Olbermann Denigrates FNC as Bunch of McCarthyistic "Demagogues"

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who once said that Ken Starr reminded him of the Nazi Heinrich Himmler, on Tuesday night, during a session with left-wing ranter Al Franken, denigrated the Fox News Channel as a bunch of "demagogues." Recalling how past demagogues like Joe McCarthy have "self-destructed," Olbermann raised the unsuccessful lawsuit against Franken for using the "fair and balanced" phrase and queried Franken: "Did you get some kind of comfort from this laughable lawsuit that maybe the latest set of demagogues are starting to fray at the edges and maybe headed towards self-destruction?"

Olbermann wrapped up the September 2 Countdown segment by gleefully holding up a mock T-shirt with "FAUX NEWS" in the a design matching the actual Fox News Channel logo, and below the graphic this play on FNC's "we report, you decide" slogan: "We Distort. You Comply."

(Not enough people watch MSNBC for anyone to bother to make T- shirts mocking it.)

Olbermann set up the segment with Franken, author of the new book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, which MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth caught: "Back with the Countdown, and the number two story on it, and joining us now is a veteran of three overseas tours with the USO, a frequent speaker before conservative corporations, and a man whose latest book of political analysis has become America's best- selling work of non-fiction thanks mostly to the efforts of the Fox News Channel. And if that introduction doesn't show you how a little truth and a little selectivity can mislead somebody, Al Franken, I don't know what could."

Olbermann's first question: "I must ask you the same question that I asked your attorney, Floyd Abrams, when he was on with me on the Today show. Are you disappointed that Fox's lawsuit against your book was dismissed so quickly so you couldn't get even more free publicity from them?" Franken talked about how the lawsuit was literally, not figuratively laughed out of court.

Olbermann impugned FNC: "And that's something else besides simply a court victory to have it, as you say, literally as opposed to figuratively. On the same score, I was thinking as I read the book about the long history of political demagoguery in this country on the right and on the left, and it occurs to me that every one of the demagogues, or every set of demagogues, from like Aaron Byrd [?] or Father Coughlin to Joe McCarthy, have at some point self-destructed. Did you get some kind of comfort from this laughable lawsuit that maybe the latest set of demagogues are starting to fray at the edges and maybe headed towards self- destruction?"

Olbermann soon opined: "We have a plug we need to get in, by the way. If you want to read part of Al's book, the introduction, in fact, is posted on our MSNBC Web site. It is a tremendous introduction, mentions Samuel Tilden, the one and only Ann Coulter -- we hope, the one and only Ann Coulter -- hot Asian teens, and God -- in fact, it mentions God 28 times, in fact. We counted. And we have one thing, if you want to look at the monitor, we have something for you for coming on the program, a lovely parting gift from our friends at agitproperties, who were also sued by Fox News because they printed this T-shirt reading 'Faux News,'so we've never given out a thank you present to a gift, but for you, Al Franken, we wanted to, we're going to send you-"
Franken quipped: "Well, how did that suit go?"
Olbermann: "They're still in court, apparently. But we may have -- just show it again, we'll give them a little bit more free publicity. There we go. And they also have one about 'O'Reilly Youth.' We can send you one of those, too. Al, thanks very much for your time, congratulations, and may the next book get same kind of out-of-the-blue bolt-of-lightning kind of publicity from some other moron."

Olbermann should be able to identify demagogues. In a previous stint with MSNBC Olbermann opined that "the person Ken Starr has reminded me of facially all this time was Heinrich Himmler" and wondered that if Starr continued to pursue President Clinton, "would not there be some sort of comparison to a persecutor as opposed to a prosecutor for Mr. Starr?"

As host of the Big Show with Keith Olbermann in the very same time slot as Countdown with Keith Olbermann (8pm EDT) on the very same network on August 18, 1998, Olbermann "asked" then-Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau Chief James Warren shortly after President Clinton's non-apology apology speech:
"Can Ken Starr ignore the apparent breadth of the sympathetic response to the President's speech? Facially, it finally dawned on me that the person Ken Starr has reminded me of facially all this time was Heinrich Himmler, including the glasses. If he now pursues the President of the United States, who, however flawed his apology was, came out and invoked God, family, his daughter, a political conspiracy and everything but the kitchen sink, would not there be some sort of comparison to a persecutor as opposed to a prosecutor for Mr. Starr?"

The McKinney Debacle

By JOE SABIA

Racially segregated dormitories and racial quotas are not enough for Cornell anymore. Like a porn addict needing increasingly explicit images to get his next "fix," the University administration has quenched its craving for racial division by appointing Cynthia McKinney -- a disgraced former congresswoman from Georgia -- as a visiting professor under the Andrew Dickson White Professors-at-large Program.

McKinney was widely regarded as one of the most incompetent members of Congress by Democrats and Republicans alike. As a prominent member of the ultra-Leftist Congressional Black Caucus, McKinney often spewed incoherent conspiracy theories about Jews and whites plotting to murder people and prevent her re-election.

