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Keith Olbermann occasionally delivers "special comments," commentaries usually several minutes long, on his MSNBC news show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The first commentary specifically designated as a special comment was delivered on August 30, 2006.
Olbermann originates and writes his special comments himself, which he has described as a two-day process that begins with " pissed off" and involves a number of rewrites and rehearsals before the show airs.
The special comments usually take the form of criticism of the Bush administration or other conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich or Tom DeLay, though one special comment was highly critical of Democrats for what Olbermann characterized as capitulating to the Bush administration over the Iraq War. 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."
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. 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- The entire government has failed us on Iraq
- 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)
- "Clinton, you invoked a political nightmare". MSNBC. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- "McCain should know better". MSNBC. 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ""FISA Opportunity"". MSNBC. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- "Senator, Grow Up!". MSNBC. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- "Republicans hijacked 9/11". MSNBC. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- "It's Palin doing the pallin'". MSNBC. 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- "McCain, suspend your campaign". MSNBC. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- "Divisive politics is anti-American". MSNBC. 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for September 5 - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - MSNBC.com
- KEITH OLBERMANN : Rolling Stone
- "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Dec. 7 (transcript)". December 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
| # | 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. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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.” | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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. | |||