tragedy for all it was worth. Although the video wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to see bodies falling and people on fire.

[Adiel]

So the Republicans use 9-11 not as scare tactic, but rather to remind us to take security seriously.

Please remind me who was President (not to mention House & Senate majority) that infamous day?...

And on vacation after had been advised of the threat!!!

Will someone PLEASE explain how this damn fool does not get BLAMED for ignoring the threat and going on holiday instead.

[knowhelpnow]

Mass Media bought and paid or scared, don't forget the anthx that was sent out, by the GOP.

[InLosAngeles]

Please take your tinfoil hat and tinpan comments to DailyKos or DU. They are embraced and cultivated over there. This is the grownups table.

[Pegi]

They tried to lay the blame on Bill Clinton's presidency. At least that's what they kept saying when it first happened, that it was Clinton's fault!!!!

[shiznit613]

Because the clinton administration had 8 years to deal with al qaida and didnt. Remember there was a late election that year, and W's cabinet was not fully in place till February. February to September to deal with this threat, while Clinton had 1992-2000 to deal with it. Doesnt really seem that fair now does it? USS cole, twin bombings on US embassies in Africa, world trade center bombing one, and somalia all happened on Clintons watch, but does he hold any blame for the lack of competance of our intelligence agencies. Just remember, Janet Reno pushed for the seperation of powers within the intelligence communities in 1998. That ultimately allowed Al Qaida to get to the planning stages they did, under the radar. I mean the FBI couldnt share info with the CIA and visa versa. http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_hr/s980422-jr.htm Ask Sandy Burger, I am sure he knows something! :-)

[Megs528]

This is just pure disrespect...9-11 was a horrible tragedy...it is one that no one has forgotten...but using it to make a political statement of "vote for us we'll protect you" that is just too sad for words...this reeks of propaganda...and ya know when this happened I do not recall blood spatter pictures...I'm not saying that we should just forget because we can't and we shouldn't, but to use 9-11 in such an obviously propaganda move to scare voters is disgusting...

[aprilshowers]

It is appalling how the Republicans have used 9/11 to politically blackmail the American people into thinking that they are the only party to protect our security. May I remind everyone that 9/11 happened during a Republican administration---THIS ADMINISTRATION.

[genseric13]

The Dems are always overly scared about the Rs using a security related issue in order to help them in politics. It's to such an absurd level that no R in theory can even mention 9-11. How can we defend against another 9-11 is no one is allowed to look at it squarely and talk about it seriously?

[Rjmartinelli]

This was not looking at the event squarely, or discussing it. This was a tribute to massacre, a tribute to carnage, and a tribute to terror.

The issue is not discussing 9/11 or ways to avoid it ever happening again. The issue is the callous and blatant politicizing of the deaths of those people.

As it was shown amidst a rally for a single political party in tribute to John McCain's nomination it is and should be described as an act of politics by its very nature.

[ttmatthe]

There's talking about it seriously and then capitalizing on it for your own benefit. That's how the GOP tricked Americans into supporting an irrelevant war, and that's how Bush stayed in office for an extra four years.

The GOP is incapable of talking about the event seriously. To say they could would be to suggest that they have enough respect for the American people not to use on of the most traumatic events in our nation's history to goad us into keeping them in power while they rape our country and take our money, prosperity, and freedom.

[alieninvader]

I hope it is being discussed in the Government. Unfortunately, the only discussion we are privy to is basically telling us to "remember the fear". I am not a fearful person. I refuse to live my life in fear. I am willing to make sacrifices if that's necessary. I am willing to do my part in stopping our financing of the terrorists by using less oil. In fact, I've already cut my oil consumption considerably.

The only mention of sacrifice has been in the way of sacrificing our freedoms...they same freedoms George Bush claims they attacked us for. If we let the Government take away those freedoms, aren't we actually surrendering to the terrorists?

Have you ever asked yourself why the two cities that were attacked on 9/11 are still so strongly Democratic?

