Don’t Feed The Barracudas

A NOTE TO KEITH:

 

This week’s nastiness with a relatively unknown blogger really pushed your buttons, Keith. I realize those “unscheduled vacation time” canards related to your mother’s passing and your mourning period, not to any Ben Affleck brouhaha. (That any rational person would go ballistic over anything to do with Ben Affleck points to the rumors’ obvious inanity without the need for denial.) Your heart was bleeding  and your detractors’ enjoyed picking at scabs.

 

While viewers hate any Countdown without you at the helm, why you take a day off — for sniffles, vacation, mental health day, or baseball double header — remains no one’s business but yours (and your employer’s). No explanation necessary. However, fans do worry sometimes, especially after your exploding appendix episode. 

 

Keith, you did not help yourself this week or in the past when you feed the barracudas. Your angry, distressed and detailed explanation of your recent absences only offered positive reinforcement to the bastards that they can get at you — thus they’ll continue to do so. True, the lies involved your deceased mother, making them much more vicious and vile. And the rumors went viral on the Internet(s) to even usually more respectable blogs, thus shining a brighter light on the attack.

 

But, Keith, those who know the truth discount such slander. Those who wallow in such filth tune into Faux News and not MSNBC (except, perhaps, to conjure innuendo). Most of your viewers — intelligent, well-read, reasonable folks — ignore that crap. They just don’t care.

 

When you devote an entire segment to it, regular viewers wonder if they’re watching Countdown, their chosen source for alternative news, or the “Keith Olbermann Show.”  The 60-year-old executive in Seattle doesn’t care if someone accuses you of  tantrums because of a Ben Affleck booking snafu or because you didn’t receive catsup packets with take-out or if you need Viagra in bed. He (and We) just want to hear your and your commentators’ take on current events. 

 

We do enjoy your swipes at Bill-O and Rupert and Hannity and all the other nimrods in conservative TV and politics — but we never want to see you falling to their level. You may be the one who cannot be named on “The Factor,” but do you really need to feel compelled to explain yourself to them?

 

Keith, the goons attack you for several reasons:

 

First, your reputation proceeds you. In earlier days (even during your illustrious SportsCenter career and your earlier incarnation at MSNBC)) you were an admitted jerk. You treated folks vulgarly. You did huff off the set. You threw tantrums. You may have changed, you may not have. After all, telling Morning Joe to “get a shovel” during campaign coverage tended to be wonderfully apropos but terribly ill timed. Unfortunately, boorishness creates long memories and rehabilitation too often relapses.

 

Next, you speak truth to power. Your Special Comments really impacted both the Bush Administration and the 2008 presidential campaign. You constantly poke Bill-O, GOPers, the bureaucracy and other idiots who legitimately deserve it. They want revenge. They want you silenced. So, they attack where you are vulnerable, hoping they not only wound you personally but professionally as well.

 

And, you pick your fights. You refuted those accusations about travel tantrums, catsup malfunctions, vacation time questions, nepotism concerning Katy, but not those involving treatment of your staff, illicit love affairs, etc. Therefore, the gossip rags and blogsters can infer from THAT silence such allegations, in fact, are true. Because, were they not, you would have heatedly rebuked them on Countdown or elsewhere as you do the catsup and vacation diatribes. Such inconsistency harms you.

 

Ironically, you should have remained silent on all these slights, regardless of  how much they hurt you or others. By mentioning them on Countdown, Daily KOS or in e-mail statements, you acknowledged them, handed critics a victory and worst of all, provided validity to all those Page Six and blog attacks that you previously failed to denounce.

 

As a former public affairs person with experience in issues management, I advise you to just remain silent on all these smears from here on out. Unless they truly are libelous or slanderous to cause you definitive profession or personal harm, ignore them. Keep silent on all gossip. Do not let your critics (on TV, in cyberspace or in politics) discover what pushes your buttons. When they do, they can control you. They can influence what you say and what you do. Never allow them that power over you.

