During the August 27 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named Fox News host Sean Hannity the “winner” of his nightly “Worst Person in the World” segment for, as Media Matters for America documented, refusing to disavow musician and right-wing activist Ted Nugent's smears of Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama (IL) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY). Olbermann stated: “After noted owner and user of machine guns, former rock star Ted Nugent, said, quote, 'Hey, Obama, you might want to suck on one of these, you punk,' and made similar suggestions to Senator Clinton, Mr. Hannity described Nugent as 'a friend and frequent guest' and refused to repudiate even those remarks.” Olbermann observed: "[Hannity] then asked a guest, quoting, 'I see you liberals more upset about that, but I don't hear anybody criticizing Barack Obama for accusing our troops of killing civilians, air-raiding villages, et cetera, et cetera. What's more shocking to you? What's more offensive to you? Is it Barack Obama's statement about our troops or Ted Nugent?' " Olbermann later concluded: “In those remarks, Sean, swap in George Bush for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, what do you think that is then if not threat of bodily harm? It isn't liberals who are upset at Nugent, Sean: It's humans. Sean Hannity, today's 'Worst Person in the World!' ”

Additionally, Olbermann named Fox News Washington managing editor Brit Hume the “runner-up” for, as Media Matters also documented, distorting two University of Washington professors' recently published research in the August 9 issue of New Scientist, which Olberman described as “very complex findings about the solar activity and the heating atmosphere.” Quoting from the article, Olbermann noted: “It writes, 'Climate change skeptics may seize on the findings as evidence that the sun's variability can explain global warming, but Professor Tung says quite the contrary is true.' So, of course, Brit Hume seizes on the findings as evidence that the sun's variability can explain global warming.” Olbermann then added: " 'Skeptics,' Hume mumbled, 'are increasingly certain that the scare is vastly overblown. New research by University of Washington mathematicians shows a correlation between high solar activity and periods of global warming.' Come on, Brit, don't make these so easy for me."

From the August 27 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The runner-up, good old Brit Hume of Fixed News. New Scientist magazine reporting University of Washington mathematics and atmospheric science Professor Ka-Kit Tung's very complex findings about solar activity and the heating atmosphere. It writes, “Climate change skeptics may seize on the findings as evidence that the sun's variability can explain global warming, but Professor Tung says quite the contrary is true.” So, of course, Brit Hume seizes on the findings as evidence that the sun's variability can explain global warming.

“Skeptics,” Hume mumbled, “are increasingly certain that the scare is vastly overblown. New research by University of Washington mathematicians shows a correlation between high solar activity and periods of global warming.” Come on, Brit, don't make these so easy for me.

But our winner, Sean Hannity of Fixed News. After noted owner and user of machine guns, former rock star Ted Nugent, said, quote, “Hey, Obama, you might want to suck on one of these, you punk,” and made similar suggestions to Senator Clinton, Mr. Hannity described Nugent as “a friend and frequent guest” and refused to repudiate even those remarks. He then asked a guest, quoting, “I see you liberals more upset about that, but I don't hear anybody criticizing Barack Obama for accusing our troops of killing civilians, air-raiding villages, et cetera, et cetera. What's more shocking to you? What's more offensive to you? Is it Barack Obama's statement about our troops or Ted Nugent?”

Let's see, Sean. Senator Obama says we need a different strategy in Afghanistan so we're “not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians,” which the Bush administration is doing, and Ted Nugent suggests he'd like to see Senator Obama suck a machine gun and Senator Clinton “ride one off into the sunset.” In those remarks, Sean, swap in George Bush for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton: What do you think that is then if not threat of bodily harm? It isn't liberals who are upset at Nugent, Sean: It's humans. Sean Hannity, today's “Worst Person in the World!”