Oliver Willis

38 Responses to “Olbermann: The Man”

1. 1 greenvw
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 12:48 am

   I think that’s what one of the things journalist/commentators are suppose to do.
   Unfortunately it’s been so long since a journalist did something like this and so eloquently at that, that we forget it’s thier job.
   Bravo KO

2. 2 Dugger
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 7:08 am

   Olbermann is a sick extremist. Equating Rumsfeld,an appointee in a democratic form of goverment to the mass murderers of WWII. But then his continued attempts to smear conservatives with associations with history’s second worst mass murderers (Olbermanns letist friends being the worst) is nothing new for this sick puppy.

3. 3 Nimrod Gently
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 8:08 am

   You mean he has his own show and doesn’t parrot the same talking points as you, Dugger.

4. 4 SV
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 8:38 am

   “equating Rumsfeld…to the mass murderers of WWII…”

   When? At what point in did Olbermann say anything of the kind?

   See, Dugger, this is what’s known as “lying.” (I’d like to assume you merely misinterpreted the commentary, but let’s be real. We both know what you’re doing.)

   What actually Olbermann SAID was that Rumsfeld was like Chamberlain, the British leader so arrogantly clueless about the real threat to Britain that he bullied and dismissed anyone who disagreed with him.

   What actually Olbermann SAID was that Rumsfeld was like Joe McCarthy, the Republican Senator so sickly ruthless in his pursuit of political advantage that he persecuted Americans who dared to question their own supposedly democratic government’s actions.

   What Olbermann actually SAID was that it was ironic that Rumsfeld would dare to speak of a “new kind of fascism” when Rumsfeld didn’t seem to understand the basic concepts of “America” or “Democracy.”

5. 5 Nimrod Gently
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 8:59 am

   Actually, I’m slightly more offended by the portrayal of Mr. Chaimberlain. He was like Woodrow Wilson - basically a nice bloke, he just wanted to please everybody. He didn’t want another war like the Great one. He just didn’t recognise it was inevitable. It was other members of his government that were more directly to blame for the demonisation of Churchill.

6. 6 SaveFarris
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:21 am

   Blatently stolen from Olbermann Watch:

   Olby [introduced] a clip with this:

   Secretary Rumsfeld compared critics of the current war in Iraq to those who tried to appease Adolf Hitler and the Nazis before World War II.

   The clip of Rummy began thusly:

   once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism…. But some seem not to have learned history’s lessons.

   Ah, the magic of editing. Krazy Keith wants his credulous cretins to take Rumsfeld’s comments as relating to “critics of the current war in Iraq”. But note those ellipses. What did Olby snip out of the clip?

   Today — another enemy, a different kind of enemy — has made clear its intentions with attacks in places like New York and Washington, D.C., Bali, London, Madrid, Moscow and so many other places.

   Remember, Olby has been whining for months about how Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror. So when Rummy says something about the war on terror, mentioning a number of battlefronts but not Iraq, KO doctors the quote and claims it was all about Iraq. The Hour of Spin, indeed.

7. 7 Nimrod Gently
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:24 am

   If humourous alliteration and careful semantic parsing are all you have then we can pretty much say one-nil to Olbermann there.

8. 8 Rex Mundane
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:46 am

   Sweet sassy molassey, theres actually a blog devoted to misrepresenting keith olbermann by taking what he said out of context, that actually has the chutzpah to criticize him for selectively quoting Rumsfield. Okay, yeah, Rumsfield was talking about the War on terror and not specifically the War in Iraq. Dang, hm… well I guess the only way the two could be connected is if THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF HAS CALLED IRAQ THE CENTRAL FRONT IN THE WAR ON TERROR you damned idiot!

9. 9 Dr. Anatole Gavage-Huskanoy
   Aug 31st, 2006 at 10:33 am

   I love to see how Mr. “All lies are unprovable” Dugger handles it when he’s shown to be trading in falsehoods. Watch and wait. Watch and wait.

10. 10 Dr. Anatole Gavage-Huskanoy
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 10:39 am

    Even the trolls have been struck dumb by Olbermann this time. I knew it was good when I read it, but their sad, demoralized responses really hit it home, don’t they?

