Olbermann named Turner "Worst Person" runner-up for op-ed on Pelosi and Logan Act
On the April 9 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann awarded Robert F. Turner, a University of Virginia School of Law professor, "the silver" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for asserting, in an April 6 Wall Street Journal op-ed, that House "Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] might have violated a federal criminal law by going to Syria to meet with [Syrian] President [Bashar Al-] Assad," as Olbermann put it. Turner claimed Pelosi "may well have" violated the 200-year-old Logan Act even though, as Media Matters for America noted, a 1975 State Department opinion applying the act, stated, "Nothing in [the Logan Act, U.S. Code Title 18,] section 953, however, would appear to restrict members of the Congress from engaging in discussions with foreign officials in pursuance of their legislative duties under the Constitution." As Media Matters noted, Pelosi has said that her trip was well within those duties.
From the April 9 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
OLBERMANN: The silver to Robert F. Turner. He's a former acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in the Reagan administration, wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal editorial page, which has been even more hysterical than usual lately, which suggested Speaker Nancy Pelosi might have violated a federal criminal law by going to Syria to meet with President Assad, even though the law he mentioned, the Logan Act, was specifically ruled by the State Department to have nothing to do with members of Congress, quote, "engaging in discussions with foreign officials in pursuance of their legislative duties."
Former acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in the Reagan administration -- you mean you were a temp.
Me and Jeter want to know...
Where did Imus place?
He did not place anywhere. He had a story that was also broadcast on NBC Nightly News, meanwhile Tucker Carlson was very highly critical of Imus. I guess if you do not work for FOX , Olbermann ignores you (unless your Glenn Beck).
Here is last night's Worst list, from the msnbc.com transcript:
So the list is:
Now I reask a question from KO:
WHICH OF THESE STORIES WILL YOU BE TALKING ABOUT TOMORROW?
My answer: NONE OF THE ABOVE
MoShow, you're not technically talking about them, but you did copy and paste all 3.
Beach:
One conceivable reason why KO did not rate Imus as the WPITW is that there was someone more deserving.
I listed all three of his choices, not because they are more deserving, but to list them for the benefit of the other posters, since MMFA chose only to list the silver winner. IMHO, Imus topped them all, by far, last night, the night of KO's broadcast.
Yeah Val, Keith made mention of the Imus controversy, but then again so did Tucker, Hardball & Scarborough Country [guess MSNBC had to at least acknowlege it--since it was all over the news]
It would have been nice [and would have been appropriate] for Olbermann to give Imus his Worst Person In The World award, but I'm not gonna carp about it. At least not today ;-)
Well, I kinda think it sucks. Tell ya what, today can be my day, you get the rest of the week...
Deal.
I need at least one day off to chill a bit.
So have had it Val.
Carp away ;-)
Jeter, I have the perfect answer. And I mean it. Olbermann should give *himself* the Worst Person In The World award for not giving it to Imus. If for MSNBC "reasons" Keith cannot give the award to *another* MSNBC person, it just might be okay for him to give the award to himself.
And doesn't he deserve it?
Actually, Keith did give himself the WPITW award, twice. He apologized for errors in a previous story once and for calling Roger Ailes at Fox a "Fat Ass". Keith then admitted that yes, his own ass was fat too. So he apologized. Still, Imus deserved WPITW. Keith, you let me down, but I still watch.
Good for Olbermann
Way to sell out, Keith. No mention of Imus in your top 3 because MSNBC forbids it? Nice job. You are no better than the folks you put on your "worse" lists.
Exactly, can you imagine if O'Reilly had said this? Olbermann would have a field day. His selective worst person awards are ridiculous.....and proven to be nothing more than show filler.
Tommy, you are correct however I TIVOed O'Reilly and found him to be a hippocrite on the Imus subject. This is a man basically saying that no one reputable should go on the Imus show etc, yet he was a regular guest of Imus up until 2005 . BO decided to name MSNBC a hate station and never go on it because of Olbermann. The hypocracy stinks at all ends.
Doris, I never said O'Reilly isn't a hypocrite. He hates MSNBC, and NBC and anybody else that questions him or attacks him - he has the thinnest skin out there, he whines constantly.
But Olbermann can hardly claim some unbiased or higher moral ground on this, at least, he is no better.
Yeah, Keith sold out. He should have put Imus on the somewhat humorous worst person in the world segment. He should have taken the possible firing from MSNBC with pride, and gone on to work reading news in some radio station in New Jersey. Besides, I'm sure we can find another guy in the MSM would would speak up against conservative misinformation. Has to be one around there somewhere...
Maybe he'll make Imus today's worst person in the world. So many people to put out there, so few days to do it in... He does have a whole week to do something about it.
And if he doesn't, he would be a lefty hypocrite, right? I understand that there is much Conservative misinformation, but the comments by Imus should at least warrant some kind of award from Keith. Am I right?
I don't see why not. And I also don't see how or why or where anyone could say that Imus is a liberal. Far from it as far as I can tell.
I suspect it may be more of an MSNBC thing than a left-right thing, but who knows.
Give me a break - Olbermann is one of the few that will highlight the bad behavior in this world, from politicians to local bumpkins. I think Imus got enough bad press without KO's help. I won't watch him any more. And if Imus has any sense, he will fire Bernard, his producer and right wing smart ass, who said it first.