Olberman Isn’t Above Spin, Either

13 September, 2006. 437 words.

Keith Olberman’s This Hole In The Ground speech is making the rounds of liberal blogs. The Agonist went so far as to call the speech “true courage.”

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Olberman, and this speech exemplifies why. The premise of the speech is solid, and it’s well-written. He laments that it’s taking a really long time to build a memorial at Ground Zero, let alone new buildings. I can understand why Olberman’s upset about that… who isn’t? Especially since he lost friends in the attacks and spent months covering the story right there in New York after 9/11.

But then… the speech changes. It transforms; it mutates. In the blink of an eye, his speech turns into… anti-Bush propaganda. This is where Olberman gets on my nerves. It’s not that I think Bush is above criticism, but Olberman’s manner of criticism often involves questionable logic and the journalistic equivalent of creative non-fiction. This speech is a great example. Olberman quotes from the dedication of the Gettysburg Memorial by President Lincoln, then he writes:

Today our leaders could use those same words to rationalize their reprehensible inaction. … Instead they bicker and buck pass. … They spend the money on irrelevant wars, and elaborate self-congratulations, and buying off columnists to write how good a job they’re doing instead of doing any job at all.

Okay, stop the tape. We were talking about the missing memorial at Ground Zero-a valid topic worth exploring-but now suddenly we’re talking about Bush buying off columnists and leading us into an irrelevant war. Huh? Talk about a hard left turn. The speech then veers into a partisan tirade against Bush, repeating all the standard Daily Kos talking points, and adding this new one: Bush, through inaction, is personally responsible for the lack of rebuilding at Ground Zero. (I am not making that up, I swear.)

By that logic, I guess I’m responsible too. Sorry ‘bout that, New York.

There was no mention of the Port Authority, the organization that actually owns the land. There was no mention of the governors of New York or New Jersey, the people who run the Port Authority. Olberman goes on to write, in what might be the single biggest example of irony in the history of media:

How dare you [Mr. President] — or those around you — ever “spin” 9/11?

Olberman read that-with a straight face-live, from a set positioned right in front of Ground Zero.

(By the way, there’s nothing particularly courageous about voicing political opinions in a free society, especially when your name is on the show you’re speaking on.)

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