[doug108]

How about starting to defend against another 9-11 by focusing on where it started - Afghanistan! What did Irag have to do with the attacks against us on 9-11? Every R in theory, including the top dog, should answer to why we are spending $$$ and lives in Irag which had nothing to do with 9-11. McCain was right there all along the way supporting this war too. This video was inappropriate.

[island of domination]

According to Oxford English Dictionary: TER.ROR.ISM - The use of violent action in order to achieve political aims or to force a government to act. TER.ROR.IZE - To frighten and threaten people so they will not oppose sth or will do as they were told.

Now tell me: What are Mr. Bush & co.? They are the real terrorists. It's that simple. There's no "Axis of Evil". There's no "Terrorist Menace". All signs SCREAM that 9/11 was orchestrated by the government itself, in order to justify invading Afghanistan, Iraq and so on, to take their petrol, and take away your so-talked-about "freedom". Think, seriously: ARE YOU REALLY FREE?

Do you think they care for 3000 lives? HA! 3000 people being brutally killed means nothing to the government. You all must do something NOW, or the whole world will be damned.

[strawberryjulius]

I live in New York and I'm not afraid. New York leans democratic. If you look at the electoral map by county most cities are dark blue. Apparently, only those who are least likely to be affected by terrorism are afraid of it and motivated to vote republican.

[janinius]

precisely! i lived in DC during 9/11 and now am in NYC - i can see where the towers once stood outside my office window. and i have been saying for years, those who are no where near the focus of any terrorist attack are the most fearful of it. and they are GOP supporters. why is this? I think it is because those of us who lived through it, understand it more. we are not blinded by the bs drama that the neo-cons push because we lived through ti first hand. FIRST HAND. we understand that the disastrous policies of this administration have made us more of a target, more hated, more despised. Because guess what? when people come to your real backyard you start to care even more why. it is called education. caring about the crisis and opinions abroad, realizing definitively that the us is not the end all be all.

[MercAngel]

Personally, I don't feel the video was inappropriate considering the RNC ran it and their candidate is a former military member who believes in what America is doing in Iraq.

Nor do I feel it is overly graphic in any way, shape or fashion. My heart breaks for those who lost loved ones in the attacks. All the same, others become complacent and forget. It is good to be reminded and to have the memory of those attacks burned in our hearts forever, just as those who lost loved ones will have the memory burned forever in theirs. The burden should be borne by all.

Americans should be vigilant for their safety on American soil. Complacency and a lack of vigilance is what allowed the attacks in the first place. We are not safe anymore. Better to fight the war there than to bring it here.

[StillIRise]

First of all, our engagement in Iraq has nothing to do with 911 and the World Trade Towers, and showing the video was simply an effort by the GOP to once again make a connection that wasn't there.

Secondly, though your heart breaks for those who lost loved ones in the attack, exploiting this tragedy for political purposes does not in any possible way give honor to those who died on 911 or as a result of the 911 attacks, nor does it honor them by lying about the connection between 911 and Iraq.

Finally, "fighting the war there, so we don't have to fight it here" is no more than a Republican talking point that is as meaningless as "stay the course," "we'll step down when they step up," "Mission Accomplished," or winning or losing this Iraq war. In fact, the word "war" itself is misleading. The war against those who attacked us is in Afghanistan, but unfortunately our government wasn't vigilant enough to remember this. So they created a war in Iraq, bringing Al Queda there as well, and the majority of the people we were fighting and calling "terrorists" were Iraqi insurgents trying to protect their homeland from occupation. The Iraq war itself has made us less secure than we were before 911.

You have obviously bought into the GOP and Fox News garbage hook, line and sinker!

[Probus]

Bravo!

