Olberman on 9/11 and the Clinton/Wallace interview.

[Moooooo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wOzCkWN5g

It's a must see.  That boy was on fire.

And am I the only one who doesnt think 'Clinton lost it'?  I keep seeing that headline, but Ive watched the interview and it seems to me he was just defending himself against a low blow.  He was there to discuss the billions he raised for his global initiative, but Wallace instead decided to try and slip one past the goalie.

[MODU]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wOzCkWN5g

It's a must see.  That boy was on fire.

And am I the only one who doesnt think 'Clinton lost it'?  I keep seeing that headline, but Ive watched the interview and it seems to me he was just defending himself against a low blow.  He was there to discuss the billions he raised for his global initiative, but Wallace instead decided to try and slip one past the goalie.

Actually, he was there to be asked 10 questions on various topics.  He was asked a question no worse than Bush and many other politicians have been asked.

[Smash255]

Olberman nailed it, absolutley brilliant.

[ATFFL]

Olbermann calling a reporter biased?  Well, I suppose he speaks from experience.

I imagine he will be crying him self to sleep again about his low ratings.

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

Olbermann is a hack.  His claims are beyond laughable and his ratings are too high. 

EDIT:  He should have done that spiel with his O'Reily mask and while giving the nazi salute.  Would have made it even more laughable than it is.

[Conan]

Olbermann calling a reporter biased?  Well, I suppose he speaks from experience.

I imagine he will be crying him self to sleep again about his low ratings.

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

Olbermann is a hack.  His claims are beyond laughable and his ratings are too high. 

EDIT:  He should have done that spiel with his O'Reily mask and while giving the nazi salute.  Would have made it even more laughable than it is.

The PDB wasnt requested by Bush. He didnt even read it anyway.

[ATFFL]

Olbermann calling a reporter biased?  Well, I suppose he speaks from experience.

I imagine he will be crying him self to sleep again about his low ratings.

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

Olbermann is a hack.  His claims are beyond laughable and his ratings are too high. 

EDIT:  He should have done that spiel with his O'Reily mask and while giving the nazi salute.  Would have made it even more laughable than it is.

The PDB wasnt requested by Bush. He didnt even read it anyway.

The Washington Monthly Blog

You must be logged in to read this quote.

There are other references to it being at the request of the President.

There is no evidence he did not read it, either.  It is an oft repeated, unsubstantiated claim made by Michael Moore in Farenheit 9/11.

[The Dowager Mod]

Olbermann calling a reporter biased?  Well, I suppose he speaks from experience.

I imagine he will be crying him self to sleep again about his low ratings.

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

Olbermann is a hack.  His claims are beyond laughable and his ratings are too high. 

EDIT:  He should have done that spiel with his O'Reily mask and while giving the nazi salute.  Would have made it even more laughable than it is.

So you guys get O'Reilly and Limbaugh and we get Olbermann, at least Olbermann is funny.

[Smash255]

Olbermann calling a reporter biased?  Well, I suppose he speaks from experience.

I imagine he will be crying him self to sleep again about his low ratings.

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

Olbermann is a hack.  His claims are beyond laughable and his ratings are too high. 

EDIT:  He should have done that spiel with his O'Reily mask and while giving the nazi salute.  Would have made it even more laughable than it is.

So you guys get O'Reilly and Limbaugh and we get Olbermann, at least Olbermann is funny.

Also at least olberman doesn't just make crap up as O'Reilly and Limbaugh has done.

[Citizen James]

Is anyone else open to the concept that many these interviews (and in general political talking head shows) are as scripted and phony as pro-wrestling?

Clinton got to fire up his base, Fox got extra ratings, and the sad state of television journalism continues it's sad downward spiral.

I mean you look at the boards, or a lot of the political discourse in this country - a lot of it has the same attitude.  A lot of hyperbole and name calling, and very little discussion of policy or how to successfully solve problems.

I say, cage match.  Clinton v. Bush.  Two men enter, one man leaves.

And in 2008 my money's on former seal Jessie Ventura.

[Nym90]

I think Clinton did a very good job. I'd be angry too if someone was lying about my record as President. I think it's good that Clinton cares enough about the country to want to set the record straight.

And Bush hasn't really been hounded about not getting Bin Laden, at least not in any interviews that I've seen. It's not been a major topic of discussion or anything he's had to answer about.

[TomC]

Does Olbermann not know that the briefing on AQ was issued at the request of the President?

The Daily Briefing for the President is standard practice; it precedes Bsh coming to office. Are you saying he specifically requested something he already gets every day? Are you saying the CIA wished to stop the PDB and Bush requested they continue??