 

Stay silent when they start stupid rumors about your work relationships. Let NBC Universal deal with them if they impact the Countdown/Olbermann franchise. If asked to comment, simply say, “Not true.” If rumors are true, let NBC media relations issue appropriate statements. 

 

Your critics will become angry. So, they will turn their attacks on those innocents close to you including Katy and your family. Again, keep silent. If asked to comment just say, “This accusation is about me not about my family. Leave them out of it. They are private citizens.” Then, if those creeps continue to attack your family, your loved ones have legal grounds to seek action without involving you.

 

You take this too personally. And the bullies win. 

 

 

A NOTE TO OLBERBLOGGING READERS:

 

You probably noticed that OlberBlogging postings have become rather thin of late. I apologize if I disappoint. Readership stats that once ranked around 300 per week (with an outstanding 500-600 weekly hits once or twice) now tumble to the double digits. 

 

I never planned to host a blog about Keith Olbermann. Becky, mistress of the late and legendary Either Relevant or True blog, asked me to contribute one post a week. Instead, I turned her down citing concerns about commitment to such a recurring responsibility. I didn’t know when I had it easy.

 

Then, ERT folded. Not only did I feel immense guilt for not donating a small segment of my time to such a wonderful blog, but I faced the loss of my Keith Olbermann fandom favorite. Where would I turn to gab about KO with such a great community of like-minded, intelligent and, most of all, sane folks? Because when I assume guilt, I also feel compelled to fix things, I decided to resurrect ERT in OlberBlogging form.

 

If I thought that a mere single weekly post on ERT posed a staggering personal commitment, I never envisioned the encumbrance a DAILY blog entails! Nor did I realize how such a commitment would commendeer my life.  While I religiously watched Countdown in the past, as the Olberblogger I found I had to listen with a third ear as well as take notes on both the telecast content and possible screen shots for the blog. Often times, I replayed the podcasts or on-line segments to reconfirm a statement, quote or impression. Frequently, I referred to the transcript to get spelling or context correct. Until Diogenes2008 came to the rescue, finding, capturing and editing screen shots took at least an hour for each post.

 

Keith writes with such literary excellence, and as a “professional” writer myself, I wanted OlberBlogging to reflect creative, correct and clever writing as well. Thus, each blog took several hours to write and edit (and still the typos, grammar and syntax errors abound). Add that to the daily struggles with the vagaries of WordPress mechanics and with the necessary censorship of certain comments, I estimate I consumed nearly 15-20 hours each week OlberBlogging.

 

My OlberBlogging schedule wreaked havoc on my family as well. Dinner waited until 8 p.m. (CT) after the Countdown telecast. Often we resorted to fast and fatty take-out foods. My triglycerides levels have since tripled, for which I directly blame Keith.

 

My volunteer obligations meant I often delayed OlberBlogging until the next afternoon, so I ended up posting the previous night’s review just in time for the next day’s watercooler highlights. I seemed to always be Counting up, not down. I often prayed that KO would hit the stadium instead of the studio so I could get a vacation day, too.

 

Even when Samantha, Judith Marie and Diogenes2008 (aka Leesa)…offered much needed relief. I still felt I spent more of my time and energy involved with Keith Olbermann’s life than my own.

 

I let one blog, my Winking Buddha Blog, languish. For more than a year, I planned to start a new blog about animal cognition called Argos’ Memories which remains in the “coming soon” phase. I’ve started a poetry blog, Poetweetry: The Nexus of Poetry and Twitter where I attempt to create poems in 140 characters or less on Twitter in order to nurture my neglected literary talents. I have several assigned articles with standby deadlines still in outline form.

 

I also heard the call of the wild. Many ERT readers may recall that I spent last summer talking with chimpanzees who communicate in American Sign Language. Last week I trained to become certified in marine mammal rehabilitation. Currently, I’m “babysitting” a rehabbing juvenile dolphin down in Galveston three days a week (extremely interesting and when Toby gets playful, much fun). I also want to help with wolf socialization at a nearby sanctuary. 

 

Because of the priorities of my life, Keith must go on without me, or at least less of me. I would like to hear comments by OlberBlogging readers about whether they want me to end this blog outright, post important stories only occasionally, or put up a weekly “comment” blog and allow YOU to “write” the blog via comment section. Other ideas are welcomed as well.

