Gothamist: Video of the Day: Keith Olbermann from Ground Zero

Jeff Check

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:56:22 -0500

Hugonorton has it right, what in the hell are we doing constantly bashing each other? We are not all seeking a job in politics are we? Put abortion and guns aside and the rest is the same. Both parites and the media they follow are so darn full of BS that we don't even matter to them except for our consumption of what the sell. Olberman lost me with his righteous tone, not what he said. I don't know what's wrong with water boarding when it can save American lives. Isn't that what matters here? Don't give me that 'it goes against our values' crap. Or 'it could be you someday 1984' BS. We need to think of something on our own for once instead of simply doing the exact opposite of what the person next to us does. Include others - we have a tough enough fight against radial islam.

HugoNorton

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 19:33:55 -0500

When reading through these comments and those on other sites about the same topic, it occurs to me that the real problem is how far away we really are from each other...perhaps it is the bickering talking heads, the rancor between the parties, and perhaps part of the blame lies in the blogs themselves...we have all chosen sides...the Yankees vs the Dodgers, Capitalism vs Communism, Right vs. Left...and we have stopped listening..choosing instead to root for the home team right or wrong...I personally think Olbermann's comments are right on, but I can imagine that others may differ...and that is the point...if we are going to advance beyond this point in history, we better learn to debate things with respect and learn to listen to points of view other than our own...the folly of the Bush Administration is their self imposed insulation from any dissenting view...The metaphoric hole in the ground is not just the crater or even the unhealed wound resulting from the attack...it has become the very rift between the factions in our polarized nation...

Elderta

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:57:25 -0500

Olbermann had another 'special comment' last night that's also a must see. When Bush said in his Rose Garden press conference last Friday that it was "unacceptable to even think" that the US would be involved in torture is the subject of this commment. No thinking allowed!

jay

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:46:06 -0500

Ok.. everyone saying this is about the whole in the ground is a moron, and didnt watch the whole video. he's telling the president to stop using 9/11 as a means to push his political agenda.. to mourn the people that we lost, and not USE them which he has done for the last 5 years.. AND olbermann CALLS IT that bush would use it again for pushing his agenda in the middle east the next day.. WHICH HE DID olbermann was right.. watch the whole video, morons

Dave H.

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:52:21 -0500

Squandering other countries' goodwill is a totally childish sentiment. It really is. Throughout history, look up a few incidents where a country acts in the interest of "It really really likes me, or might!" Grow up, please. Some of us are adults. I have no problem with substantive differences of opinion, but the jr. high shit needs to be left at the door.

matthew downing

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 21:37:49 -0500

I am sickened to know that I live in a country where what he said is true. Regardless of Pataki, Bloomberg, Port Authority, etc., do we not think we deserve better as a country than to have a war-mongering monkey deciding to put September 11 and Iraq in the same sentence? Invading Iraq as a response to Sept. 11 is as absurd as if we'd invaded Mexico after Pearl Harbor--how did Americans get duped into this asshole? How much could have been done at the WTC site with even five percent of the cost of the invasion of a country that had nothing to do with those who attacked our city, leading to the death of as many Americans as Sept. 11, and magnitudes more Iraqi casualities? How much could have been done with a competent president instead of one who cuts anti-terrorism funding to NYC? No one can possibly believe that more could have been done in five years, and no one can say that more should not have been done for this country. I applaud Keith Olbermann's willingness to be honest and open, however disappointing the truth really is. More members of the media need to take the blinders off and see the disaster this country has become as a result of this administration. And don't tell me to move to another country--I've already researched it and it's nearly impossible to get citizenship elsewhere. But if it were feasible, I would have done it soon after Sept. 11 began getting spun as a reason to invade Iraq. This is worse than I ever imagined it being, and my expectations were amazingly low. And let us remember the response to Katrina...What the hell is wrong with this country?

