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Bill Moyers sat down with MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann to discuss his breakout from the rest of the mainstream media with his Special Comments.
BILL MOYERS: …You have some strong things to say about politics.
KEITH OLBERMANN: It became necessary.
BILL MOYERS: Why?
KEITH OLBERMANN: I was sitting on a plane in Los Angeles reading in August of 2006 about Don Rumsfeld talking to the veterans and talking about how every– everyone who was in opposition to the Iraq War policy, the so-called war on terror, even to some degree the Bush administration, was the equivalent in his mind to the Nazi appeasers of the 1930s. And he went on at length about how, you know, here’s the– we’re doing the Churchillian role. And I thought, you know, sir, I took history classes. Your group is not Churchill. Your group is Neville Chamberlain because Neville Chamberlain minimized and marginalized anybody who disagreed with him. Reading this ridiculous remark and waiting to see somebody respond to it. And no one did. I’m thinking, well, you know, somebody with a platform ought to be talking about this. Somebody with a– with an avenue to respond should be– oh, yeah, I have a platform.
The entire interview is available at PBS.
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From the most unexpected places come true heroes. We have one.
thoughts @ 1:
Well said!
I wasn’t aware of his comment on Hockey. I guess no man is perfect.
Fantastic! Moyers and Olbermann are my 2 favorite jourmalists.
Good clip especially because it came from my hometown PBS station. Go KETC!
Maybe there IS hope for the truth!
Thank God for Olbermann and Bill Moyers. Someone has to shine a light upon the darkness of the crime family. No other journalists have the wherewithall to do their jobs. They all think they are there to be cheerleaders for the most corrupt administration ever and the worst President this country has ever had.
I’ll bet Moyers LOVES Olberman. Two greats from two different arenas! What could be better?
Journalist of the year…
Hands down.
K.O. is the kats pajamas.
Oh, how I wish Olbermann had been around for the 2000 elections when the MSM were doing their hatchet job on Gore; think how different things would be.
We finally have our Diogenes, thank you Keith.
What we have witnessed is two men of sound mind in this interview who have ( like millions of us in the country ) seen and come to understand that the pathetic reign of King George, is exactly that. Sadly, with the help of other news outlets that we rely on to bring us the news, for whatever reasons, have been compliant in jumping on the war band wagon without exploring those fundemental questions as to whether or not our own government was telling the truth in the lead up to the attack on Iraq. to this very day, we could have literally saved the lives of nearly 4,000 men and women, prevented countles injuries that these brave men and women will suffer for the rest of their lives along with their families as well as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens all because they were caught in a mad mans mind about an imaginary enemy.
As Olberman said, we are at 50 “gates” and counting. A moron with an IQ of 10 could readily understand that he was being played for as a fool. Enough is enough, and those responsible for this travisty should be held on grounds of treason against the American people and hung on gallows erected on the White House lawn.
Kudos, Keef. I hope you’re making some bank in your job. That’s the only way the other gutless pundits will follow you in taking risks to actually do their jobs and critique our government.
It seems to be opening up slowly in the corporate media. Dan Abrams (kinda sorta), Jack Cafferty, David Shuster… Let’s support these folks when they tell the truth and let their employers know too (…it is a business after all…). That’s one way to minimize the Glenn Beck dipshits of the world.
And to think (if I remember correctly) Countdown/Olberman was created to replace Donahue (at that time, as now, the only MSM program willing to challenge Bush Policy with any vigor–and therefore, needed to be eliminated). Although they surely did not envision a former sportscaster becoming a political/cultural juggernaught–As Olberman eludes to, his execs have grown to accept, even appreciate his vigor and the idea of actually practicing journalism. About 5 years ago my brother-in-law and I had an ongoing discussion in regards to whether there was a mass/profitable market for this kind of programming. Last I looked, Olberman is doing very well, whats his face with the dorky little bow-tie is about to be canceled. The Fox heavyweights/blowhards are unfortunately still crushing Olberman which doesn’t much about us. Maybe when a majority of the racist rednecks see their sons sent to die for oil profits/control they will put 2 and 2 together and realize they are watching state propaganda. We destort you comply…
Olbermann and Moyers, the lights at both ends of the Bush Tunnel of Darkness and Fear.