 

Please discuss (i.e. comment among yourselves).  Based on what you decide, I will either continue OlberBlogging, albeit in extremely abbreviated and irregular form, or let the blog lapse.

 

THANK YOU!!

 

I do want to thank all those who have supported and helped me with OlberBlogging. First, Samantha, Judith Marie (aka Rafi’s Mom) and Leesa for helping with posts and pictures.  A special shout-out to  Anneli who regularly comments from Norway. Thanks to ERT founder Becky for her ongoing support, advice and hand-holding as well as ERT alum Chicating for frequent comments. Thanks, too, to Tory for her support, interest and unfortunate short-lived friendship. 

 

Thanks as well to Craig Crawford and Chris Cillizza for participating on our very fun and successful First and Last “Countdown Favorite Pundit Poll.” Their good spirit resulted in a $200 donation to the Houston SPCA.  Take that Sean Hannity. Also, a shout-out to Chris Hayes who turned to OlberBlogging for fashion advice.

 

And, of course, thank you to Keith Olbermann and all our readers who truly made OlberBlogging possible.

 

Best Wishes and Peace,

 

The Olberblogger

 

Congrats, Katy!

Congratulations to Katy Tur who has just joined The Weather Channel as a member its Vortex 2 Tornado Chase Team.

Here’s a link to the story on TVNewser.

Of course, the regular KO critics again scream nepotism. Here’s Keith’s comment on that one:

“Anybody who suggests so is misinformed, and/or sadly unaware that in this time when the industry is collapsing around us, nobody gets a job based on ‘influence,’ only talent.”

An aside, Keith — when the job market sours, a connection does help! Been there!

Olberblogger wonders how KT’s new job might affect their relationship. After all, if KT is off chasing Tur-nadoes, we all know few of those cyclones occur in New York City or even near the East Coast, for that matter. That’s a Midwest and South phenomena.

Regardless. OlberBlogging wishes KT the very best on her new gig and assignment. She too often gets trashed for being Keith’s girlfriend (for instance, check the header on the TVNewser blog) so it’s good she gets acknowledged for her own efforts. Just don’t get — ah — blown away by it! 

Olbermann Legacy, The Next Generation

We all know Keith Olbermann obsesses about baseball. Countdown carries his name but much more important, provides financial wherewithal for those choice season seats in Yankee Stadiums, both old and new. Countdown allows him to rave at politicos and pundits gone wrong, but we sense he much rather holler at the doings of the Boys in Pinstripes.

You cannot take the sportscaster out of the sports fan. Thus, Keith not only makes calls for NBC football coverage during NFL season, but he now adds a regular baseball blog to his journalistic endeavours.

According to PR Newswire:

 

Major League Baseball, announced today that it has hired award-winning anchor, sportscaster and journalist Keith Olbermann as an at-large columnist. Olbermann’s columns, currently available three times per week at keitholbermann.mlblogs.com, will provide fans with his “Baseball Nerd” perspective of the game across various platforms. He also is the first national journalist hired as part of MLBAM’s digital newspaper initiative, currently scheduled for a May launch.

At his request, Olbermann’s full salary for his work as an at-large columnist will be split equally among three charitable organizations. They will be: the Baseball Assistance Team, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Jayden Braden/Ariana Marzano College Fund, established in support of the late John Marzano’s grandchildren. Marzano, a former Major Leaguer and MLB.com host, died just over one year ago in a home accident in Philadelphia.

“I’ve long respected MLB.com’s editorial independence and I’ll be delighted to test it,” said Olbermann. “Seriously, it’s an honor to be able to write about all the obscure things I love inside the game I love, and to help some worthy causes in the process, and to honor an old friend. Not to mention that it will be my politics-free oasis. Unless another cat jumps up at another Governor.”