[DesertDivine]

Excellent post and I agree completely. If the Bush administration had been paying attention to the country's business prior to 911 and our president not off cutting brush in Crawford, 911 might have been prevented. When Rice told him in the now infamous PDB that Bin Laden was determined to strike us here, why did he not make some moves to prevent it? Rumsfeld was all about star wars and missile defense and paid no attention to the real threats we were facing. The Bush team was briefed thoroughly by the Clinton people about the dire threat from Al Qaeda yet they chose to ignore it. Hell, Tenet and Clark both told the Bush gang repeatedly about this situation and how critical it was . Why are they not held accountable for incompetence for that? They have been complete failures in everything they have done except to line the pockets of the likes of Haliburton. Now they have certainly done a brilliant job of that.

And I don't think they ever intended to get Bin Laden or it would have been done by now. They need the boogie man out there somewhere to continue playing their fear card. It used to be the communists, now it is the terrrorists. We need to be afraid all right.

[Canuck4Obama]

Finally. Perseverance works! I knew I would eventually stumble across an intelligent view concerning the USA in Iraq . Kudos to you!

What I really don't understand is why there aren't more people that see this??

I hope during the next 2 months those who seem totally brainwashed (and willing to buy into anything these rednecks want to throw at them) have a divine intervention of sorts, although somehow I doubt that'll happen!

Barack Obama HAS to win Nov. 4th...the alternative is very, very scary.

[Rjmartinelli]

Americans should also stay vigilant for the sanctity of our freedoms and the use of propaganda against the American people; for the fear of death and destruction is the very root of terrorism.

And in this case it is not Al-Qaeda that is trying to remind Americans of our weakness, of what could possibly happen, it's one of the parties of this great nation spreading fearful propaganda so that people will support their personal and meaningless wars with phrases like "Better to fight the war there than to bring it here."

This was an act of domestic terror.

[Spinsterina]

Anyone who still believes that the phrase "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here" make any sense whatsoever is not very bright. It was illogical in the first place. And now its just a joke.

[AbbieHoffman2]

I think you are lost and should go back to one of you war-mongering websites. Were you trying to find Rush and accidently got here?

[herronsmith]

You replied to the wrong poster, Abbie. I think it isMercAngel who is "lost" not Politicalminded. And MercAngel is very lost, I might add.

[politicalminded]

So why should the people that lost loved ones during 9/11 be constantly reminded of this tragedy let alone the Country. A lot of us are trying to move on. Just remember that more 4000 troops have died in Iraq and more than 600,000 Iraqis and the numbers are certainly more than that and I feel it's our job to bring them home by getting these guys out of there.

[americanfabius]

Nothing there anybody hasn't seen before, but a lot there that too many people have forgotten about.

[janinius]

where were you on 9/11? I was in DC and I lived it. I still live it being a nyc resident. I see the white lights from ground zero from my office window when the light of day fades. i lost firemen from my local department on that day. i have not forgotten. no one here has forgotten. and I am utterly appalled by its clear exploitation. and i am voting obama. fear is a trap, it is dishonest. when you can't explain what you willd o to make things better you scare people into thinking without you, another 9/11 will happen. please. it is transparent. it is pathetic. and only those who live no where near the epi-centers of the attacks fall for it.

[Probus]

This video was extremely graphic and I am appalled that 9-11 images were used in such a distasteful way. Fact is republicans are terrible at national security and keeping us safe from terrorists. I was shocked by this blatant effort to stir up emotions and votes in such a disgusting way. I look forward to Olbermann's special comment, they are always eloquent, thoughtful and factually accurate. Shame on McCain and the RNC.

[Chbronze]

I'm not a big one to defend the republican party, I don't agree with much they have done lately. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt with Iraq. The republicans are not experienced with attacking countries which have not attacked us first, this is normally the dominion of the democrats, (Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia-Herzogovinia) It took them a while to get up to speed.

[Northernview]

What ever happened to the "United" States?

From here in Canada, I see a nation deeply divided against itself, dug into partisan trenches. A century and a half after Gettysburgh, and the war within still rages...

Sad to watch.

[ChescoMom]

OMFG. Just when I think the Rethugs couldn't possibly shock me anymore than they already have, they do.