List of Keith Olbermann's special comments From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008) Keith Olbermann occasionally delivers "special comments", commentaries usually several minutes long that are often directed at a political figure, on his MSNBC news show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The first commentary specifically designated as a special comment was delivered on August 30, 2006.[1] Olbermann originates and writes his special comments himself, which he has described as a two-day process that begins with "[getting] pissed off" and involves a number of rewrites and rehearsals before the show airs. To date, Olbermann has delivered a total of 43 Special Comments on Countdown.[2] The special comments almost always take the form of criticism of the Bush administration or other conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich[3] or Tom DeLay,[4]. His criticism of Hillary Clinton's response to the comments of Geraldine Ferraro about Barack Obama and the comments aftermath was the first time a special comment has been "directed exclusively at a Democrat."[5] Olbermann's special comments have generated much attention and controversy, especially on the Internet. They have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, and, the day after the first special comment, Olbermann's name became the #4 search term on Technorati and the Amazon.com ranking of his book Worst Person in the World jumped from #98 to #19.[6] On at least two instances, excerpts from special comments have been entered into the Congressional Record, including a speech by West Virginia Representative Nick Rahall on the House floor.[7] A book compiling Olbermann's Special Comments, Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values, was released on December 26, 2007, containing all the Special Comments that aired on or before September 4, 2007, including the one on Hurricane Katrina.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Origins and parodies 2 List of special comments 2.1 Campaign comments 3 References 4 External links [edit] Origins and parodies Before Olbermann started designating his commentaries "special comments," he delivered a commentary on what he characterized as the Bush administration's incompetence in handling the Hurricane Katrina relief effort on September 5, 2005.[9] The commentary was widely shared on the Internet and prompted Rolling Stone to name Olbermann a "truth teller" in its 2005 Men of the Year issue.[10] On December 18, 2006, MSNBC first aired a show dedicated entirely to Olbermann's special comments. The show, which aired during Countdown's normal time slot during Countdown's holiday hiatus featured four Special Comments: "This hole in the ground", "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?", "A special comment about lying", and "Where are the checks, balances?" Olbermann revealed during this show that his first special comment, "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?" was written on the back of a travel itinerary while waiting for a flight in Los Angeles.[original research?] Later, on August 31, 2007, Olbermann spoofed himself and the special comments with a guest appearance on The Soup. In it, he and host Joel McHale berated Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan for their misbehavior, going so far as to put up a photo of Anna Nicole Smith as an example of what could happen to them if they don't change their ways.[original research?] Olbermann similarly parodied the concept (and his own delivery) during the Keeping Tabs segment of the December 7, 2007 edition of Countdown with a "Special Come On." It was directed at FOX Network executives about the possibility of an Arrested Development movie, and extolled the virtues of the show both in terms of quality and marketability.[11] In 2008, Saturday Night Live guest host Ben Affleck portrayed Olbermann in a parody of Countdown, which featured a mock special comment against the co-op board that would not allow Olbermann to keep his cat, satirically named "Miss Precious Perfect", in an apartment he shares with his mother.[12] [edit] List of special comments The links in this table are to transcripts or videos of the special comments. The special comment titles and summaries are taken from the MSNBC website; they are not mentioned on air. # Date Title 1 August 30, 2006 Feeling morally, intellectually confused? A response to a speech by Donald Rumsfeld in which Rumsfeld characterized those who disagreed with the Iraq War as "morally or intellectually confused." Olbermann compares Rumsfeld's certitude to that of Neville Chamberlain's government. 2 September 5, 2006 'Have you no sense of decency, sir?' A response to a presidential press conference in which President George W. Bush quotes a purported letter by Osama bin Laden that mentioned a "a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government," which Olbermann alleges was an attempt to link the media to terrorists. 