Olbermann’s love of the game runs in his family. His late mother Marie Olbermann received MLB fame when she was conked on the noggin by a wild pitch. Keith related the story during his emotional tribute to his mom:

 

…on June 17th, 2000, when the sudden, and growing, inability of the ill-fortuned second baseman Chuck Knoblauch to make any kind of throw, easy or hard, to first base, culminated in him picking up a squib off the bat of Greg Norton of the White Sox and throwing it not back towards first, but, instead, off the roof of the Yankees’ dugout where it picked up a little reverse english and smacked my mother right in the bridge of her glasses.

Chuck was in the middle of losing his beloved father at that time and though I thought I “got” what that meant to him, I didn’t really understand it until today as I wrote this, and struggled to find the right keys, let alone the right words.

In any event, for three days in 2000, Mom was on one or both of the covers, of The New York Post and The New York Daily News and Newsday. She was somewhere in every newspaper in America.

With her passing a few weeks ago, the Olbermann family baseball fame flame extinguished — except for KO’s preeminent baseball card collection and a Chuck Knoblauch ball that may or may not have been bequeathed to him. 

Except a few nights ago, in a new Yankee stadium (the one George built) when the Olbermann baseball strike “out” family legend meet the next generation thanks to a helicoptering bat and KO’s 10-year-old nephew. As KO relates in his blog:

 

Hats off to Ben Erdel. As part of his big night at Yankee Stadium last night, Brett Gardner let one of his Louisville Sluggers fly into the stands. Mr. Erdel and a much younger gentleman both had their hands on the rare souvenir – although only the younger gentleman had just managed to avoid getting hit with the helicoptering bat. Mr. Erdel took the bat, took a few steps, and then thought better of it, and generously did the right thing.

The younger gentleman now has a singular thrill from his first Yankee homestand, exceeding his previous one – being my nephew.

Here is Nephew, Jacob Smith, far left, and his bat, which was not stolen by either Katy Tur or Maegen Carberry.

Keith invited the lucky and talented Jacob on Countdown yesterday to show off the bat and ask, as he did his mother about the Knoblauch ball, if he could acquire it for his personal collection. And young Smith, echoed the wise and numbing words of his Grammie, “You can bid on it on eBay like everybody else.”

Shout out to Ben Erdel (pictured below) for letting Jacob keep the bat.

However, whether a photo opp on Countdown really seems commensurate with that Louisville Slugger may depend on Erdel’s political and cable news predilections.

Congrats, Gene!

Gene Robinson, columnist for the Washington Post and Countdown regular, won the prestigious 2009  Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

 

Your OlberBlogging friends congratulate you, Gene!  Great job! You definitely deserve it.

Please check these links to read more about Gene’s honor: 

Washington Post

Editor & Publisher

Good Night, Marie

We members of the OlberBlogging Community send our thoughts and prayers to Keith and his family on the loss of his mother. 

No one could give a better tribute than Keith did on Monday night. If you would like to listen, please visit the Countdown site here.

We hope Keith doesn’t mind if we reprint his tribute from the Countdown transcript. We’ve also included some of the pictures Keith aired during the segment:

 

And finally, how does one tell this story?  My mother passed away Saturday night.  Our number one story on the COUNTDOWN, Marie Katherine (ph) Charbonier Olbermann, 1929-2009.  This remembrance is not going to be a medical story, although lord knows mom was the foremost authority on her own health.  Nor is it going to consist of me telling you that she was the proverbial saint, although I can hear her saying, go ahead.  I‘m not going to disagree with you.  Who is going to disagree with you?

It is not going to be a full biography.  Suffice to say, she was a gifted preschool teacher and a legendary authority on opera.  Somewhere, she is going to be genuinely disappointed that I did not get Placido Domingo to sing at the memorial service.  I thought instead it would be best to focus on something for which she became and remained pretty famous, literally until the day she died. 

My mother was one of the best-known baseball fans in this country.  She attended games of the New York Yankees from 1934 to 2004, and she watched or listened to every one she didn‘t go to up until last month.  My guess is she went to at least 1,500 of them, most of them in that seat right there, where the Fox cameras captured her late in the season of 2000. 