A debt of gratitude is owed both of you. Thanks for speaking for the reasoning part of America.
AquaVelvaMan @ 13:
Yes, some others are sticking their necks out which is nice. Cafferty and Shuster are for real, Abrams is a corporate tool for sure, just sees the ship going down. I won’t complain about his recent change of heart though :)
I like Olbermann. I really do and I like what he has to say. But a lot of times his anger seems really contrived to me. I give him the benefit of the doubt because I think he really was angry when he wrote his commentary but by the time he goes on air he’s probably read it and edited it several times and so he comes off as rehearsed. But he’s good and he’s pretty much all we’ve got. I’d like to see some of our congress and senate do something besides, “well, it’s really hard so let’s just do what Bush wants and go on vacation again.”
CafeenMan @ 17:
I’ also like to see him get rid of the segment he does last, he has that guy Musso on to make snarky/snyde remarks and they are never up to the level of Keiths show.
The “Internets” are sloooow tonight … the tubes must be plugged.
GREAT interview.
Keep shining the light on the cockroaches Bill and Keith. Keep the heat on them and enlighten the masses.
Olbermann has done what so many on both the right and left have done and that is to reference Churchill when he was Prime Minister of England during World War II. But Olbermann does not make mention that Churchill was quite adamant that Iraq remain oppressed under British domination after World War I. But at least Olbermann is speaking out against Iraq’s current oppressor, the United States, who is carrying on the legacy of England with bloody abandon.
An obvious marker to the threat that Keith poses to the right is Fox instructing Howie Long to make that Al Gore smear shortly after Keith had made his presence felt on NFL broadcasts . These guys hate K.O. with a passion . Keep it up, Bill and Keith .
Keith Olbermann as Howard Beale?
His recognition that mammon is the ultimate master in broadcasting parrallels the theme in Network
Olbermann’s predecessor was pushed out because of the pussies at MSNBC and the warmongers at GE.
Another note, when Olbermann talks about the importance of skepticism, he echoes the major theme of the Enlightenment, ie, that we humans have a right and responsibility to question.
Excellent interview! My two favorite journalists, and two heroes in my book.
good interview @ PBS….I hope he continues his work..even when we have a Dem President…
AquaVelvaMan @ 13:
Isn’t it astonishing that in America this list is so, so short. Keith is certainly leading the way… and on the GE owned channel!
By the way, thanks Rummy for motivating Keith’s special comments… you did one thing right!
I am grateful for anyone who can talk intelligently about anything. I don’t always care for KO’s fluffier pieces but I say let the man have his fun. He clearly knows when the joke is on him unlike some others who seem devoid of humor or a sense of irony. We just have to view the 12 days of Christmas posted here and the half hour show on Fox. That humor doesn’t even make sense.
I am always grateful that Bill Moyers is still here to offer the wisdom of his age. I hope that Keith will fill that role in years to come.
The real appeasers in this case are all the uninformed people in the US that defend the Bush administration tooth and nail. The equality between the Bush White House and Adolf Hitler’s thugs have already been well established. That makes them in my oppinion Nazi appeasers, plain and simple.
Let’s hope Mr. Olbermann’s straight speaking doesn’t land him in a celebrity FEMA camp.
R.J. @ 3:
I agree.
I have alot of respect for both of these men.
Mr. Olbermann is correct. His commentary should only arise when it calls for. Like a whipping that is deserving for those who goes out of line. After all, aren’t WE suppose to as PEOPLE and our duty as citizens to play our role in the oversight of our government? If not who else should?
Kudos to Mr. Olbermann for having to use his gifted and inherent power to articulate what WE the people are no longer so FREE to SAY (without the ramification that follows from those who police us) or the medium available for us to say it through.
I do wish that Mr. Olbermann would find it within himself the same SOUL and bravado to SAY something about the complicity of the SENATE and Congress for allowing the continuance of abating the laws of our nation that assure and enable the criminal activity of the Bush Administration to be a precedent available for the future administrations.
