Olbermann named Limbaugh "Worst Person"; Morgan received "runner-up"

On the January 25 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh the "winner" of his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for, as Media Matters for America noted, "reading a made-up quote from [Sen. Barack] Obama [D-IL] supposedly responding to an endorsement from actress Halle Berry." Olbermann observed: "[Limbaugh] later admitted it was made up, but Fatso still said, 'As a Halfrican-American I am honored to have Ms. Berry's support as well as the support of other Halfrican-Americans.' "

Additionally, Olbermann awarded syndicated radio host Melanie Morgan "runner-up" for "repeating the story The Washington Times made up about Senator Obama going to a Muslim training school and attributing the smear not just to Senator [Hillary Rodham] Clinton [D-NY], which also is a smear, but now to Senator [John] Edwards [D-NC] as well," as Media Matters documented. InsightMag.com -- which describes itself as a "sister publication" to The Washington Times -- originally posted an article alleging that "researchers connected to" Clinton had said that Obama "spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia." Conservative media figures repeated the smear, even though the story has been debunked by CNN.

From the January 25 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The runner-up, speaking of bad radio, Melanie Morgan of the irrational right and KSFO in San Francisco. Back on there, repeating the story The Washington Times made up about Senator Obama going to a Muslim training school and attributing the smear not just to Senator Clinton, which also is a smear, but now to Senator Edwards as well. Three, three, three smears in one. For the damage she inflicts on her easily led listeners, Melanie Morgan might as well work for Al Qaeda.

But our winner, comedian Rush Limbaugh. He read a made-up quote from Obama supposedly responding to an endorsement form actress Halle Berry. He later admitted it was made up, but Fatso still said, "As a Halfrican-American, I am honored to have Ms. Berry's support as well as the support of other Halfrican-Americans." Not the first time Limbaugh's used the Halfrican insult. Listen, Rush, cut to the chase here. You want to call Senator Obama a mulatto or an octoroon or something. Go for it. Hell, you want to call him the n-word. It's in your heart. Go ahead, come out from under your hood and just say it.

Comedian Rush Limbaugh, today's "Worst Person in the World."

—A.I.