The Washington Monthly Blog

Thanks for the link-

"She said the PDB "did not raise the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as missiles," which is technically true, but it did raise the possibility that (a) al-Qaeda was interested in hijacking airplanes and (b) it was interested in buildings in New York. "

Wow, the Bush administration couldn't put together the possibility that, with NYC buildings as a target, and somehow including hijacked planes, that they wouldn't fly the planes into the NYC buildings? It was a complete surprise??

from the same link, Bill Scheider finds it hard to believe too:

CNN's Bill Schneider: "I think [this memo] could be seriously damaging. What this says is, the White House knew what bin Laden was capable of planning, where he intended to do it, which was New York or Washington, D.C., how he was going to do it. There was only one thing missing, which was exactly when he was going to do it, which turns out to be September 11."

[ATFFL]

The President can request a subject be covered in the PDB.  The briefing happens every day, and most of the schedule is set by the briefers, but the President can request something be covered.

Keep in mind the targets in NY that were hit were, in fact, not federal buildings.  Security at such buildings was increased by the FBI in response.

[TomC]

They hit our headquarters. They knew this might happen and they let a missle with wings hit our headquarters.

[angus]

I thought it was strange.  I didn't watch the entire interview, but I saw it replayed on talking head show after talking head show the next day.  ad nauseum.  And I think I saw the exchange to which you're referring in toto by now.

Yeah, he got snippy.  I don't know whether he "lost it" and I don't really care.  But he did come across as an asshole.  I don't go around clinton an asshole often.  And that's pretty significant because (1) I voted for him in '92 and again in '96 so I think I reserve that right, just as I reserve the same right with Bush for the same reason and (2) I call lots of people assholes a lot of the time, but I've not called him one.  Till now.  But frankly, he came across as a real asshole that night.

I was disappointed.  He looked vindictive.  Petty.  Very Un-Bill Clinton.

My assumption is that it was a prepared, calculated response to a question that he was banking that he might get, and that it was to be taken as advice by democrats.  I don't think it's particularly good advice.  But I still think it was meant as a model.

Just my two cents.

[MODU]

They hit our headquarters. They knew this might happen and they let a missle with wings hit our headquarters.

No one "let" them hit our buildings with airplanes.  Please feel free to keep your conspiracy theories regarding 9/11 to yourself.  Thank you.

[TomC]

They hit our headquarters. They knew this might happen and they let a missle with wings hit our headquarters.

No one "let" them hit our buildings with airplanes.  Please feel free to keep your conspiracy theories regarding 9/11 to yourself.  Thank you.

I'm not saying they intended for it to happen- at 9:06 the President knew we were under attack; at 9:37 a plane hit our headquarters. Thirty one minutes and still no order to shoot down the planes.   He's not evil, he's incompetent.

[The Duke]

It is the height of arrogance that Keith Olberman, the man who once compared Ken Starr to Heinrich Himmler because of his physical appearance, calls Chris Wallace (one of Washington's most respected journalists) a "monkey".

It is typical of the unhinged, insane, Olberman style.  This is the same man, after all, who once put on a Bill O'Reilly mask and performed a Nazi salute and the same man who actively encouraged his viewers to vote in a Playgirl Magazine poll so he could voted sexiest newscaster by a magazine that primarily caters to gay men.

And O'Reilly still has more than four times the viewership of Countdown, by the way.  But who's counting, right?

[dazzleman]

My assumption is that it was a prepared, calculated response to a question that he was banking that he might get, and that it was to be taken as advice by democrats.  I don't think it's particularly good advice.  But I still think it was meant as a model.

Just my two cents.

You hit the nail right on the head.  I believe his response was planned in advance and calculated.  And I remember well the last time he got the ugly look on his face, and wagged his finger at us.  Was he telling the truth then?

Clinton is assuming attack dog mode in advance of his wife's presidential bid, just as she did for him.  Had there been no truth to the implications that Clinton didn't do enough about terrorism during his term, he would have laughed the question off, rather than responding the way he did.  That type of response indicates that a person is coming too close to the truth, and with the Clintons, that is very dangerous.

The only thing I don't agree with you on here angus is that the behavior was very un-Bill Clinton.  I think it actually was the real Bill Clinton, as he's long behaved in private.

With Clinton, everything is about him.  Thousands can die, but what matters is his legacy, or lack thereof.

[MODU]

They hit our headquarters. They knew this might happen and they let a missle with wings hit our headquarters.

No one "let" them hit our buildings with airplanes.  Please feel free to keep your conspiracy theories regarding 9/11 to yourself.  Thank you.

