From Keith Olbermann’s blog, Bloggermann:
The resignation of Scott McClellan (Keith Olbermann)
SECAUCUS — I smell something – and it ain’t a copy of the Qu’ran sopping wet from being stuck in a toilet in Guantanamo Bay. It’s the ink drying on Scott McClellan’s resignation, and in an only partly imperfect world, it would be drifting out over Washington, and imminently. …
Cont. below fold:
[…………………….]
Whenever I hear Scott McClellan talking about ‘media credibility,’ I strain to remember who it was who admitted Jeff Gannon to the White House press room and called on him all those times.
Whenever I hear this White House talking about ‘doing to damage to our image abroad’ and how ‘people have lost lives,’ I strain to remember who it was who went traipsing into Iraq looking for WMD that will apparently turn up just after the Holy Grail will – and at what human cost.
Newsweek’s version of this story has varied from the others over the last two years – ones in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, and British and Russian news organizations – only in that it quoted a government source who now says he didn’t have firsthand knowledge of whether or not the investigation took place (oops, sorry, shoulda mentioned that, buh-bye). …
Whatever I smell comes from this odd sequence of events: Newsweek gets blasted by the White House, apologizes over the weekend but doesn’t retract its story. Then McClellan offers his Journalism 101 outdoor seminar and blasts the magazine further. Finally, just before 5 PM Monday, the Dan Rather drama replaying itself in its collective corporate mind, Newsweek retracts.
I’m always warning about the logical fallacy – the illusion that just because one event follows another, the latter must have necessarily caused the former. But when I wondered tonight on Countdown if it applied here, Craig Crawford reassured me. “The dots connect.”
[…………………….]
Or would somebody rather play politics with this? The way Craig Crawford reconstructed it, this one went similarly to the way the Killian Memos story evolved at the White House. The news organization turns to the administration for a denial. The administration says nothing. The news organization runs the story. The administration jumps on the necks of the news organization with both feet – or has its proxies do it for them.
That’s beyond shameful. It’s treasonous.
It’s also not very smart. While places like the Fox News Channel (which, only today, I finally recognized – it’s the newscast perpetually running on the giant video screens in the movie “1984”) ask how many heads should roll at Newsweek, it forgets in its fervor that both the story and the phony controversy around it are not so cut-and-dried this time.
Firstly, the principal reporter on the Gitmo story was Michael Isikoff – “Spikey” in a different lifetime; Linda Tripp’s favorite journalist, and one of the ten people most responsible (intentionally or otherwise) for the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Spikey isn’t just a hero to the Right – the Right owes him.
And larger still, in terms of politics, this isn’t well-defined, is it? I mean Conservatives might parrot McClellan and say ‘Newsweek put this country in a bad light.’ But they could just as easily thump their chests and say ‘See, this is what we do to those prisoners at Gitmo! You guys better watch your asses!’
Ultimately, though, the administration may have effected its biggest mistake over this saga, in making the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs look like a liar or naïf, just to draw a little blood out of Newsweek’s hide. Either way – and also for that tasteless, soul-less conclusion that deaths in Afghanistan should be lain at the magazine’s doorstep – Scott McClellan should resign. The expiration on his carton full of blank-eyed bully-collaborator act passed this afternoon as he sat reeling off those holier-than-thou remarks. Ah, that’s what I smelled.
I’m beginning to think that Olbermann is the only real journalist left on television. Jim Lehrer? Nah. The three stooges on the nightly network news programs? Hah! Blitzer? Ouch, I think I hurt myself. Moyers? Gone, when we need him most.
Can anyone out there think of an actual journalist on television besides Olbermann? I can’t. Please prove me wrong.
Please?
I hope this doesn’t cost Keith his job or too many headaches. But he surely anticipated some headaches while posting this. He sure can write.
Agreed, agreed and agreed. Who knows, if a (relatively) high profile journalist fires off such a broadside and survives, it may embolden others. Maybe. Though Olbermann has to have some sort of political cover to have survived as long as he has. Paul Allen, maybe? He’s still a major shareholder. Who knows.
Just a theory.
Interesting to note that Olberman started as a sports caster!
One of the best investigative news programs on T.V. is the award winning ESPN series “Outside the Lines.” This series started as an irregular, airing once every month or two, which I think made it a stronger show because they could go in depth, do a lot of research, and focus only on really important topics. It is now a nightly half hour, which means they can’t go as in-depth on important topics, and are filling more episodes with fluff, but can be a bit more topical.
