Keith Olbermann took on Donald Rumsfeld last week over a speech he gave. Tonight he took on the President. Crooks and Liars has the video. The full transcript is after the jump. Predictably, Olbermann Watch took a dim view of the whole thing…

(image courtesy of Crooks and Liars)

Stop the tivo! Where in the wide world of sports did George Bush link compare Al Qaeda propaganda to American reporters, despite the amount of evidence Krazy Keith gives him each night? Don’t bother reading the text of the speech. He made no such link–Olby just made it up! Merely use the word “media” and Herr Olbermann decides its a secret attack on Katie Couric. And what’s with Olby impugning the President’s patriotism? Tonight’s comment certainly was “special”. It had a loony, nonsensical, preposterous, over the top irrationality that is special to no one other than the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann.

Even then he wasn’t through. He continued to lecture “Mister” Bush about references to Nazis (physician, heal thyself), and issued a stern warning to the “easily manipulated” American populace. And as the capper, the obligatory Joe McCarthy reference: “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”

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The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes up MSNBC’s Campaign 2006 programming tomorrow and has MSNBC GM Dan Abrams commenting on it…

Abrams said that after Labor Day, viewers are turning their attention toward the races and what it means not only locally but also with so much at stake nationally as well.

“This is really unprecedented for us to get all of the NBC News stars coming together so much before an election,” Abrams said. Tammy Haddad, VP for MSNBC’s Washington coverage, is the executive producer of the coverage.

CNN announced that Andre Agassi will appear on Larry King Live this Thursday…

In an exclusive, first interview since his retirement at this year’s U.S. Open, Andre Agassi will appear on CNN’s Larry King Live, Thursday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. (ET). He will discuss his 21-year career on the professional tennis circuit and his emotion-filled retirement. He will take viewer phone calls.

With an ideological slant, TPM Cafe’s Joseph Hughes takes on the media for going sensational and tabloidy at the expense of real news…

Over the last few weeks alone, the mainstream media has done the American public a tremendous disservice. Think of all that’s happened and what should have been under the journalistic spotlight - or, that was but was quickly tossed aside when a sexier story hit the wires. Iraq. Iran. Israel and Lebanon. (Or, to sum up the first three, the disastrous Bush foreign policy.) A judge declaring the administration’s warrantless wiretapping unconstitutional. The anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And on and on. Major stories all. Major stories abandoned when shinier, more attention-grabbing stories came around. The last month represented an important growth opportunity for the American media. Yet sadly, we remain one nation, under the Crocodile Hunter, with JonBenet and John Mark for all.

In the run up to tomorrow’s all day event on MSNBC, Hardball’s Chris Matthews pens a piece on why this mid term election is so important…

This election could see some major politicians, including some Democrats, thrown from office. Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich, a Republican, could lose to Baltimore mayor Martin O’Malley, a Democrat. Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, could lose to businessman Dick DeVos, a Republican. If the primaries are a guide, there could be other well-known figures facing defeat. In a volatile election like 2006, incumbency is not the daunting advantage it’s been in the past.

P2+ Total Day
FNC 726,000 viewers
CNN - 526,000 viewers
MSNBC - 236,000 viewers
CNBC -144,000 viewers
HLN - 195,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC - 1,207,000 viewers
CNN- 766,000 viewers
MSNBC - 293,000 viewers
CNBC - 147,000 viewers
HLN - 337,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC- 232,000 viewers
CNN - 188,000 viewers
MSNBC - 95,000 viewers
CNBC - s scratch with 43,000 viewers
HLN - 95,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC - 291,000 viewers
CNN - 250,000 viewers
MSNBC - 111,000 viewers
CNBC - 79,000 viewers
HLN- 126,000 viewers
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CNBC announced that the Mad Money Back to School Tour is starting up again on September 20th…

As students across America return to college this month, one unlikely individual is joining them: CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money w/Jim Cramer,” is on the road again, resuming his popular “Back to School” tour with a stop at Boston College’s Conte Forum, Wednesday, September 20 in front of a studio audience of over 200 college students.

“Mad Money w/Jim Cramer” is seen on CNBC at 6 PM ET with re-airings at 9 p.m. and Midnight.

