Olbermann named Hannity, Wash. Post's Ignatius in “Worst Person” segments

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

On December 10, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann awarded Washington Post columnist David Ignatius the “bronze” in his “Worst Person in the World” segment for asserting that “there's still a nagging uneasiness about having these two complicated Clintons back together at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” Polling does not support Ignatius' assertion. On December 11, Olbermann named Sean Hannity the “runner-up” “Worst Person” for asserting that Rep. John P. Murtha had “gone to the other side” after his recent assessment of President Bush's troop-increase strategy in Iraq.

During the December 10 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann awarded Washington Post columnist David Ignatius the “bronze” in his nightly “Worst Person in the World” segment for, as Media Matters for America documented, asserting in his December 9 column that “voters are grappling with the unusual questions that would surround [Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY)] presidency. And the most important of these is the 'two presidents' problem. ... [T]here's still a nagging uneasiness about having these two complicated Clintons back together at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

As Olbermann noted, and as Media Matters for America detailed (here and here), polling does not support Ignatius' assertion that “the country” is afflicted with “a nagging uneasiness about having these two complicated Clintons back” in the White House. In fact, a September 27-30 Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 60 percent of respondents said they “personally feel comfortable ... with the idea of Bill Clinton back in the White House.”

In addition, during the December 11 edition of Countdown, Olbermann awarded Fox News host Sean Hannity the “runner-up” during the “Worst Person” segment for his recent statements regarding Rep. John P. Murtha's (D-PA) assessment of President Bush's troop-increase strategy in Iraq. As Media Matters noted, on the December 9 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America, Hannity claimed Murtha “is starting to see the light” and asserted that “Democrats are going to have an even harder time trying to win the White House on a blame-Bush and the Republicans platform now that their loudest critic has gone to the other side.” However, Murtha's comments did not indicate that he had changed his position and “gone to the other side.” As Media Matters noted (here and here), during his November 29 press conference, Murtha said: “I think the surge is working, I think -- but that's only one element. ...There's no question in my mind that if you put more forces in ... it's going to work out. But the thing that has to happen, the Iraqis have to do this themselves.” Moreover, in a November 30 statement, Murtha made clear that he continues to support redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq:

The military surge has created a window of opportunity for the Iraqi Government. Unfortunately, the sacrifice of our troops has not been met by the Iraqi Government and they have failed to capitalize on the political and diplomatic steps that the surge was designed to provide.

The fact remains that the war in Iraq cannot be won militarily, and that we must begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable.

The House of Representatives has passed a $50 billion funding bill that provides the President, our troops, and our nation with a responsible plan for bringing our troops home. The President should heed the advice of the American people and allow this funding bill to become law.

As Media Matters has documented, Hannity is frequently named during Olbermann's "Worst Person" segment.

From the December 10 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: But time first for Countdown's Worst Persons in the World. The bronze is David Ignatius of The Washington Post. “Voters are still grappling,” he writes, with their, quote, “nagging uneasiness about having these two complicated Clintons back together at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

The Washington Post's own poll in September found that 60 percent of voters of all parties personally feel comfortable with the idea of Bill Clinton in the White House. I'm still grappling with columnists using terms like “voters are still grappling” and thus leaving the impression that it's many voters when it might be, like, eight of them.

From the December 11 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: Our runner-up, Sean Hannity -- of “Fixed Noise,” misquoting Congressman Jack Murtha, who said the surge had worked militarily, but failed politically and immediate withdrawals were still a necessity. Hannity said, quote, “Democrats' loudest critic has gone to the other side.”

Is it just too much work to bother to read all 40 words Murtha said last month? Does it make your little brain hurt that much if you don't stop after the first four and go lie down? Or are you just transparently dishonest?