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It's the new award-winning blog* from the cast and crew of the award-winning television news hour** "Countdown with Keith Olbermann."

We heard about this whole "blogosphere" business from Tom DeLay, and came to the immediate realization that we too, "needed to become involved" in it.

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**The News Hole's "Best of the TV Awards" 2006



Countdown Friday: Friday Night Fights

Posted: Friday, February 15, 2008 8:59 PM by Countdown
Filed Under:

Friday Night Fights:  Last Friday in Portland, Maine, former President Bill Clinton ruminated on what he seemed to acknowledge was over-zealous campaigning on **his** part, in the race between his wife and Senator Obama. "Even if I win an argument with another candidate, it's not the right thing to do. I need to promote her but not defend her." The shelf-life on that, apparently, exactly one week. Our fifth story on the Countdown: Bill In A China Shop. The former President, at Tyler, Texas, this afternoon, asserting that one of two competing moods in America today belongs to those who find it, quote, "inspiring that we might elect a president who literally was not part of any of the good things that happened or any of the bad things that were stopped before" un-quote, in the 1990's. The quote capping another contentious day between the Democratic challengers. Some polling data, first.

Tex Mess:  From the day last spring when they assembled inside the imposing edifice atop the hill in Southern California that is the Ronald Reagan Library, it had been the dream of all the Republican would-be candidates, to get some kind of endorsement-by-proxy from the late Republican icon. Our fourth story on the Countdown: the Republican front-runner just got the closest thing possible... the endorsement of George H.W. Bush... and just in time for a Texas primary that Senator John McCain is favored, incredibly, by just four poll points.

ODDBALL: A criminal wedding and the world's first underwater car

Telecon:  So much for President Bush's bleating about how the Democrats in Congress just stole the eavesdropping authorities, the tools of counter-terrorism away from the professionals by not sending him his version of the FISA act. In our third story on the Countdown: "It's true," said Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell this morning on N-P-R Radio, "some of the authorities would carry over to the period they were established, for one year." OK, one Bush lie confirmed. Remarkably, McConnell continued. "However, that's not the real issue. The issue is: liability protection for the private sector." And there goes the other Bush lie about this: that it's about keeping you safe, when, in fact, it's only about keeping the telecom giants safe.

Worsties...see below:

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Billo, Jeff Hunt and the New England Patriots vie for tonight's top honors.

 Idol Worship:  Maybe, just maybe, this will be the year in which more Americans care about who runs the country than who wins "American Idol"...24 million, 600 thousand viewers on Wednesday night. At the apex of the primaries the night before, the three cable news networks had a combined total of about six million. Then again, of all the presidential candidates, we've seen Obama dance kind of stiffly, Huckabee play the guitar kind of stiffly, and McCain sing the only song he knows, "Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran." Nevertheless. Nothing will stop "Idol" producers from presenting this hullabaloo as a matter of life or death. Our number one story on the Countdown: "Idol" reaches its top 24. And our "American Idol" Princess -- who will join us presently -- cares... even if I, pretty much, don't. 

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Comments

"Deep Affection" for the Clintons... Really?  "The Clintons seem angry."  Are you kidding me?  I love the show, and I admire Keith, it doesn't seem as though there is anything BUT disdain for Senator Clinton.  What Keith has repeatedly failed to acknowledge about Sen. Clinton's "shrinking" lead of late in Ohio and Texas is that the previous polls included Sen. Edwards.  Get over it, Keith, and focus on the people who really deserve your criticism... The Republicans!

Andrea Uhler, Virginia Beach, VA (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 5:16 AM)

Keith, if the eavesdropping law expires, won't that return us to where the government has to follow FISA?  Wouldn't it be horribly onerous to a) require the government to have some articulable suspicion before instituting a wiretap;  b) require to goverment to present its suspicion to a special FISA court to secure authorization for the wiretap, even if after the fact (if done on an emergency basis); and c) actually follow the Constitution? My, how cumbersome.

Didn't you hear our president tell us that somewhere, right now, terrorists are plotting another attack?  

What kind of an America hating left wing commie pinko nut job would even suggest that the American government has to follow the Consitution?  

Rapps, Grayslake IL (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 8:30 AM)

Keith, Bill's comments are simply part of the new and improved Clinton campaign strategy.  Here is the inside scoop on the rest of their plans:  
1)Have Bill compare Obama to Jesse Jackson to diminish and marginalize him. Oops, that didn't work
2)Argue that she is the real change candidate. Oops,that didn't work
3)Argue that Obama is peddling "false hopes". Oops, that didn't work.
4)Argue that only she is ready from day one. Oops, that didn't work.
5)Smear Obama as an evil Reaganophile. Oops, that didn't work.
6)Return to her original message of go with me because I am the inevitable candidate. Oops, that didn't work.
7) Call him a debate ducker for not jumping on teh chance to do a 19th debate.  Oops, that didn't work.
8) final super secret strategy - Release her  tax returns.  Oops, can’t do that, because of that little issue with Big Bill’s business interests with the Dubai royal family.

Rapps, Grayslake IL (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 8:34 AM)

"News Hole. Not with a Bang...but with a Whimper."