3 September 11, 2006 This hole in the ground From Ground Zero, a comment on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and the slowness to rebuild on Ground Zero. He goes on to accuse the Bush administration of failing to build on the unity following 9/11 and implies that the Bush administration has committed an "impeachable offense." 4 September 18, 2006 Bush owes us an apology A reaction to a Presidential Rose Garden address. 5 September 25, 2006 A textbook definition of cowardice A response to Bill Clinton's Fox News interview. 6 October 5, 2006 A special comment about lying The difference between terrorists and critics. 7 October 18, 2006 'Beginning of the end of America' The Military Commissions Act and its effect on habeas corpus. 8 October 23, 2006 Advertising terrorism Alleged fearmongering by the Republican Party. 9 November 1, 2006 Bush owes troops apology In wake of John Kerry's misstated witticism and apology, Olbermann asserts that President Bush is stupid, dishonest, and that Bush owes U.S. troops an apology. 10 November 6, 2006 Where are the checks, balances? Accusation that President Bush has been 'making it up' for too long, and the people have let him. 11 November 20, 2006 Lessons from Vietnam Response to President Bush's comparison between Vietnam and Iraq. 12 November 30, 2006 Free speech, failed speakers, and the delusion of grandeur Regarding former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's comments regarding free speech protections. 13 January 2, 2007 Special comment about 'Sacrifice' Reaction to President Bush's plan to send more American troops to Iraq, despite public opinion and the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. 14 January 11, 2007 Bush's legacy: The president who cried wolf Reaction to President Bush's announcement that he will send more troops to Iraq. 15 January 30, 2007 Bush shoots for 'Jaws,' delivers 'Jaws 2' Regarding evidence of President Bush's State of the Union claims about having stopped four terror plots. 16 February 26, 2007 Condi goes too far Regarding comparison of Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler by Condoleezza Rice. 17 March 26, 2007 DeLay's DeLusions Regarding comparison of liberals to Adolf Hitler by Tom DeLay. 18 April 25, 2007 Republicans equal life; Democrats equal death? Accuses Rudy Giuliani of exploiting fear for power and personal gain. 19 May 23, 2007 The entire government has failed us on Iraq Reaction to "compromise" between Democratic Party leaders and the Bush administration on Iraq War funding. 20 July 3, 2007 Bush, Cheney should resign Reaction to Bush's commuting of the sentence of Scooter Libby, followed by a call for Bush and Cheney to resign. 21 July 12, 2007 All hail the prophetic gut! Reaction to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's remarks regarding "gut feelings" of possible terrorist attacks. 22 July 19, 2007 Go to Iraq and fight, Mr. President Response to a leaked Defense Department memo blaming Hillary Clinton and war dissension for failures in Iraq. 23 September 4, 2007 Bush just playing us with 'troop withdrawal' Reaction to statements made by President Bush on a surprise trip to Iraq earlier in the day in light of his previous comments in Robert Draper's book Dead Certain. 24 September 20, 2007 Olbermann to Bush: ‘Your hypocrisy is so vast’ Reaction to a September 20 press conference. Asserts that President Bush was the one who interjected Gen. David Petraeus into the political dialogue in the first place. 25 November 5, 2007 On waterboarding and torture A reaction to comments by Pres. Bush and Michael Mukasey responding to allegations of waterboarding by the Bush administration. Accuses the Bush administration of conducting a "criminal conspiracy" to protect itself from prosecution for torture. 26 December 6, 2007 Bush: Pathological liar or idiot-in-chief? Reaction to President Bush's past statements toward the nuclear weapons capabilities of Iran compared to the National Intelligence Estimate issued on December 3, 2007. 27 January 31, 2008 Bush put telecoms ahead of citizens Reaction to President Bush's demands for a law which would clear phone giants from responsibility in law suits involving "national security" spying. 28 February 14, 2008 A veto of the FISA bill endangers Americans Reaction to President Bush's demands for telecom immunity and Republican congressmen staging a walk-out. 29 March 12, 2008 Clinton's tepid response to Ferraro is shameful Reaction to comments of Geraldine Ferraro and the ensuing response of the Clinton campaign and Senator Clinton. 30 May 14, 2008 Mr. President, the war isn’t about you — or golf President Bush giving up golf to show support for the Iraq troops. 31 May 19, 2008 Countdown clarifies ‘Special Comment’ Countdown clarifies "Special Comment" of May 14, 2008. 32 May 23, 2008 Clinton, you invoked a political nightmare Keith Olbermann reviews how many times Hillary Clinton has referenced Robert F. Kennedy in her campaign – and how the most recent mention of him and his assassination was inexcusable.