As recently as the 13th of last month, Jerry Manual, the manager of the New York Mets, came over to me on a field in Lakeland, Florida before an exhibition game and asked me how she was.  He was the fifth or sixth active baseball figure to have done so this year alone.  They have averaged at least one or two a month for nearly a decade now.  Saturday afternoon, not six hours before mom died, a New York Yankees executive made reference to that which had made mom famous in the ballparks, and trust me, mom loved being famous in the ballparks.  Even if it had to have been attained this way on June 17th, 2000. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  And these are the problems that have become well documented over the last few days.  Throwing it into the stands and ironically enough, the ball hit Keith Olbermann‘s mother right between the eyes.  She was all right.  The glasses were broken. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  Four days after her birthday, mom had found herself in the middle of one of the great melt downs in sports history, a sudden and growing inability of the ill-fortuned second baseman Chuck Knoblauch of the Yankees to make any kind of throw, easy or hard, to first base.  Chuck was in the middle of losing his beloved father at that time.  Though I thought I got what that meant to him then, I didn‘t really understand it at all until this afternoon as I wrote this, and I struggled to find the right keys, let alone the right words. 

For three days in 2000, mom was on one or both of the covers of the “New York Post” and the “New York Daily News” and “New York News Day.”  She was somewhere in every newspaper in America.  And all this happened while I was the host of the baseball game of the week for Fox.  Needless to say, I managed to get an interview with her for the pregame show the following Saturday, an exclusive interview.  Although don‘t think I didn‘t have to work for it. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

 

(Note: The only person who could make KO shut up on the air!)

 

OLBERMANN:  Joining us now for her first interview since the Knoblauch incident, my mom.  Are you OK? 

MARIE OLBERMANN, MOTHER OF KEITH OLBERMANN:  I‘m pretty good.  A little bruised, but OK. 

OLBERMANN:  Mom, you‘ve been going to games since—so long that you met Babe Ruth when you were a toddler.  Have you ever been near a foul ball or thrown ball before? 

M. OLBERMANN:  Not that close.  No, not really.  No. 

OLBERMANN:  And this was close enough? 

M. OLBERMANN:  Too close. 

OLBERMANN:  A lot of the pitchers are saying this year that the hitters are doing better because the ball is harder than it has been in the past.  Would you agree that it‘s harder than it has been in the past? 

M. OLBERMANN:  It‘s the hardest one I‘ve ever been hit with. 

OLBERMANN:  You went back to Yankee Stadium the next day.  Why? 

M. OLBERMANN:  To see the game. 

OLBERMANN:  Do you have any worry about Chuck, either as a Yankee fan or for your own safety? 

M. OLBERMANN:  Not really.  I sympathize with him. 

OLBERMANN:  Why do you sympathize with him? 

M. OLBERMANN:  Because I‘m a little awkward at times too. 

OLBERMANN:  But you‘re not playing second base with the Yankees, are you? 

M. OLBERMANN:  Not yet. 

OLBERMANN:  Have you been surprised by all the newspaper attention? 

M. OLBERMANN:  A little bit, but I want to know why they keep mentioning you. 

OLBERMANN:  Uh, OK.  What matters most, obviously, mom, is that you‘re all right.  But I‘ve got to ask you, in closing, it‘s no secret that I collect memorabilia.  Like I‘m telling you something you don‘t know.  You had to clean most of it up.  But can have the ball? 

M. OLBERMANN:  You can bid on it when I auction it off, just like everyone else. 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Four million.  Thank you, sir. 

OLBERMANN:  My mother, everybody. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  My great thanks to my old boss, David Hill, at Fox Sports, for his kindness in letting us run that tonight. 

Anyway, for the rest of the year, any time Fox broadcast a game from Yankee Stadium, mom got on TV again.  We even talked about her during the World Series broadcast that fall, during which began this ritual that continues to this day, players, players who were at the game, players who only heard about the game, players asked me about my mom. 

Since the day it happened, I‘ve been told Chuck Knoblauch has been mortified by it.  Chuck, give yourself a break.  You made her famous.  She loved it.  She could not have been happier if they let her pinch-hit for you. 

