Olbermann: Bush attacks on MoveOn and Democrats are 'pissy, juvenile' Mike Aivaz and Jason Rhyne

Published: Thursday September 20, 2007





Print This Email This Keith Olbermann had a searing "Special Comment" for President Bush and his press conference denunciations yesterday of MoveOn.org and Democrats who refused to condemn the liberal group's recent ad criticizing Gen. David Petraeus. The president was, according to Olbermann, "behaving a little more than usual like we'd all interrupted him while he was watching his favorite cartoons on the DVR." After criticizing Bush for sidestepping substantive issues at the press conference in "condescending and infuriating fashion," Olbermann zeroed in on the final moments of the Q&A, which he called "a big, wow political finish that indicates, certainly that if it was not already, the annual Republican witch-hunting season is underway." "Most importantly, making that the last question?" Olbermann asked about a question from reporter Bill Sammon, who asked what the president thought of the MoveOn ads. "A plant, so that there was no chance at a follow-up and so nobody could point out...that you were the one who inappropriately injected Gen. Petraeus into the political dialogue of this nation in the first place." "Deliberately, pre-meditatively and virtually without precedent," he continued, "you shanghaied a military man as your personal spokesman and now you're complaining about the outcome--and then running away from the microphone." Olbermann also played tape of a television ad from the Republican National Committee--originally aired 19 days before the 2006 mid-term elections--which featured a quote from terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri claiming he had acquired "suitcase bombs." The ad concluded with an image of an explosion, followed by the text, "These are the stakes. Vote on November 7." "That one was OK, Mr. Bush?" Olbermann asked. "Terrorizing your own people in hopes of getting them to vote for your own party has never brought as much as a public comment from you." "But a shot at Gen. Petraeus...that merits this pissy, juvenile blast at the Democrats on national television?" "Your hypocrisy is so vast, sir," the host accused Bush, "that if you could somehow use it to fill the ranks in Iraq, you could realize your dream and keep us fighting there until the year 3000." The following video is from MSNBC Keith Olbermann's Countdown, broadcast on September 20, 2007