If EVER…..NOW is the time to bring up the heat for accountability and IMPEACH, indict those responsibles. For EACH passing days the Congress and Senate procrastinate; is a LOST opportunity to correct what is wrong AND the closer WE are to the possible PERILS ahead of us. Reversal and restoring our Constitution NOW; has become MORE important than ever in the history of our NATION do doing so is a risk to the future our Nation, children, world peace, and most importantly our responsibility to our Global survivals.
Rummy is one delusional f**k. Churchill? Who’s he kidding? If anything, he and his gang of thugs ARE the Nazi threat and those who are sitting idly by in Congress doing nothing are their appeasers. But, I guess you already knew that. I hate pointing out the obvious.
FYI - iTunes has the full audio every week of Billy Moyers’ interviews for free.
KO’s is already available for download.
Kat @ 6:
You know, they say a rumor gets around the world before the truth even has its shoes on, but (I’ll add here) when the truth arrives– WE KNOW IT. Americans are waking up, perhaps even at breakneck speed– finally!!
Listener @ 18:
Olbermanns style or show format is not what is important. Olbermann seemed to me to be an oasis of truth in the desert of the US “news” right-winged propagandists that have been forced upon us. I am thankful for Olbermann every day, because if not for him an even greater percentage of Americans would be ignorant of what has been done to this country under this administration. And, the more voters that know the truth, the better off the country will be.
And if enough Americans are educated on what has been done to this country, and if they listen to what each presidential candidate will do about it, maybe they will finally make an intelligent choice for the future of America.
Kucinich 08 - The right choice
ludger @ 31:
Well, in his fairness, he was doing sports commentary in the era of the netural zone trap. Have you ever seen the 2003 Cup Finals between Anaheim and New Jersey? I’d be inclined to agree with him. Not anymore though! Go Leafs!
That was great. Do go to PBS and watch the full 20 minutes; you won’t be disappointed. I liked his little dig at Dana Perino and the Cuban Missile Crisis. And, yes Keith, I agree the USA is at a pivotal point in its history.
Stan @ 28:
Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I like him. He has a sense of humor and can joke about himself, like when he named himself one of the “Worst Persons In The World” for giving erroneous information on the air. Can you imagine an arrogant, humorless twit like O’Reilly doing that? No way.
Can you do one every night? No, that is O’Reilly’s bailiwick. Outrage on demand.
kasinca @ 7:
exactly!!
Erroll @ 21:
The British didn’t just oppress Iraq, they created it. Before 1932, it was just one of numerous provinces of, variously, the Assyrian, Babylonian, Achaemanid, Alexandrine, Seleucid, Parthian, Sassanid, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abassid, Seljuks, Mamluks, Ottomans, and then, at last, in 1932, King Faisal created the lovely hybrid nation of Iraq.
Of course, England also took over the region of Palestine, and we all know how that turned out.
KO doesn’t like the administration? No way!
kudos to Keith and Bill
After KO’s first special comment (which was posted on this site), I shared it with everybody at my work. To a person (20 people in all), after they watched it, they said something like it was like having a terrible weight lifted off their backs. That is what Keith Olbermann does; he liberates people, he frees them from their outrage and anger. He took advantage of his opportunity as an anchorman to show us that is is perfectly acceptable to express ourselves. He will be remembered for his courage at time when many in the country were scared by their own government. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? “V”
Are you guys fucking kidding me, Olberman is not a journalist!! He is barely an enternainer. Keith is as much a journalist as Jerry Springer. But Jerry is better
CheisDead @ 46:
There he goes, a …. mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.
- Gilliam & Grisoni
Gee. You can almost hear the choir preaching to itself.
This was not journalism, and KO is not a journalist. He’s an entertainer, a Bill O’ Reilly clone ranting from the Left.
Don’t mention choir after the torture we endured with that twelve days after christmas video. There is a huge difference between O Reilly and Olbermann. One distorts the other reports.
Believers are comical. It’s not Faith. It’s fact.
As long as the Left and the Right have each other, they need never question their Belief. Even KO conceded that he had completely abandoned objectivity and engaged in the same kind of shrill rhetoric as the “other side.” His defense was that “emergency rules applied.”
This is the argument behind th