11. 11 Nimrod Gently
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 10:49 am

    I just checked. Olbermann mentioned Iraq precisely twice in that speech, both in essentially general terms. He’s clearly talking about the situation as a whole, not specific fronts in this War on Stuff (as if they’re particularly different to each other in the first place as fara as being a colossal blood-soaked fuckup is concerned). Which makes Olbermann Watch even more ridiculously desperate in their attempt to ridicule someone with the gall to express non-Conservative opinions on the television.

12. 12 Duros62
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 11:08 am

    Olberman’s commentary was an elegant piece of writing. In no way did he equate Rumsfeld to Hitler. In fact, just the opposite. Rumsfeld was equating 56% of the population (the majority of the public) to those who would appease Hitler.
    His quoting of Edward R. Morrow was chilling and oh so apropos.

    Olberman Watch.com is pathetic and sad.

13. 13 Quaker in a Basement
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 12:44 pm

    I’m confused, Farris.

    Are you saying that Rumsfeld was claiming that some people don’t want to stop the attacks in New York, Washington, Bali, London, Madrid, and Moscow?

    I think you’ll be hard pressed to find any critics of that fight.

    So who are these “critics” who aren’t criticizing the war in Iraq?

14. 14 Duros62
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 2:00 pm

    Olbermann is a sick extremist.

    But Rush and Bill, Michael Savage and Ann Coulter are oh so moderate, aren’t they?
    You really need help.

15. 15 Eric
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 2:14 pm

    Dugger are you as stupid as a fence post or just being deliberately obtuse?

    As anyone with a grade school reading level should be able to comprehend, Olbermann compared Rumsfeld to Chamberlain and the war critics to Churchill.

16. 16 Duros62
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 2:54 pm

    Perspective, Get some!

17. 17 Muzza
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 3:39 pm

    Down goes Dugger! Down goes Dugger!

18. 18 Duros62
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 4:15 pm

    Kos has the transcript here, in case anyone can’t see it.

19. 19 z adura
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 4:35 pm

    Muzza, that makes it sound like Dugger has the talent of somebody like Frazier. Dugger is more like a Jerry Quarry or Chuck Wepner who Ali toyed with for 10 rounds before knocking out cold.

20. 20 Duros62
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 4:37 pm

    Stay down, Rock, stay down!

21. 21 frameone
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 4:58 pm

    “Equating Rumsfeld,an appointee in a democratic form of goverment to the mass murderers of WWII.”

    We now have definitive proof that Dugger is brain damaged. Poor guy.

22. 22 frameone
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 5:03 pm

    “KO doctors the quote and claims it was all about Iraq.”

    This is classic right wing idiocy in action. Farris, it doesn’t matter how many “fronts” Rumsfeld listed, indeed, the more “fronts” he lists the more blatantly false his comment is because NO DEMOCRATS ARE TALKING ABOUT APPEASING THE TERRORISTS.

    And Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, citing passivity toward Nazi Germany before World War II, said that “many have still not learned history’s lessons” and “believe that somehow vicious extremists can be appeased.”

    Pressed to support these allegations, the White House yesterday could cite no major Democrat who has proposed cutting off funds or suggested that withdrawing from Iraq would persuade terrorists to leave Americans alone. But White House and Republican officials said those are logical interpretations of the most common Democratic position favoring a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

    Blatantly stolen from Kevin Drum:

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_08/009428.php

23. 23 Muzza
    Aug 31st, 2006 at 5:35 pm

    Z, point taken. Perhaps Frazier in the 50-free is a better analogy.

24. 24 Dugger
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 8:16 am

    Silly (and dumb) children. Obie, the frothing extremist, remarks (from KOS of all people, you dolts!)

    “And about Mr. Rumsfeld’s other main assertion, that this country faces a “new type of fascism. As he was correct to remind us how a government that knew everything could get everything wrong, so too was he right when he said that — though probably not in the way he thought he meant it.

    This country faces a new type of fascism - indeed.”

    You can interpet that any way you want. I think he’s calling the Admin fascist (and he wasn’t talking about Mussolini). The man is a weak minded left wing extremiust smirking jerk. His ratings are in the trash can because people think. Bill O’Reilly mops the floor with his supercilious smirking butt every night.

25. 25 Nimrod Gently
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 8:54 am

    And he’s a big doody-head, right Dugger?

