Olbermann awarded O'Reilly "bronze" for response to Goldberg criticism of O'Reilly interview with Coulter

During the October 19 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann awarded Fox News' Bill O'Reilly the "bronze" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for, as Media Matters for America documented, O'Reilly's response to criticism from guest Bernie Goldberg for not challenging right-wing pundit Ann Coulter during her October 15 appearance on O'Reilly's program. In his appearance with Coulter, O'Reilly stated, "I don't even care, to tell you the truth," about comments she had made the previous week on CNBC's The Big Idea to host Donny Deutsch that "we" Christians "just want Jews to be perfected." Olbermann stated: "Even the endlessly belligerent Bernard Goldberg noticed that O'Reilly continues to go nuts over perceived slights against Catholics and Christmas, even the slights which only exist inside his own head." Olbermann continued: "But when Coulter-Geist came on, he didn't even suggest from a devil's advocate point of view that talking about perfecting the Jews might have been a bad idea." Olbermann then said: " 'I was waiting,' Goldberg said, 'for you two to French kiss.' Contain your nausea. Bill-O defended himself by saying he wasn't going to debate theology with a non-theologian, whereupon Goldberg said, 'Then don't have her on.' Whereupon Billy's head exploded."

As Media Matters has documented (here, here, here, here, here, and here), Olbermann frequently names O'Reilly during his "Worst Person" segment.

From the October 19 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: That's ahead, but first time for Countdown's Worst Persons in the World.

The bronze to Bill-O, who got his butt whupped on his own comedy show. Even the endlessly belligerent Bernard Goldberg noticed that Orally continues to go nuts over perceived slights against Catholics and Christmas, even the slights which only exist inside his own head. But when Coulter-Geist came on, he didn't even suggest from a devil's advocate point of view that talking about perfecting the Jews might have been a bad idea.

"I was waiting," Goldberg said, "for you two to French kiss." Contain your nausea. Bill-O defended himself by saying he wasn't going to debate "theology with a non-theologian," whereupon Goldberg said, "Then don't have her on." Whereupon Billy's head exploded.

—A.I.