[13] 33 June 12, 2008 McCain should know better Keith Olbermann takes a look at the context of John McCain’s “not too important” comment regarding the urgency of bringing American troops home from the Iraq war.[14] 34 June 30, 2008 Obama's FISA opportunity Keith Olbermann discusses Sen. Barack Obama’s second chance to vote on the FISA bill and still show voters that he can stand on principle through the advantage of a loophole within the bill.[15] 35 August 18, 2008 Senator, Grow Up! Keith Olbermann explains how John McCain and company repeatedly politicize the issues they address, especially the Iraq war, and blame the media for every hardship their campaign faces.[16] 36 September 10, 2008 Republicans have hijacked 9/11 Keith Olbermann talks about the politicization of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, especially by the Bush administration and the GOP who use the event to terrify Americans into thinking the only safe option is to vote Republican “or this will happen again and you will die.”[17] 37 October 7, 2008 It's Palin doing the pallin' Keith Olbermann points out in a Special Comment that while John McCain might want to use Sarah Palin to hit Barack Obama below the belt and accuse him of terrorist associations, he overlooked the unfortunate fact that "pallin' around with terrorists" is one area where Palin has more experience.[18] 38 October 14, 2008 McCain, suspend your campaign In a brief Special Comment, Keith Olbermann expresses his disapproval of what he characterizes as the McCain/Palin campaign’s “lynch-mob mentality” and what he alleges as their refusal to discourage surrogates and supporters from threatening Barack Obama at GOP campaign rallies.[19] 39 October 20, 2008 Divisive politics is anti-American Keith Olbermann lists examples of hateful, divisive politics from the right that actually do more to undermine America than the bogus accusations of anti-Americanism being leveled against Barack Obama.[20] 40 November 10, 2008 Gay marriage is a question of love Keith Olbermann disagrees with the passing of Proposition 8 in California and urges people to accept love between people of the same sex.[21] 41 January 19, 2009 Bush guilty of torture Keith Olbermann outlines why the Obama administration ought to prosecute Bush Administration officials who endorsed the use of torture. 42 February 5, 2009 Cheney doing the work of terrorists Keith Olbermann accuses former Vice President Dick Cheney of using made-up statistics and nonsensical reasoning in an effort to extend the Bush administration's reign of fear over Americans weeks after voters resoundingly rejected Cheney's un-American worldview. 43 March 19, 2009 Time to get tough on bankers Olbermann expresses outrage at Wall Street over their continuing misuse of federal bailout money; he calls for the firing of bank executives and more stringent bank regulation. 44 April 16, 2009 Future of U.S. depends on torture accountability Olbermann makes one more plea to President Barack Obama to prosecute Bush administration officials who allowed the torture of prisoners to occur, to set an example for the future that America does not tolerate torture. [edit] Campaign comments In October 2008, two weeks before the presidential election, Olbermann announced that he would briefly transform his special comments into a nightly feature, claiming that "If [the McCain campaign is] going to pile it on for the next two weeks, I'm going to have to throw it back."[22] After numerous people observed that daily comments would render the term "special" meaningless, Olbermann christened the two weeks' comments as campaign comments.[23] He also noted that the campaign comments would be less formal than his special comments, and "not necessarily just monologues, either. Sound Bites now acceptable."[23] # Date Title 1 October 21, 2008 Strike four for Palin on V.P. description Keith Olbermann is irate at Sarah Palin's inability to answer correctly a third grader's question about the job of the Vice President of the United States — this being her fourth wrong answer since July. 2 October 22, 2008 McCain's clumsy hypocrisy Keith Olbermann points out the hypocrisy in the McCain campaign's casting Sarah Palin as a hero of the working class while spending $150,000 on her image. The transparency of the ridiculous cynicism of the McCain campaign is further demonstrated by their awkward pandering to local baseball fans. 3 October 23, 2008 Joe the failed campaign gimmick Keith Olbermann points out the futility of the McCain campaign harping on the Joe the Plumber theme when polls show it's not resonating with voters. 4 October 24, 2008 Bill-O victimized by vast viewer conspiracy Keith Olbermann shoots down Bill O'Reilly's claims that Barack Obama is fixing the Nielsen TV ratings to make Countdown look good and Bill O'Reilly look bad. 5 October 27, 2008 McCain: Speak up and lead! Keith Olbermann says John McCain needs to speak out against those who would use Friday's hoax attack as a means to re-open the racial divide in America. 