A full circle that is.  It was mother who was the fan in our family.  My dad likes the game enough, but the Yankees traded his favorite player away, and he‘s still mad at them.  This happened late in 1948.  So it was mom who introduced me to the game.  In my teenage years, when we went nearly every day, it was she who trundled me and my sister to the ballpark.  It was on her TV that I came to love the sport and by her side that I began to understand it.  And sitting next to her that I began to understand that I was not going to be any damn good playing it, and if I wanted in, maybe I‘d better try talking about it. 

Thus was born a career, the results of which you see now.  At least half of the ham comes from her.  She was an aspiring ballerina.  And when I keep talking and talking and talking, for good or for ill, that‘s pretty much all her.  What I don‘t have pictures of are the thousands of hours she spent driving me to and from school so I could work on the newspaper or announce the hockey game. 

In retrospect, it‘s obvious she was, to adapt a phrase, a media mom.  It was the proverbial sudden illness in the best of senses.  She had no apparent symptoms until two weeks ago.  She was not severely afflicted until ten days ago.  The treatment lessened her pain, and she never awakened, thus never had to hear, nor did any of us have to say, you have terminal cancer. 

I‘m not going to end with harangue about how you need to go see your doctor, because not feeling so bad does not mean you are not sick, though you should keep that in mind.  But knowing those of you who watch this show and others I‘ve done, I‘m always overwhelmed by your support and how personally you take all this.  If you are so inclined, instead of flowers or card or whatever, make a donation to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or St. Jude‘s hospital.  They do such important work there too.

Marie Olbermann is survived by her husband, my dad, my sister Jen and her husband and their two kids, Jacob and Eve, mom‘s grandchildren.  By her cousins Robert and Bill Shlombom (ph) and their families, by just about everybody in baseball, and by me.  Good night, mom, and good luck.

 

 

Susan G. Koman Breast Foundation

St. Jude’s Hospital

We wished we had known her!

Countdown Comments #3

 

There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it’s only a hundred billion. It’s less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.

 

~~ Richard Feynman, physicist and author

 

 

Talk Among Yourselves!

Countdown Comments #2

 

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best – and therefore never scrutinize or question.

- Stephen Jay Gould

 

 

 

Talk among yourselves

Heights of Hypocrisy

Former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke with the Houston Chronicle about his life after the Bush Administration. 

While he does not have a full-time career position, he makes a living as a “consultant” (don’t they all), a speaker and a free lance attorney. His dream job — to be commissioner of Major League Baseball — most likely will be a strike out.

Gonzo says he’s writing a book to clear up Bush’s and his own legacy.

And, he’s publicly offering his insights about the ongoing drug-related violence on the US-Mexican border.

In what has to be the height of hypocrisy, audacity, idiocy, irony, paradox, stupidity or sheer chutzpah, Gonzo offered this terse suggestion to the Mexican government, as reported by the Chronicle’s Dane Schiller:

Gonzales visited the Chronicle to lend his perspective to the ongoing violence in Mexico and U.S. efforts to support Mexican President Felipe Calderon….

He … said Mexico should have oral, public trials of major organized crime figures rather than having trials consist of written testimony read by a judge behind closed doors.

Doing things in private breeds corruption, he said.

After eight years of renditions, black prisons, warrantless wiretaps, torture, secret military tribunals, locking “enemy combatants” both foreign and citizens in prison without charges for years, denying habeas corpus, classifying public records on the grounds of “executive privilege,”  and a litany of other corrupt acts — which he approved –during the Bush Administration against the very foundation of our American ideals, Gonzo has the gull to say “Doing things in private breeds corruption”!

If any stupid political statement deserves a “Worst Person in the World” award, this must be it. Keith and/or Rachel, please have at him!

Countdown Comments

Talk among yourselves!

Real Time in The Soup

OlberBlogging Editor’s Note:

No wonder Keith looked “kinda” sweaty on Friday’s  Countdown — he appeared not only live on his regular gig, but rushed right over for an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher and friends over at HBO. Plus, the guest shot on The Soup on E! also aired last night.

