You know, I've always loved Keith Olbermann's show on MSNBC. I send his special comments to all of my friends. His feud with Bill O'Reilly was not only good tv; it was balm for my troubled soul. And so, when he showed up as part of the Daily Kos community I was thrilled beyond words. But then I thought, what do I really know about Keith Olbermann? I've been sorely disappointed by journalists in the past--especially journalists who who I thought told the truth all of the time but turned out to only tell the truth when it didn't threaten their sponsors. So I thought, before I welcome this guy to Daily Kos with open arms, I better do a little muckraking of my own. I need to find out if this guy has the right stuff...for Kos.
So, before I tell you what I found out, let me warn you that you may not want to read further. If you think you know what a mainstream big media journalist is, reach for the off button before I break your heart.
Five things we know about Keith Olbermann: A Special Investigative Report
- Keith's honest. Don't take my word for it. Ask Rolling Stone which called him the most honest man in news. As Keith himself puts it:
The difference between me and O'Reilly is, I will shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theater if there's a fire. I think Bill would shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theater to hear the sound of his own voice."
How many of you know that Keith has named himself worst person in the world? Yes indeedy, and more than once.
- Unlike the insecure blowhards he faces off against, Keith has humility and admits when he is wrong, and not just here. Check out his Salon piece on what went wrong at ESPN:
I now read with horror of my ESPN2 co-host, Ms. Kolber, sequestering herself in the women's bathroom and weeping over how I treated her. She told Freeman that as things deteriorated, I wouldn't talk to her. She's wrong: I couldn't talk to her. I pumped up some small-scale complaints into a scenario in which she was at fault for everything ESPN2 hadn't become. I wasn't completely obtuse back then, and if anything would have cut through my neuroses, it would've been a colleague's tears. If I had known, I think I could've jumped over the fence I'd built around myself and said what the inner guy always knew: No TV show is worth crying over. Suzy: I'm sorry.
- He's hated by all of the right people. They send him death threats and blog about him until their fingers bleed. Michelle Malkin calls him an "obscene, abusive, unhinged jerk" (and then explodes in a ball of heavenly fire). Google me this for more: Keith Olbermann traitor.
- Keith, unlike his Viagra-popping, louche loufa-clutching counterparts, has really got it going on. I don't want to embarrass the man but do a little checking on the web if you don't believe me. Think Dennis Kucinich is an anomaly? Think again. It's a new sexual revolution and I say bring it on.
- Keith is the only newsman in America right now who can invoke Edward R. Murrow by saying "good night and good luck" each night without being struck by a thunderbolt.
And now finally, the answer to my question: does Keith Olbermann have the right stuff for Daily Kos?
I say: Hell Yes!
Welcome, Keith Olbermann!