Some of the subjects OTL has covered include: the overseas labor practices of U.S. sneaker companies, the impact of technology and genetic science on sports, race and sports, coaches and sexual abuse, Cuban athletes defecting, violence in sports, religion and athletics, hazing by sports teams, gambling on sports, and AIDS and athletics.
I guess the public can only handle tough subjects if they are disguised as sports fluff. Then we can say to ourselves, “Yeah, but that’s the sports world, not the real world.”
Olbermann’s wry commentary on Sports Center was always a highlight of the show. I was so disappointed when he went over to Fox. It certainly didn’t take him long to figure out their agenda, once there. I was quite pleased to see him resurface on MSNBC, but was unsure whether or not he was a “legitimate journalist.” I am quite pleased to have been proved wrong in this regard.
I just got up, sitting here with my coffee and just WOW. It’s wonderful to read first thing in the morning the words of a man who still knows what integrity mean and has to courage to speak and write them. Because he is risking a lot – so chapeau to Olbermann.
This might be somewhat OT here, but I think it is important. The Guardian article is on how the world reacts on the Newsweek retraction.
Newsweek apology fails to cool Qur’an anger
So it looks like Scotty still has some work to do.
I’m glad I watched Keith today. He managed to give me some hope for our media. I agree with Susan, he should watch his back, this administration has a dark track record for dirty tricks.
Booman, should we get the cuffs ready for Scotty?
Just fired off an email to Keith thanking him for having the integrity to tell the truth. God I love this man. He has continually stepped up and gave this “treasonous” regime an earful. I hope he is the one there when they march these assholes of to prison where they belong.
If you link to the story it is very easy to email from bottom of transcript. Lets all give Keith a shout to let him know that we have his back.
This little episode illustrates, once more, the problem with the anonymous source. Sure, we all want our whistle-blowers and Deep Throats to have some protection. But it is naive to believe that all these government sources are in a similar position. More often, they are using the press/media for their own agendas.
Here’s a rule that every reporter ought to announce and follow: If you fuck me over, I am going to publish your name, how you got in touch with me, and the complete transcript of our conversation.
Would it have a chilling effect? More than one, I think.
Another incident where the criminals get off on a technicality
It is not about the truth because we have plenty of that …we need to put it into a frame where Koe Blow understands.
This administration keeps getting off the hook on technicalities…just like evil Trial Lawyers getting their clients freed because of a technicality. The people of the US have to sit by and watch once again while the criminals are not accountable for the crimes they have committed…because they can talk slick
as I do almost every week night, my husband comes in and stands there watching KO interview Craig Crawford for a few minutes. Then, he says, “I now get why you watch this guy. It’s not the goofy Oddball News segment, it’s the honesty, it’s his search for the truth.” Absolutely. I also like the Oddball stuff, too. I’m emailing da’man right now. He needs our support to outweigh whatever grief he gets on this.
And, Susan, have I told you lately how much I admire you? Your diaries here and at dKos rock the house! You are proof that one person can do a better job than the whole MSM put together!
Hey all.
This is just a reminder that we should Tivo Olbermann’s show — if you have one, that is — as this will help improve his ratings. I do so, and can then watch his show at my leisure.
This is just a little heads up for those who have the ability to participate.
I don’t know if this happens with others but it always stuns and amazes me that when I email Keith sometimes he replies. It could be a staff member acting as Keith but, the phrasing he uses is so distinctive it has to be the man himself. Anyway, it blows my mind. It means that he actually reads some or all of his email and randomly hits reply to some of it. How friggin’ cool is that?!
I’m envious. I write to Keith often and he rarely replies. Just what aer you saying to him?!
Just the facts: I have emailed him six, maybe eight times and gotten two replies. So your “rarely replies” probably matches my ratio.
And, no, I’ve never told him about the wet dream I had about him where he kept his glasses on and not a hair moved out of place as he pleasured me. Har! Nor have I told him that I have comment exchanges on blogs with his “mother” Susan.
I have no idea why I’ve gotten replies. I was kinda asking how many other people get replies because I don’t think I’m “special” in this regard. I think he’s the special one to take the time to respond to his fanbase. Way to build loyalty, Keith, I’ll riot in the streets for you if they cancel your show.
Gosh, Susan, why don’t you ask KO to do an exclusive Q&A on BooTrib? Wouldn’t that be a hoot?! I keep expecting People mag to do a feature on our boy. I mean, does he have a dog or a cat? Any girlfriends? Boyfriends? Is his apt. in NYC traditional or minimalist? We could just be so TeenBeat all over him. LOL!