6 October 28, 2008 Palin: Socialist, fraud Keith Olbermann cites yet another example of the McCain campaign accusing Barack Obama of something of which they themselves are guilty. In this case, Sarah Palin is accusing Barack Obama of advocating socialism when she literally used that word to describe the collective wealth sharing in her home state of Alaska. 7 October 29, 2008 Who does Joe think he's fooling? Keith Olbermann asks "Joe the Plumber" to give up playing the role of McCain/Palin campaign prop because he is either supplying false information or making a fool of himself. 8 October 30, 2008 Ayers a guest in McCain's glass house Keith Olbermann points out that not only does John McCain have a closer relationship with Rashid Khalidi than Barack Obama does, that relationship means McCain has a connection to William Ayers as well. 9 November 3, 2008 If Obama had campaigned like McCain... Keith Olbermann invites viewers to imagine how Barack Obama would be fairing in the election if Obama made the mistakes, contradictions, gaffes, Freudian slips, and hypocritical pronouncements that John McCain make throughout the campaign. 10 November 5, 2008 Obama's historic journey Countdown recaps Barack Obama's historic win to become the 44th president of the United States and the first of African-American descent. [edit] References ^ Feeling morally, intellectually confused?: Keith Olbermann comments on Donald Rumsfeld's remarks ^ FDL Book Salon Welcomes Keith Olbermann ^ Free speech and the delusion of grandeur: Keith Olbermann responds to Newt Gingrich’s comments about free speech ^ Special comment: DeLay’s DeLusions ^ Keith Olbermann To Do "Special Comment" About Hillary Clinton Tonight — First Time Targeting A Democrat ^ Olbermann's book soars on Amazon.com ^ MSNBC host now playing in Congress ^ Truth and consequences - Hurricane Katrina, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC.com, December 17, 2007 (Retrieved on September 11, 2008) ^ "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for September 5 - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - MSNBC.com". Msnbc.msn.com. September 6, 2005. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9231761/. Retrieved on 2008-11-12. ^ TIM DICKINSONPosted Dec 15, 2005 12:00 AM (Posted December 15, 2005 12:00 AM). "KEITH OLBERMANN : Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8957321/keith_olbermann/. Retrieved on 2008-11-12. ^ "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Dec. 7 (transcript)". December 7, 2007. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22221245/. Retrieved on 2008-04-05. ^ "'Saturday Night Live's Olbermann Sketch: Affleck's Pompous, Cat-Owning Keith (VIDEO)'". The Huffington Post. November 2, 2008. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/02/saturday-night-lives-olbe_n_140102.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-24. ^ "Clinton, you invoked a political nightmare". MSNBC. 2008-05-23. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24797758/. Retrieved on 2008-10-25. ^ "McCain should know better". MSNBC. 2008-06-12. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25126582/. Retrieved on 2008-10-25. ^ ""FISA Opportunity"". MSNBC. 2008-06-30. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25463360/. Retrieved on 2008-10-25. ^ "Senator, Grow Up!". MSNBC. 2008-08-18. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26271658. Retrieved on 2008-10-25. ^ "Republicans hijacked 9/11". MSNBC. 2008-09-10. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26645619/. Retrieved on 2008-10-25. ^ "It's Palin doing the pallin'". MSNBC. 2008-10-06. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27054958/. Retrieved on 2008-10-23. ^ "McCain, suspend your campaign". MSNBC. 2008-10-14. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/. Retrieved on 2008-10-14. ^ "Divisive politics is anti-American". MSNBC. 2008-10-20. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27285708/. Retrieved on 2008-10-20. ^ "Special Comment: The Passage of Prop 8". MSNBC. 2008-11-10. http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/10/1667759.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-11-12. ^ "Nightly (Gulp) Special Comments: Hatred Repackaged As "The Real America"". Daily Kos. 2008-10-20. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/20/181911/95/919/636742. Retrieved on 2009-02-05. ^ a b "Comment: Governor, Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader?". Daily Kos. 2008-10-21. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/21/1825/9404/744/637942. Retrieved on 2009-02-05. [edit] External links Official MSNBC Webpage for Keith Olbermann's special comments Official blog of Keith Olbermann (When SC has been broadcasted, Keith posts his summary of it) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Keith_Olbermann%27s_special_comments" Categories: MSNBC programs