ken

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:58:26 -0500

It seems to me that Olbermann is not literally blaming Bush for the fact that nothing has yet been built at Ground Zero, as if Bush had vetoed the "Let's Get that Memorial Built Right Away" bill. What he seems to be saying is that the fact that there is still nothing built at that site is symbolic of the lack of progress we've made post 9/11. How opportunities of all kinds have been squandered. How the sympathy of the rest of the world has been wasted. How the bipartisanship and unity that sprouted in the aftermath of this disaster has dissipated, leaving a sour aftertaste of partisan acrimony. All those things can be laid at Bush's feet, certainly at the feet of his administration collectively. The 16 acres in lower Manhattan are empty because Bush's head is empty of any ideas for progress, and perhaps because his heart is empty of any true compassion, except the cheap tawdry show he wheels out for photo ops. Overall, I think the commentary was brilliant. I'm so sorry I missed seeing it live.

Dave H.

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:49:00 -0500

President Lincoln was assasinated in 1865. Two years later, Congress authorized and formed a commission to build him a memorial. 34 years later a site was authorized. Construction began 13 years after that. Eight years later in 1922 the site was completed and opened. That's 77 years. It is now one of the most beloved landmarks on The Mall and of our country. What was the delay? Probably bureaucracy, incompetence, footdragging, and politics, with all the wrangling among differing architects part of it. Welcome to America. It can be infuriating and frustrating, but everything generally works out in the end, if not our lifetimes. Expending too much outrage on what will ultimately be a static bunch of granite, marble, or whatever is probably not worth the mental toll it takes on our days.

Mé

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:19:46 -0500

Elderta: Right on. I am so glad to see intelligent people still exist.

Elderta

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:17:07 -0500

Which commentator or newscaster on 9/11 didn't broadcast from the WTC yesterday? Though I will admit that when I turned on Countdown last night, I really hoping he wouldn't be in front of that pit. Alas, alack.

pugsley

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:08:50 -0500

I don't know who Olbermann is, but he is using the hole as a background for a photo op

Elderta

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:52:28 -0500

And if you think his words were strong last night, check these out: Have you no decency, sir? Rummy Reloaded

Elderta

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:49:57 -0500

I think a lot of people intentionally latch onto one part of what Olbermann said (Bush hasnot done anything with the rebuilding), which is clearly an allusion to something else... the hole is a gaping wound that is used as a political backdrop to get what this administration wants, as is the specter of 9/11. Instead of trying to heal that wound and build consensus, Bush and the admin use political hackery and lies to strong arm one part of the populace while giving lip service to listening. It's my way or the highway, and you know how much you hated hearing that crap from your parents, yes? Olbermann is saying that Bush's obvious partisan leadership doesn't bring us together to rebuild (warning: metaphor... repair our wounds/heal/move forward, etc), but continues to divide and tear us apart. And for that, Olbermann hopes the country will one day find it in their hearts to forgive the man. Now, commence to misinterpret at will....

fishtalez

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:46:20 -0500

tired of stupid people-- i admit that i am sneaking online right now, but do you admit to actually believing the federal government should have built a national memorial at the site within five years? vanessa-- i hope your initial post was also satirical. otherwise, there is no hope and anonymous-- yes, keith olbermann's amazing metaphor has been lost on so many. what a poet

george

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:46:10 -0500

KO is the only decent journalist on television

Vanessa

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:34:40 -0500

Sandy, Thanks for pointing that out. ;)

Vanessa

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:29:48 -0500

Beth, I think that I understand what you are saying. You believe that Olbermann was using the gaping hole (the "wound") left by the WTC destruction as a metaphor for the sorry state of this country 5 years after the attacks of 9/11? I agree with you; Olbermann was using figurative language. However, his speech didn't tie together so nicely (imho) because it is easy to assume that he was accusing Bush of not properly dealing with the re-building of the WTC site. So many people have misundertood Olbermann, correct? This is the problem that I have with his speech, it just doesn't tie up nicely. Don't get me wrong -- I think Bush is doing a terrible job and I am greatly appreciative of Olbermann for presenting an actual honest opinion on the evening news. I didn't even know Olbermann existed until yesterday (I don't have a tv).

AJ

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:28:18 -0500

Olbermann is a complete hack...And like Jon Stewart, wouldn't be as well known if Bush wasn't in Office to bash and ridcule constantly.