“I am very excited to be heading back to Boston to kick off the second season of the ‘Back to School’ tour,” said Jim Cramer. “One of my key objectives is to teach viewers how to properly invest in the stock market and by traveling to colleges across the country I have been able to reach these young students and get them excited at an early age about the fun world of investing.”
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TVWeek’s Michelle Greppi interviewed FNC’s Steve Centanni…

There were a lot of moments fraught with fear. “Every minute of every day, the possibility of being handcuffed again, or being deprived of food, or being beaten up, or tortured, or shot and killed, or detained for a month or years, always was in our minds,” Mr. Centanni said. “We went through all the possible scenarios. You can’t help but think about the worst case at certain times. We had to struggle to direct our thoughts in a more positive way and to help each other remain strong.”

Then, without any discernable concession on the part of the U.S. to meet the terrorists’ demands, they suddenly were delivered back to their accommodations, the Beach Hotel in Gaza City.

“We didn’t believe they were actually driving us to the hotel where we had stayed before the kidnapping-where all our friends, the journalists, were-until we got out of the car and stumbled down the driveway, looked up and there it was,” Mr. Centanni said. “We were delivered back into our old lives, which may never be the same again, but if there are extreme changes, I suspect they will be for the better.”

Multichannel News’ Steve Donohue singles out CNN for hyping the death of Steve Irwin yesterday…

The news out of Australia led CNN’s newscasts at the top of the hour throughout the day, and at 8 p.m., the network spent the first 20 minutes of its Paula Zahn Now program covering the news.

CNN even ran a live interview Monday afternoon with Stewart Clark, vice president of the water wildlife park at Discovery Cove in Orlando, Fla. Clark was surrounded by small stringrays in a pool throughout the interview, petting and feeding them as they swam by.

The New York Post’s Michael Starr notes that Nancy Grace will have on John Mark Karr’s family’s attorney tonight…

Headline: Grace note Nancy Grace, not one to back down from a verbal tus sle (she scares the bejeezus out of me), goes mano-a-mano to night on Headline News (8 p.m.) with Gary Harris, the attorney for the family of creepy John Mark Karr, who falsely admitted to murdering JonBenet Ramsey. Things could get interesting.

Following up on Friday’s news, NBC issued a release this morning on Wednesday’s Battleground America special which gives more details…

MSNBC launches its fall coverage of the 2006 election on Wednesday, September 6, with “Decision 2006: Battleground America.” The unprecedented, day-long campaign kick-off begins at 9am ET with NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and “Meet the Press” Moderator Tim Russert. The analysis and reporting will continue throughout the day, with “NBC Nightly News” Anchor Brian Williams anchoring a special hour of coverage at 1 pm ET. Also anchoring the coverage throughout the day will be MSNBC Election Anchor Chris Matthews, NBC News “Weekend Today” Anchors Campbell Brown and Lester Holt, “Scarborough Country” host Joe Scarborough, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory and “Tucker” host Tucker Carlson. “Decision 2006: Battleground America” will air from 9am ET until 6pm ET, followed by special live editions of “Tucker,” “Hardball,” “Countdown,” and “Scarborough Country.”
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Broadcasting & Cable’s John M. Higgins has an interview with FNC’s Steve Centanni…

Have you figured out or learned why you were abducted?

We think there were three different groups with different motives. The guys who actually nabbed us off the street who were probably a mob for hire, hired muscle. We were turned over to guys who were probably the ringleaders. We believe they were part of a clan or a mafia group—street thugs who decided they wanted some political leverage with Hamas. I think it ultimately backfired. They felt so much condemnation for what they did that that’s probably why we were released.

There was a third faction which is new in Gaza, sort of a wannabe-jihadist group. They were the young guys who were keeping us in the house. They seemed very passionate about their religion and their worldwide political goals—not so much what’s happening for Palestinian people, but that Bush “declared war” on Islam. I think they emulated Al Qaeda and certainly emulated Osama bin Laden. They said, ‘Osama is king.’ They wanted to put themselves on the map but don’t have the connections they claim and the power they wish they did.