Thanks to Samantha, we have an excellent review of KO’s special appearances with links, but no photos yet. If we get some later, we’ll add them.  Thanks, Samantha!! 

Keith on Real Time With Bill Maher:

 

Keith wore what he was wearing on Friday’s show – his gray suit with vest and purple tie.

Countdown – It is celebrating its 6^th anniversary this month.  Wow, I’ve only been watching for 6 months… I have a lot of catching up to do.  

Cornell – Keith and Bill both graduated from the university only a year apart (Bill graduated in ’78, Keith was the class of ’79).  I think I heard about Bill going to Cornell one time on Larry King.  

Bill then asked Keith if the political atmosphere of Cornell affected his view on politics, citing how his would report for the university about student shut-ins, some involving machine guns, but how the reasons for the protests would be kind of self centered, like wanting to argue about their student loans.  

Ann Coulter and her ridiculous argument regarding Keith’s degree was discussed, and Bill spoke a little about how he recently kicked her bottom in a debate.          

MaET – Bill asked the panel about Former VP Cheney’s recent comments and Keith said that by Cheney’s logic, we should be congratulating President Obama on the fact that he has kept the country safe during his first two months in office.  

Bill asked Keith why he continues to count the days since President Bush declared “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq, and he said that part of it is TV, but mostly because there are still troops who are wounded and who give their life serving their country fighting the war in Iraq.  

Didn’t Keith also report the number of fallen soldiers on a regular basis?         

Fox News – Bill asked Keith about Glen Beck.  Keith, stealing a funny from SOS Albright, said that “he’s nuts!” and Ms. Washington compared him to a conservative Jerry Springer.  

Bill said that he doesn’t agree with what the pundits on Fox News say but that he believes in free speech.  Keith agreed that you can’t be held responsible for how people take what you say, and sited how Mr. Goldberg’s book inspired a man in Tennessee to gun down people in a church.   

Keith talked about Michael Wolffe and his book on Murdoch.  He said that if Murdoch was ever given the right price, and knew that a liberal network would make him money, he would change Fox News in a heart beat.  Also, there are a number of people at Fox News would sell out if the money was better on the other side.   

He talked about how Hannity thinks all the back in forth between Fox News and MSNBC or other channels is just for TV, that the feud is just for show.  

Keith said that he would never sell out, and that he believes in everything he says on TV.      

President Obama – Keith believes that we are at the bottom of the economy crisis, while Andrew Sorkin of the New York Times thinks it could get much worse.  Mr. Sorkin was concerned about how the government just printed and spent $2 trillion over the past two weeks, and how there doesn’t seem to be enough oversight and tracking of how the money is being spent; saying that in 10 years, we will be looking back and wondering where 50% of the money went.  Keith said that that would be better than not knowing where 100% of the tax payer’s money was spent, which was how the past administration ran things.  

Bill asked about President Obama’s real views on Prop 8 and religion.  Keith said that he may not be for gay marriage (he supports civil unions) but that twice during the campaign he publicly opposed Prop 8.  Bill then wondered how religious the President really is, and Keith said that “there are no atheist in the fox holes of the American economy”, which kind of made sense and I got what he was going at, but he immediately apologized for and asked everyone to disregard. 

Best Fashion Statement:  

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s bee pin

UTube Real Time Links:

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

 

Keith on [in?] The Soup

Keith wore a black pin striped suit with his zebra tie.

Joel McHale introduced the segment commenting on President Obama’s recent appearance on Jay Leno’s show, and Keith was then on screen saying “what’s this world coming to?”  

There was a little back in forth between Joel and Keith, with Joel saying that sportscasters would be given political news shows and Keith saying that waiters would be given basic cable programs.  

Keith talked about how celebrity news shows like The Insider and ET are using Twitter to stalk people.  Twitter, Keith favorite site!  He then noted how it’s a good thing that Twitter wasn’t around when Pat O’Brien was air – he would just tweet about his recreational activities.

Also, Randy Travis’ appearance on American Idol was creepy and Keith hates house wines.

Best Fashion Statement:

Snobby Keith