Opinion: O’Reilly gets the Bronze…but doesn’t deserve it…
…on Countdown’s Worst Person in The World tonight for his Talking Points Memo last night. However I have to say Olbermann played fast and loose with the details of O’Reilly’s Talking Points Memo
…the Bronze…Bill-O!
He swallowed the bait again last night - concluded that the identification of Richard Armitage - and it’s Arm-i-tidge Bill not Arm-i-tahj - means there was nothing wrong with the outting of Valerie Plame and he wants the American media to say it’s sorry that Karl Rove was not indicted.
okay, okay Bill, fine….We’re sorry Karl Rove wasn’t indicted. Now listen, I can’t play with you right now Bill. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. And buy a copy of the book on your way out huh!
While I take a dim view of O’Reilly singling MSNBC out of all the TV media for criticism - apparently to tweak the network that employs Olbermann - Olbermann’s response was a bunch of smoke and mirrors. O’Reilly never said there was nothing wrong with the outting of Valerie Plame in the way that Olbermann implied. O’Reilly was referring to the accusing of Karl Rove as the leaker when it turned out to be Armitage. Since I criticized O’Reilly for singling out MSNBC, I’m going to be fair and criticize Olbermann for being disingenuous in mocking O’Reilly for something he never said.
Whenever I hear KO mention O’Reilly in WPITW, my eyes glaze over and I nod off. It’s gotten to be such a bore.
Comment by Goldfish — September 6, 2006 @ 9:32 pm
Goldfish,
Change the channel. If you don’t like Bill, Nancy, Paula, or Steven, I’m sure Seinfeld is on somewhere on your dial.
Comment by erljr — September 6, 2006 @ 9:53 pm
Keith needs to stop pretending that he’s educated. While Armitage’s name may have been Anglicized, O’Reilly pronounced correctly. Here’s my educated opinion on Keith: he’s a goddamn moron.
Comment by Edward Schatz — September 6, 2006 @ 11:53 pm
And he’s clearly rattled and in denial about a leftist bastion like the Washington Post making a fool of MSNBC, especially HardBall’s Chris Matthews and David Shuster. Olbermann was just being a follower on the story but he devoted a lot of time to it, so he’s twisting in the wind with the rest of his colleagues. How any of them could ever call themselves ‘journalists’ again is beyond most people in the industry.
Comment by Aaron — September 7, 2006 @ 12:25 am
Spud, you’re splitting hairs here. You know damn well that there’s not a right-winger out there, Bill-O included, who wasn’t just fine with the outing of Valerie Plame. They were all damn happy to see it as her “punishment” for having a husband who wouldn’t play along with the “WMD, WMD, I see WMD” game. Fail to play the right-wing game, and the right wing is happy to see you punished. No matter who you are or how valuable you are. That’s the way the game goes.
Goldfish, Edward and Aaron: why don’t you take erljr’s advice? If you don’t like Olbermann, and you think he’s such a moron and a bore, CHANGE THE CHANNEL!
And Edward, if someone’s name is anglicized, you don’t KEEP PRONOUNCING IT LIKE THE OTHER LANGUAGE! That’s something “educated” people know! My educated opinion on you…well, you don’t want to know.
Aaron, the Post made a fool of no one but themselves with their moronic attitude of “OK, Armitage was the sole leaker, that’s done, everyone go home, and oh by the way anyone who thinks anyone said a word has to apologize and apologize and apologize.” Nonsense. This story is NOT done and they just made themselves fools by saying it was. And Olbermann is NOT “twisting in the wind,” he’s continuing with his job like he should. THAT’s journalism.
And Spud? What’s the matter? Here you were, all worked up because you were SO SURE that Olbermann was going to make a big deal out of this, but he didn’t–he said he’d love to play with Bill-O but he’s got bigger fish to fry! In other words, he defied what you said. Yet here you are, expressing disappointment in WHAT he said. Looks like Olbermann can’t win with you now, either.
Oh well, I guess that’s the side you have to take. After all, say anything in favor of Olbermann and you run the risk of losing the right-wing Olbermann-hating, Brian Stelter-hating wackos who have flocked to this blog like flies because they hate TVNewser so much for not allowwing them to post their nonsense on HIS blog.
Comment by tanne — September 7, 2006 @ 7:08 am
Wake me up when you guys stop the blather and get back to the “Real” newsworthy items….ya know, Jon Benet!
Comment by Roger — September 7, 2006 @ 9:21 am
tanne, the fact is that no one in the world would have a clue as to who Valerie Plame is if it were not for the fact that her blow-dried husband went on every media outlet in the world to publicize the “wrong” that he in fact created against her. He’s like those idiots that go on those daytime talk shows, talking about their problems. Aren’t their problems just magnified MILLIONS of times over once they go on TV and tell the entire world?
And tanne, the way a person’s name is pronounced depends on how THEY THEMSELVES want it pronounced. An easy example is the Suzanne Malveaux, the White House correspondent. Everyone in the world would look at her name and say “Suzanne”, but she wants it pronounced as “Suzahnne”. And people comply. But I have no idea how Mr. Armitage wants people to pronounce his name, and I doubt whether Keith does. So who knows whether it’s he or O’Reilly who is correct here.
Comment by Missy — September 7, 2006 @ 9:24 am
Wonder if David Broder will merit a WPITW mention tonight for his Washington Post editorial today calling for the media to apologize to Karl Rove.
Broder mentions Newsweek, I wish he had singled out Chris Matthews too for Hardball after Hardball where a Rove and Cheney conspiracy was a foregone conclusion and the free-associating fantasy scenarios was breaktaking…
It’s incredible how irresponsible MSNBC has become.
Comment by Cecelia — September 7, 2006 @ 1:57 pm
It seems I remember reading that Rove DID have a great deal to do with the leak of Mrs. Wilson’s name–Robert Novak, Matthew Cooper, and Judy Miller have all said so. Did Armitage leak her name first? Perhaps, but we don’t know even that….yet.
Comment by moi-meme — September 7, 2006 @ 3:13 pm
You guys are morons, there was no one charged with “outing” plame(I dare you to give me one name of someone charged with “outing”) you guys just cant give up this charade, now it seems it wasnt the Bush administration at all who gave novak plames name.Also it was wilson who has been the proven undeniable LIAR in this whole crap storm, but you idiots need to remember when you sling crap you ALWAYS end up covered in it.
Comment by MOBUZZ — September 7, 2006 @ 5:05 pm
Cecelia, LOL!!! It wouldn’t surprise me if he did!
Comment by Missy — September 7, 2006 @ 6:05 pm
erljr, I do change the channel when WPITW flashes across my screen. Judging by MSNBC’s ratings, a lot of people change the channel on their programming in general.
Comment by Goldfish — September 7, 2006 @ 6:55 pm
I used to change over to see WPITW, then change back Goldfish. But I no longer bother. WPITW was a good idea for Countdown. I think a big chunk of his audience is there just for that. But it gets old.
moi-meme: that was Chris Matthews you heard that from. We now know the name came from “Who’s Who in America.”
Comment by erljr — September 7, 2006 @ 9:48 pm