The most famous of her baseless claims was that the Bush administration had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. According to McKinney, members of the Bush administration conspired to remain silent in the face of Sept. 11 warnings in order to wage a war that would benefit oil companies. In a March 25, 2002 interview with Berkeley radio station KPFA, she claimed:

"We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11th. ... What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th? Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered? ... What do they have to hide?"

Where did McKinney get her explosive information that President Bush knowingly permitted 3,000 of his fellow countrymen to be slaughtered? Aboard a UFO? Through a coded message received through her tinfoil hat? Or did her Rice Krispies talk back to her that morning?

Senator Zell Miller (D-Ga.) responded to McKinney's ludicrous remarks by issuing a press release:

"At first glance, it would be easy to pass this off as just another loony statement. But at second glance, it is more than that. It is very dangerous and irresponsible."

Similarly, an embarrassed Democratic congressman, Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), sheepishly uttered, "I can't say that [McKinney's claim] would be a widely held view among lawmakers."

When McKinney wasn't blaming the Bush administration for the Sept. 11 attacks she was blaming the Jews. Amid much fanfare, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal offered then-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani $10 million for relief efforts. Along with his offer, Talal expressed his view that American support for Israel was the root cause of the Sept. 11 attacks:

"At times like this one, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack. I believe the government of the United States of America should reexamine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause."

Giuliani immediately rejected the $10 million, correctly recognizing the "gift" as blood money from anti-Israeli forces. Cynthia McKinney, on the other hand, saw her chance to cash in. She penned a letter to the Saudi prince in which she agreed with him on all his major points:

"Although your offer was not accepted by Mayor Giuliani, I would like to ask you to consider assisting Americans who are in dire need right now. I believe we can guide your generosity to help improve the state of Black America and build better lives ... Let me say that there are a growing number of people in the United States who recognize, like you, that U.S. policy in the Middle East needs serious examination."

When McKinney was assailed for her willingness to take money from a man who blamed Sept. 11 on Israel, she promptly asserted her First Amendment rights. Huh? No one questioned her constitutional right to speak. Critics questioned her sanity. And she had no defense of her mental stability other than to assert that criticism of her position was akin to censorship. (When liberals respond to criticism of their unpopular, treasonous views with non-sequiturs like "Free speech!" you know you've won the argument.) This is the woman that the administration wants to mold young minds at Cornell.

Attacking Jews is apparently a family trait for the McKinneys. Shortly after Cynthia was defeated in a Democratic primary by state judge Denise Majette (58 to 42 percent), her father, state representative Bill McKinney (D), went on local television and blamed the defeat on "Jews -- that's J-E-W-S." Isn't that special? The congresswoman did not repudiate her father's anti-Semitic remarks.

Ed Kilgore, policy director of the Democratic Leadership Council, was pleased with McKinney's defeat in the primary, citing her campaign's shameful financial ties with "a variety of Islamic sources with ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, and even al-Qaeda." McKinney had, indeed, accepted a $2,000 campaign contribution from American Muslim Council founder Abdurahman Alamoudi. At a Washington, D.C. pro-Palestinian rally, Alamoudi proclaimed:

"I have been labeled by the media in New York as being a supporter of Hamas. ...We are all supporters of Hamas. ... I wish they had added that I was also a supporter of Hezbollah."

Even after Alamoudi made this public statement in support of two terrorist organizations, McKinney refused to return his campaign contribution. When McKinney was asked to account for her accepting his financial support, she replied that she "would not racially profile" donors. Awwwww, how sweet.

Cynthia McKinney was a disgrace to the U.S. Congress. The Democratic voters of her Georgia district rightfully tossed her out of office because they were tired of her increasingly overt anti-Semitism, her claims that the president of the United States was a mass murderer, and her consistent support for America's enemies.

So why is Cornell hiring a former congresswoman who is at best incompetent and at worst an appeaser of international terrorism? Clearly, the McKinney hire is a political payoff to the Africana Studies and Research Center (ASRC). Prof. James Turner, Africana studies, invited McKinney to speak at Cornell this summer, recommended her hire, and has sponsored funding for her appointment. Rather than hire an ideologically balanced professor -- or, heaven forbid, a conservative! -- the administration once again caved to radical Leftists who use race to their political advantage.

The anti-American policy positions that made Cynthia McKinney so unpalatable to the American people will make her a perfect fit for Cornell's Leftist faculty. She'll blend in quite nicely with her fellow professors. In fact, she might even tilt Cornell rightward. But after the splash surrounding McKinney's hiring has worn off, where will Cornell go for its next race-baiting fix? Prof. Farrakhan, anyone?

Joe Sabia is a grad student in economics. He can be reached at jjs10@cornell.edu. No Shades of Gray will appear on Tuesdays this semester

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