Sandy

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:25:28 -0500

Um, Vanessa, are you serious? Keith Olbermann was NOT arrested--that piece was something called SATIRE. Sounds like you need a lesson in Internet authenticity... I agree with the man 100% and clapped and hooted with my husband after his commentary, but we don't need anyone spreading rumor around, either.

moveon indeed

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:24:54 -0500

I am so tired of people whining about "freedom of speech". There is plenty of freedom of speech today. There is plenty of dissent. It almost seems like you guys are just hung up that nobody is listening to you. Only in New York could a half million people marching up Broadway consider themselves stifled. Maybe you need to alter your message from "Bush is stupid" and "Red states are dumb" to something of substance.

c

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:22:10 -0500

you make some good points, Vanessa, though it should be mentioned that the article you link to (about KO's arrest) is a "humor" piece.

liberal media exists

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:20:25 -0500

Sorry but the media does not give "the Bushies" a free ride. Just because nothing comes of what they say doesn't mean they haven't been saying it. Pick up a newspaper or get the wax out of your ears. Maybe if the Democrats could run a coherent campaign and the far left blog crowd didn't call everyone that disagrees with them "stupid" we could get somewhere. I'm not counting on it. The crowd here is doing a damn fine job of pissing away another election cycle.

think before you open your trap

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:17:42 -0500

Why should Bush fundraise for a memorial unless he's asked to? The land at Ground Zero belongs to the Port Authority. Any group that raises money would have to disclose that they have zero control over what gets build there and that your donation is at the mercy of NEW YORK BUREAUCRATS. This isn't like donating to the WW II Memorial in DC or the Hurricane Katrina Fund. Those groups had control over the funds they received.

beth

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:13:23 -0500

Hello people, read the whole transcript: he's not blaming Bush for the absence of a memorial, he's blaming him for all the other crazy shit that has gone down in the past five years. The country was united behind the man initially, and the Republicans have exploited New Yorkers and 9/11 at every turn for political gain. It's sick. I'm postive Olbermann will be arrested or fired soon because he's saying what many of us are thinking. As we all know, that makes him a traitor because we are fighting a war. And we will be fighting wars for the length of my life from the looks of things.

n

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:06:15 -0500

right on vanessa! i completely agree. KO's speech was a knock out. perhaps o tad off target, but full of truth about how awful bush is and what poor shape we as a country are in because of him and his minions.

the watcher

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:00:54 -0500

If you watch his Countdown show, then you'll see this is not the first time he put his views on the air. that's why people love him. look for his worst person of the day segment. How can you not like a guy who was on the shitlist of ESPN? I mean ESPN for christsakes.

MM

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:55:54 -0500

5 years later and this guy is still an awful "journalist".

Vanessa

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:52:26 -0500

What struck me most about Olbermann's speech is not so much what he said (so many of us agree with him and slam Bush on this site everyday, right?). I was surprised that it was actually aired on a major American news program. It's like we live in a free country or something where people can voice their opinions. What a radical thought. Freedom of speech? WOW. You know, freedom of speech exists in other countries. If you watch some British shows or Canadian television you'll see people critisizing their own leaders! Those Brit's and Canadian's are crazy radicals; they actually say what they think! If you think my sarcasm is over the top, you should know that Olbermann was arrested on September 6 for his "radical" opiions (how many of us feel the way he does?? answer: many of us). "White House spokesperson Tony Snow stated that Olbermann's arrest was 'the culmination of an exhaustive and long-standing clandestine federal investigation into the invasion of Islamo Fascist propaganda into mainstream American media.' He stated that the operation remained secret and that there would likely be further arrests in the coming days." http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2006/9/6/84422/82166 Seriously people, we are living in 1984. (As an aside, I don't actually blame Bush for the slow pace of rebuilding on the WTC site, but I believe Olbermann has the right to voice his opinion. As for the rest of Olbermann's speech, he's right on target)

pinboy

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:49:06 -0500

Move to Palestine? WTF? Larry, you are the REAL idiot!

luv 4 obie

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:43:59 -0500

We love KO since his early days at ESPN. Now we love him more.

