This isn't fucking news. Its meta-news. If you have a strong opinion about this either way, you are feeding the beast.

I think Olbermann misspoke with the "two enter, only he returns" line. He apologized about the comment, and explained his intended context, and I see no reason to disbelieve him.

Some people are still sore about it. Okay. Fine, what am I going to do, rub salt in your wounds? Get over it.

There seems to be some coded resentment of prominent, bombastic, confident if not arrogant men in politics and media: Obama and Olbermann, poster boys of the fraternity of.. what? I don't think they are really cheerleaders in any conscious conspiracy to diminish and defeat women.

Thing about it. That's Limbaugh ("feminazi") and O'Reilly ("loofah/fallafal").

Don't misplace your rage on people who are, I think, out there to help in the cause of human and womens rights as a central plank of the liberal platform just because they can't help smirk when they know they've won, they can help snark when they are on the attack.

Don't confuse being a smart-ass with being sexist. If you go out looking for crypto sexism everywhere you look, you will find crypto sexism everywhere you look.

I was willing to swallow my pride and vote for Clinton in the fall if I had to, I expect the same courtesy from Clinton supporters. Put down the pitch forks and the torches.

If you don't like Olbermann, fine. Don't watch Olbermann. But don't falsely equate his disdain for Clinton's end-game with a personal disdain for Clinton herself, or women in general.

How is it that this so-called sexist uses exclusively women anchors as his fill-in hosts and features a very liberal lesbian commentator on an almost daily basis? Are they turn-coats against their own kind, or is it Joan Walsh who is the turn-coat?

Balance in media? Its an opinion show. "Countdown" is a news digest, with a commentator. Hence, "Special Comments."

It is not news. Neither is "This week with Bill Moyers", an infinitely superior opinion show, or "NOW With David Broncacchio", also a superior program to "Countdown."

A news commentator like Olbermann, Moyers, satirists like Colbert, Stewart and Bill O'Reilly are not necessarily obligated to balance or even hide their personal agendas. So, criticize the opinion, fine. You cannot insist that they provide balanced coverage, however, because that is not their job.

Even Fox News "newscasts" make an effort to do straight reporting (although they tweak their ledes in an effort to convey an agenda, surely), and it is the commentary where their partisan colors really fly highest. You should not see an anchor or reporter actively "opine" while presenting straight news on any network, but that is not what Olbermann purports to do: he is a pundit, commentator and news analyst, not a reporter.

Why don't you just come out and call the female commentators and anchors on Countdown his harem, if that is how you feel about it?

I know it is impossible to say that anyone is 100% free of sexism, racism, prejudice, etc, and that includes you, me, and Keith Olbermann.

I do not think he is overtly sexist. I am not entirely sure what to say about Chris Matthews other than that he seems to not have any filters, and I believe that is why people watch him in the first place. Between those two examples, one makes a conscious effort to choose his words carefully, and occasionally slips up ("two enter, only he returns"), and the other simply jabbers on with no regard to what nonsense is coming out of his mouth ("english leather", the bulge incident).

You disagree. Fair enough. Please cite more evidence that the thin evidence we have already been over and over and over (because Joan just can't let it go).

Maybe I'm entirely wrong about Keith. In that case, I will be writing him a lengthy and not too kind letter. But I see no reason to do so just yet.

Why not? This thread is fucking pointless anyway. Joan's post was pointless.

Let's talk about freeing Palestine. Might as well, since there is no point whatsoever to this post.

Legalize pot! Ban all marriage! Send the Vegans to mars to terraform it! Save the whales! Bring back David Talbot, please!

As a matter of fact, Olbermann did report on Kucinich's quixotic attempt to bring to vote the articles of impeachment, with some good commentary on the procedural inner-workings of having the bill tabled in committee.

Joan has become a parody of her own parody. Its very zen. I'm not sure which is the real Walsh anymore, here, or over at salonparody.blogspot.com.

@david -- Yes, it takes two to tango, and I'm a sucker for trolling!

First of all, "TL;DR", second,

"Why leap immediately to a sexual metaphor?"

I see you have made my point for me, thank you.

Why engage in this pointless excercize at all?

Its an over-the top metaphor, because this is an absurd debate. Look up "burlesque." That's what I do.

You implied that the women who are in the Olbermann camp on his program were ditto-heads and Kool-aid drinkers. I one-upped you.