Steve Turner Cedar Falls Iowa (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:30 AM)

all the reporters are pro obama and anti clinton.theyare attempting to get away with attacking unfairly the canidate they do not want to win.they wanttheir favorite to be the democratic canidate.how can the sheldon stevens obama book be ignored the press.

ken, morris,livonia,mi. (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 11:15 AM)

Keith,
Regarding your segment called "Bushed":  Please read the op-ed piece in the Washington Post (Feb. 14) by Eliot Spitzer.  He says that when the attorneys general of all 50 states tried to stop predatory lending practices in 2003, the Bush administration stopped them through the office of the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency), which rendered the state laws inoperative.  Hence, the subprime mortgage crisis.  Just one more scandal for "Bushed."

Kathy Michelakos, Lawrenceville, GA (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 12:24 PM)

Love your show, Keith!  The only honest newscast on the planet . . .

In re #3 - saw Sen. Jack Reed (impressive guy) on tv this morning (Sunday) and this idiotic FISA thing is even worse than we thought!  If I heard him right, he said the authorization is for immunity even longer ago than we thought!  Implied, at least, that that retro-retroactive immunity is ALL the bill does!! (Then Mitch McConnell says it puts us in danger this morning on Fixed News ...).  This administration cannot be gone soon enough for me.  But then, I said that first in 2000 . . . .

Lorraine Ely-Morrison, Olympia, Washington (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 12:53 PM)

Not to kick a man when he's down, but Rudy's having a 'going out of business' sale.

Half off of everything.

http://www.rudy2008store.com/

I wonder if he's trying to make some profit off of this either to replace the speaking engagements that he had, or to jump-start his 2012 election.

I mean, I'd pay good money for a Giuliani "action figure" with a pull-cord that repeated '9/11' with his classic gay lisp.

Dani, Denton, TX (Sent Sunday, February 17, 2008 3:48 PM)

Did somebody decide not to have a blog here anymore?  Why not just let us know?

Linda, Pittsburgh (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 12:45 AM)

Why isn't the Friday worst person in the world clip available on the Countdown web site?

G Brown, Boulder, Colorado (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 1:11 AM)

Hey, who knows if this'll get posted, but I think it's pretty important. Did Keith give his permission for this?

OK...I need some honest opinions from people whose opinions I trust. My paranoia meter may be off because I've had a typical aka crappy Monday morning. Keith's most recent "Special Comment" is linked in the latest ImpeachBush.org email. If he gave his permission to do this, I'm not so sure this was a good idea. Many people already think he's some sort of "left wing lacky," and giving permission for this "Special Comment" to appear here won't help any. If he didn't give his permission, and they used it anyway, that might scare me even more.

Do I have a legit concern, or am I talking out of my hind quarters?

Krista Swisher, Indianapolis, IN (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 9:07 AM)

Hi Keith - There is a rumor circulating  around on the Washington Post op/ed comments that Bush bought a huge ranch in Paraguay. It just so happens that the US does not have an extradition treaty with Paraguay. It seems construction has already been started on securing the property by the secret Service. IF this is true we may will find our former President safe from any prosecution for crimes committed while in office. Any way this could be checked out?

Lee Bouchonville, Green Bay ,Wisconsin (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 12:42 PM)

May not be on subject but this is beyond stupid. A California beef plant is recalling product produced in 2006. It is funny because the product has all been consumed and the plant is now closed. The sad part is that the product was not bad and the plant was closed because a few cows were mistreated throwing thousands of people out of jobs and raising the price of beef for the rest of us. When will these groups that shut down these plants be told that they are the ones hurting others and learn to be helpful. This has got to end before there is no production facilities left in the USA.

Gerald Von Riesen (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 12:44 PM)

My Nomination for WPITW - I'm listening to "the comedian", and he basically just said that the NIU shooter's liberal tendencies were perfectly natural roots for the tragedy at Northern Illinois University. He also linked the Unibomber to a "liberal gone wrong."

"Comedian" Rush Limbaugh...the Worst Person in the World!!

Krista Swisher, Indianapolis, IN (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 1:31 PM)

Keith: Why are you now jumping on the bandwagon to trash the Clintons.  If you and therest of the press did their job in looking into Obama like you do the Clintons Bill Clinton would not have to raise the concerns that the press should have raised.  I support you questioning what candidates and their surogates say and/or do as long as it is equally done.  As of now your show and stories like this should be listed as campaign contributions.

Georg Burnett rochester ny (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 3:13 PM)

Keith - for ONCE, yes ONCE ... you have named CORRECTLY the worst person in the world, the cheating New England Patriots!

Full Moon (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 3:15 PM)

Wakie wakie - it's Monday mid afternoon.  There are STILL no comments on this thread.

Sue - waiting for an update, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 3:15 PM)

I think our country will be in the hands of the wrong person who can not and will not stand for our country and our flag. People please wake up to what is happening, who better to turn our country upside down than someone from a third world country. We as Americans need to see what is coming if Barrock get's in office. Don't let that happen,At least McCain stands for the right thing like our Pledge Of Allegience and Our American Flag and to put these back in school and prayer as well.

Darlene Poplar bluff, mo (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 4:03 PM)

I'll be waiting for my invite with bated breath!! Senator McCain is coming to my fair city on Friday for an "invitation only" fundraiser downtown. Y'all think I'm on his short list?

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=7886087&nav=menu188_2

Krista Swisher, Indianapolis, IN (Sent Monday, February 18, 2008 4:06 PM)

Hi Krista,
   I think you may have gotten the first two letters
right in  "short list". Now just remove the "or" and insert an I.

Lunker same list Wi. (Sent Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:10 AM)



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