BlackOps

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:41:44 -0500

Blah, Blah, Blah! More fodder to dump on the President, there's something original. Lets all blame GW for that big hole in the ground. C'mon give this shit a rest already.

Tired Of Stupid People

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:39:27 -0500

Lessee here... next! - You're a moron. 10-4 Good Buddy & Scarlett - Try reading a newspaper every once in a while - NOT The Post! Then you'd know what everyone else is talking about. Larry - There's no such place as "Palestine" dipstick. fishtalez - Excellent idea. Let's get everyone out there with hammers and nails. Does your mommy know you're online?

anonymous

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:38:16 -0500

Wow... metaphor is lost on a good portion of this crowd.

fishtale

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:35:41 -0500

i would encourage you all to read up on the process of creating the national ww2 memorial in DC. look at how long it took and the fact the the house voted against its creation TWICE. president clinton then helped start fundraising efforts a year after the law was passed. overall just look at how long this all took in a time of major prosperity and relative peace. this is how things get done in the federal government (unless it's war)......why is everyone so shocked??

Tim N.

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:30:16 -0500

There's a lot of things we can criticize the President over... ... a lot of things... ... a LOT of things... ... but this isn't one of them. I share Olbermann's frustration and rage but his target is a little off. Kind of like getting attacked by Osama bin Laden and going after Saddam Hussein.

land

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:25:25 -0500

Bush doesn't even FUNDRAISE for that stupid memorial which no one cares about except Republicans. The federal government could have paid for these buildings 1000 times over for what we've spent in Iraq. Iraq is a small idea. There's nothing wide-reaching or innovative about it. It's a Bush Sr. idea anyway.

Howard Hill

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:20:48 -0500

We all seem so shocked when a member of the media calls out the rampant incompentence of the Bush administration. Why is that? If anything we need more Olbermans. I thought the NBC nightly news did a decent job last night of alluding to the massvie failures of the Bush administration but stopped short of telling the truth about how miserably the last five years have been wasted. Rock on, Keith.

fishtalez

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:18:40 -0500

keith olbermann is almost as much an idiot as bill o'reilly. for anyone complaining about how ground zero is empty, why don't you do something? you think the government is ever gonna do anything like this in a timely manner? give me a f'in break. look at how long it takes to get things onto the dc mall. christ.

10-4 Good Buddy

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:17:40 -0500

Land- I'd say big ideas don't seem to be his problem. Iraq is a pretty big idea. Did we ever have the world? Pretty sure on 9/11/01, we didn't "have" the whole world. And what exactly COULD he do? And I'm sure that you'd be so happy to hear Washington is making decisions for NYC. So damn uneasy to please.

land

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:10:19 -0500

President Bush COULD do something about the WTC site. He WON'T of course because he's incompetent, not only in policy but in big ideas, and in inspiring people. He has lost the whole world for us. He'll never be forgiven.

Larry

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:00:20 -0500

Move to Palestine, Keith. This has NOTHING to do with Prez. B. It has to do with incompetent Pataki and those asshole WTC "families".

Scarlett

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:53:25 -0500

I'm not sure how it's Bush's fault that nothing has been done yet with the WTC site. It's interesting to note that Olbermann gave only one "special commentary" in 2005 but in the past two weeks has made three of them. Non-coincidentally, he has a book coming out TODAY.

10-4 Good Buddy

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:50:08 -0500

How is any of this a criticism of President Bush? Surely you can't blame him for lack of progress on the WTC site, right? I mean, he has f-ed up lots of stuff, but this seems a little far-reaching.

AboutTime

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:50:04 -0500

It's nice to see someone finally voicing what many of us have felt. The press finally revokes the free pass they have given the Bushies...

panda

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:49:14 -0500

he was spot on. i even uploaded and link to this movie to on my blog.

next!

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:49:06 -0500

Olberman is a partisan hack whose dislike for Bush is only surpassed by his dislike of Bill O'Reilly.

R2K

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:43:53 -0500

Give em hell!