    “This country faces a new type of fascism” still isn’t the same thing as actively comparing Bush to Hitler, and you know it. Face it, all you’ve got are desperate join-the-dots insinuations, strawmen, and pathetic “my pundit can beat up your pundit” bollocks. Olbermann owned an entire mentality of which you are a part, and you’re punch-drunk and unable to counter him because you know he’s right.

26. 26 Duros62
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 11:13 am

    Obie, the frothing extremist, …

    God, that is great. He’s so off the wall calling for the assasination of judges, journalists and Congressmen. Oh wait, that was Ann coulter.

    Go back to your venerated Webster’s and look up the definition on fascism.

    We’ll wait.

    Bill O’Reilly mops the floor with his supercilious smirking butt every night.
    Yes, pretty good for Comedy variety show, though your’e facts are, once again, questionable.

27. 27 Quaker in a Basement
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 11:28 am

    I think he’s calling the Admin fascist (and he wasn’t talking about Mussolini).

    That’s pretty lame, Dugger.

    Calling someone fascist isn’t the same thing as comparing someone to Hitler. Calling someone a communist isn’t the same as comparing someone to Mao.

    If it worked that way, then calling someone a vegetarian would be comparing him or her to Hitler. So would calling someone a lousy painter or a sawed-off runt.

28. 28 Dugger
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 1:06 pm

    And thats pretty weak Quaker. Consider the context. Obie’s diatribe revolved around Chamberalin and the Nazis. He’s also well known for his public caracticuring of Bill O’ Reilly (a mostly libertarian TV personality) as Hitler.
    Yes fascist is used in a broader context, as in Islamo-fascist or Al D’Amato is a fascist, but Nazi seems to be Obie’s little warped specialty.

    The difference between Obie and Ann C? Obie has national TV show and USA Today fired AC for being controversial.

29. 29 Quaker in a Basement
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 2:05 pm

    but Nazi seems to be Obie’s little warped specialty

    Wait. I’m not sure I follow.

    Olbermann compares someone who is not Rumsfeld or Bush to Hilter. Therefore when he uses the word “Fascist” he really means Hitler?

    Where’s the Dugger who likes to hoist people on the petard of mind reading?

30. 30 Nimrod Gently
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 2:22 pm

    a) If Bill O’Reilly’s a Libertarian I’m that one guy to the left of Lenin

    b) Olbermann has not compared Bill to Hitler (seriously), he’s jokingly referred to him as an apologist for Hitler a few times over that whole Malmedy clusterfuck

    Where’s the Dugger who likes to hoist people on the petard of mind reading?

    He went to visit the Dugger who’s internally consistent. They don’t usually let him out.

31. 31 Duros62
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 3:36 pm

    The difference between Obie and Ann C? Obie has national TV show and USA Today fired AC for being controversial.

    Your point being what, exactly? Coulter still has a nationally syndicated column, a web site and Sean Hannity’s d*ck in her mouth and still finds the time to call for executions of American citizens. American Citizens.
    Find one instance of Olberman calling for someone’s death (baseball commisioner notwithstanding).

    See if you can guess what I’m thinking right now.

    Oh yeah, and answer the question, pretty please.

32. 32 Quaker in a Basement
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 3:48 pm

    “The difference between Obie and Ann C? Obie has national TV show and USA Today fired AC for being controversial.”

    No, for refusing to submit to routine editing. No writer on earth gets away with that.

33. 33 Dugger
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 4:58 pm

    http://drinkingwithkeitholbermann.blogspot.com/2006/07/another-oreilly-bitch-slap.html

    Right Quaker. We just take USA Today’s word for it.

34. 34 Duros62
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 5:22 pm

    Dugge
    Once again, I fail to see your point. The link provided makes Bill O look like a childish schoolyard bully.

    Oh, right.

35. 35 Quaker in a Basement
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 5:35 pm

    We just take USA Today’s word for it.

    Either that or Coulter’s. Easy choice from where I sit.

36. 36 Duros62
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm

    He’s also well known for his public caracticuring of Bill O’ Reilly (a mostly libertarian TV personality) as Hitler.

    Oh was that the point of the link? I don’t know his intent in that picture, or the context. Do you? He could have been waving to someone.

37. 37 Nimrod Gently
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 6:15 pm

    Olbermann said he was waving, and there’s no reason to doubt him. Not for reasonable people, anyway.

38. 38 Nimrod Gently
    Sep 1st, 2006 at 6:16 pm

    Also, it might do to ponder his surname for a moment.

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