I'm not saying they intended for it to happen- at 9:06 the President knew we were under attack; at 9:37 a plane hit our headquarters. Thirty one minutes and still no order to shoot down the planes.   He's not evil, he's incompetent.

Riiiiiight.  Ok.  Gotcha.  Sure thing.

[Michael Z]

I thought it was strange.  I didn't watch the entire interview, but I saw it replayed on talking head show after talking head show the next day.  ad nauseum.  And I think I saw the exchange to which you're referring in toto by now.

Yeah, he got snippy.  I don't know whether he "lost it" and I don't really care.  But he did come across as an asshole.  I don't go around clinton an asshole often.  And that's pretty significant because (1) I voted for him in '92 and again in '96 so I think I reserve that right, just as I reserve the same right with Bush for the same reason and (2) I call lots of people assholes a lot of the time, but I've not called him one.  Till now.  But frankly, he came across as a real asshole that night.

I was disappointed.  He looked vindictive.  Petty.  Very Un-Bill Clinton.

My assumption is that it was a prepared, calculated response to a question that he was banking that he might get, and that it was to be taken as advice by democrats.  I don't think it's particularly good advice.  But I still think it was meant as a model.

Just my two cents.

It was definitely a prepared response, but that's because he's clearly sick and tired of people questioning his record when they have little ground to (and it's mostly an attempt by the neocons to portray Clinton as ineffective on terrorism, when in actual fact he did try to get Bin Laden long before the Right took Al Qaeda seriously). I really can't say I blame him for being pissed off.

[Rob]

Sure, he planned his defense in advance. So what? The man has a right to refute unfair accusations, and he couldn't have picked a better target than that smirking little creep Wallace. That guy makes my skin crawl.

Anyway, I applaud Clinton for taking on the jokers who've been relentlessly attacking him for years. It's a savvy move and it positions Democrats to take the offensive.

[ATFFL]

They hit our headquarters. They knew this might happen and they let a missle with wings hit our headquarters.

No one "let" them hit our buildings with airplanes.  Please feel free to keep your conspiracy theories regarding 9/11 to yourself.  Thank you.

I'm not saying they intended for it to happen- at 9:06 the President knew we were under attack; at 9:37 a plane hit our headquarters. Thirty one minutes and still no order to shoot down the planes.   He's not evil, he's incompetent.

Do you have any idea how many planes were in the air?  Do have a clue how many people were on them?  If we shot them all down, the President would have been guilty of killing thousands of innocent Americans.  That is evil.

[MODU]

... and he couldn't have picked a better target than that smirking little creep Wallace.

The "creep" who happens to be one of the most experienced DC Politics reporters around, as well as a Peabody and Emmy Award winner:

1964:  assistant to Walter Cronkite (1964 Rep convention)
1975-1980:  NBC local reporter
1980:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1982-1989:  NBC's chief White House correspondent
1982-1984:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1984:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1986-1987:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1987-1988:  anchor of Meet the Press
1988:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1989-2003:  senior correspondent for Primetime Tuesday
2003-2006:  FOXNews host on FOX News Sunday

[Michael Z]

... and he couldn't have picked a better target than that smirking little creep Wallace.

The "creep" who happens to be one of the most experienced DC Politics reporters around, as well as a Peabody and Emmy Award winner:

1964:  assistant to Walter Cronkite (1964 Rep convention)
1975-1980:  NBC local reporter
1980:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1982-1989:  NBC's chief White House correspondent
1982-1984:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1984:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1986-1987:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1987-1988:  anchor of Meet the Press
1988:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1989-2003:  senior correspondent for Primetime Tuesday
2003-2006:  FOXNews host on FOX News Sunday

Ok, so he's an experienced creep.

[NewFederalist]

... and he couldn't have picked a better target than that smirking little creep Wallace.

The "creep" who happens to be one of the most experienced DC Politics reporters around, as well as a Peabody and Emmy Award winner:

1964:  assistant to Walter Cronkite (1964 Rep convention)
1975-1980:  NBC local reporter
1980:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1982-1989:  NBC's chief White House correspondent
1982-1984:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1984:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1986-1987:  anchor of NBC Nightly News on Sundays
1987-1988:  anchor of Meet the Press
1988:  NBC's correspondent for the Rep and Dem conventions and Presidential campaign
1989-2003:  senior correspondent for Primetime Tuesday
2003-2006:  FOXNews host on FOX News Sunday

Ok, so he's an experienced creep.

You are usually very balanced. Why this out of character cheap shot? Chris Wallace does no one's bidding. Isn't is just possible Clinton is particularly sensitive about this issue? I watched the entire interview and I did not see where the question was out of line.