Video: I Chat with Keith Olbermann About ABC Debate "Travesty"

Last night, Keith Olbermann on MSNBC's Countdown did a couple of tough-minded segments on the shameful performance by ABC on the Obama-Clinton debate (which I have chronicled here previously). Among other things he played the audio of Stephanopoulos taking dictation from Hannity and read off a couple of dozen questions that were NOT asked this week -- all of which he had put forward when he hosted a candidates' debate last August.

I have to admit that the big guy used -- before I could -- a reference to Walter Mondale asking Gary Hart "Where's the Beef?" at a debate in 1984, a line that Obama and Clinton could have directed at the journalists this week.

But we agreed that maybe Charlie Gibson, who has been hooted or booed twice this year by audiences at debates, maybe ought to be chained to his anchor desk for the public good.

What a night. It ended with my piece on the debate getting flashed on the screen on the Colbert Report amidst appearances by Obama, Clinton and Edwards.

Video of my segment on Countdown below.

Greg Mitchell is author of the new book, So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq. It includes a foreword by Joe Galloway and preface by Bruce Springsteen.

Comments

[donkeybasketball]

Complain to both ABC and WPVI in Philadelphia.

There needs to be an investigation.

This is corruption.

[hwebb54]

Is that a baby crying? No, wait, it's just the Huffington Post and all the Obamabots on this site. Get over it you freaking cry babies. You get 15 months of bias media coverage and now you want to complain? Just think if you were a Hillary supporter and you had CNN, MSNBC, MoveOn, DailyKos, Huffington Post, and most internet left wing blogs against you for that amount of time. What is amazing isn't that Obama is winning but that Hillary still has a chance even with all this against her plus the fact that she is getting outspent 5 to 1. Hillary is a fighter and that is the reason her supporters are sticking with her. She will pull this out. Obama is starting to crumble.

[doc1400]

The Obama campaign, because it has obtained so much interest and because it is a bottom up politial movement has been able to do something I thought impossible. Namely to elevate the political dialogue in this campaign to the point that the media cannot get away with supermarket tabloid journalism any longer.
Thank God.

[BubbaC33]

Keith Olbermann has sold out to the Russert-Matthews side of MSNBC and is no longer anything more than a shill for Obama. He never has a guest who is not rabidly anti-Clinton. Few, if any, of his commentators are fair or unbiased or competent. Rachel Maddow has no idea about journalistic integrity or ethics.
The bottom line is this, and I have written this before, Olbermann is such a sell out to Obama that at the end of each episode of Countdown Obama should appear onscreen and say, "I'm Barack Obama and I approve of this message."

[Liberal2]

I agree as to the now obvious lack of journalistic integrity on Olbermann's part. And I have e-mailed him to say I no longer watch him. But then I've always had a question of basic honesty about him. He'll mock celebrity reporting magazines but does that replusive Oddball segment where he holds up equally stupid people for ridicule as if it is funny. Funny, maybe to children who set fire to cats when they're bored.

[generationyes]

Hurray for Keith!!!

[TN60]

I'm sorry that I missed that KO show, but thank you, Greg for stating the obvious in regards to the ABC debacle.

George's/Hannity gocha question is slowly making the rounds of the blogs and pretty soon it will be a full blown press coverage. How in the world Obama can be blamed for the weathermen when he was 8 years old and living in Hawaii is beyond sane logic. Did he secrectly swim across the Pacific and help them. The press in this country needs a good dose of critical critiques. After all, they are the ones who sold us the Iraq war ! They are all like lemmings who chase after and socialize with the elite in Washington and New York and think that they are so special by rubbing elbows with the pol's.

Hillary and the PA political machine are going to steal the election on Tuesday. There is no doubt in my mind. They have paperless voting machines and the ward bosses will see to it that Obama votes will not be counted. You can take that to the bank. Period...


Watch everyone, how it is stolen just as New Hampshire was by Hillary where machines were used and Obama won on paper ballots. And in Harlem where Charlie Rangel is the Rep.

Be warned!!!

[Yansher]

Great show!

[wwsword]

Of course Olbermann is upset that his candidate blew it: MSNBC has become an organ of the Obama campaign. Olbermann desperately needs to shift the blame from his candidate to those who exposed his candidate.

Olbermann lost me when he did his ridiculous segment on Clinton. Before that, I though some of his commentaries were fairly well put together. I see them now for the empty rhetoric they are. Style over substance. No wonder Obama and MSNBC fit so well together.

[ireland]

thats bc u r a Clinton lover....clinton lovers don't like msnbc and obama lovers don't like fox....
so who is the real democratic candidate...i would say not one favored by fox news!

[InjunTrouble]

Obama did not 'blow it'. Actually he was quite restrained and cool under the stupid republican type attack by ABC and Clinton.

Clinton should join the republican party, we don't need mean spirited attack dogs here.

Maybe you should too.

[MPeter]

Thank you Greg. You were eloquent and enlightening. I think Gibson and Steph need to be canned. They are the ones out of touch with Americans. They are rich, elitist and plain clear stoopid.

[knowhelpnow]

I sure didn't keep watching this so called debate after 15 minutes I figured I could spend my time watching some reality show and I hate those.
What a waste of time and for George and Charles you can bet I'm not watching you anymore at all.
If this is what you believe is a debate for a presidential nominee is find some other job.

[wilkat1]

You're right. Joe Scarborough can be seen absolutely shilling for Obama every day on Morning Joe.

And that Brian Phillips, whoever the hell he is, really ticks me off!

Seriously, are you even watching?

[myskylark]

Keith Olbermann is hardly in a position to criticize ABC considering the disgusting performance of MSNBC in one of its debates. I remember where over and over again, in the first segments, Brian Phillips and Chris Matthews kept inviting the candidates to badger each other, with special emphasis on destroying Hillary Clinton.

I also find it amusing that Olbermann is so outraged by ABC's performance because MSNBC is now a campaign office for Barack Obama.

I think the real outrage to Olbermann is that his favorite candidate did so poorly in the debate, both on gotcha and substantive questions. Get used to it Olbermann, the worst is yet to come.

[Cyndee1113]

I really like Keith Olbermann. He is going to tell it like it is. Report it ALL, it does not matter to me who it is. Just be fair. Keith Olbermann is, I watch him everynight.

[rimofheaven]

Absolutely. Having Stephie moderating this crucial debate should cause all Americans to raise an eyebrow, but to atually allow himself to be dictated to by Mr. Hannity goes way beyond a conflict of interest to the realm conspiracy. We expect fixed refereeing in professional wrestling, but in a America where sacred traditions are raped everyday, we would like to hope that some level of integrity remains in the pursuit of the highest and most sacred job in the land. However, that Americans will turn a knowing eye away from this travisty in American politics, is even more heart breaking than what we are all witnessing.