Olbermann named Allen, Beck "Worst Person" runners-up for blasting Dems' "1984"-like decision

On the April 5 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann awarded Politico chief political correspondent Mike Allen "the bronze" and CNN Headline News' and ABC's Glenn Beck "the silver" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for their comments on the April 4 edition of Beck's CNN Headline News program. As Media Matters for America documented, Allen claimed that the recent decision by Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee to refrain from using the term "global war on terror" had a "sort of a 1984 quality to it," while Beck said of the Democrats, "Why don't you do some real work instead of all this political garbage?"

From the April 5 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The bronze to Mike Allen, chief political correspondent at the website Politico.com, responding to the news that the House Armed Services Committee and Democratic Chairman Ike Skelton asking that the phrase "global war on terror" not be used in the 2008 budgeck -- budget, rather -- because it's too generic. "This does have a sort of 1984 quality to it." You bet it does, Mike. But in exactly the opposite way that you're thinking.

The silver, water-carrier Glenn Beck. Same issue. Says he doesn't believe the Democrats want to lose the war on terror, but, since they are arguing this terminology, quote, "Democrats, I'm holding on to a thread here. I mean, everything that they're doing right now is proving me wrong. What are you doing? Why don't you do some real work instead of all this political garbage?" Hold the phone, Glenny. Are you in for a surprise.

—K.H.