Customer Reviews

Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

In the marketplace of ideas in a free society, compelling voices will ultimately be heard. This dynamic helps explain how a former ESPN commentator, known for tongue-in-cheek delivery, has become heir to the mantle of Murrow and Severeid as well as the often outraged defender of the right to dissent. Citing the comic team of Bob and Ray as inspiration while quoting Murrow's advice that we not confuse dissent with disloyalty, Keith Olberman explains that he wrote his first "Special Comment" because he saw no one else expressing indignation at statements made by then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.

Diving into deep waters with some trepidation, Olbermann followed this initial video editorial with a series of comments over the last 3 years which are collected in this book. When read on the air, the pieces are more impacting than on the written page. However, they still are literate and hard-hitting. Olbermann speaks eloquently of the need for freedom of expression to slow the the descent into fear and unreason. He derides the assumption of absolute certainty and the absence of nuance in the statements of public officials, although sometimes accused of the former himself.

He is obviously not a fan of this administration. He asks of Donald Rumsfeld: "With what country has he confused the United tates of America?" He says Vice-President Cheney spreads "darkness, like some contagion of fear." His most pointed remarks, however, are reserved for the President. Negative characterizations by the author aside (and there are many of them), his most telling comments about the President concern the latter's lack of understanding of the need to protect the freedom of citizens to observe, judge and dissent from the government. In addressing the President directly, Olbermann charges: "The distance of history will recognize that the threat this generation of Americans needed to take seriously was you." He argues that the administration's assault on freedoms "can do us as much damage as al-Qaeda." He echoes Attorney Joseph Welch from the Army/McCarthy hearings by asking of the President: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

In the end, the listener (or reader) will decide whose version of truth is more accurate in an often polarized political dialogue. Olbermann's Countdown ratings more than doubled in 2007 which shows that his voice is increasingly resonant. Even those who take issue with him, however, should agree that his right to use that voice reflects the most American of freedoms. And for those who have sought a strong alternative voice to that of the administration over the past 7 years, Olbermann certainly provides both a literate approach and a visceral defense of reason: "We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason," he predicts..."We are not descended from fearful men."

For those unfamiliar with author, Keith Olbermann, he has a highly successful television news program called "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC. What keeps many people tuned in to the show is that he will deliver his "Special Comments" about some event that took place that day or recently. These special comments occur only on occasion, which places his loyal fans on a variable response reinforcement schedule. We keep tuning in wondering if this will be the night.

So Olbermann has done us the favor compiling twenty-four of these comments in book form. What sets them apart from other editorials is style and duration. He delivers them in the second person as though the subject of his wrath is no more than three feet away. His comments are puncuated with, "You, sir...." These verbal thrashings usually are at least five minutes in length. His style can be described as intense, with a touch of wit, and strangely polite while being blunt and emphatic. (To use the cliché that he pulls no punches would be an understatement).

What makes these comments even more popular is that they are profound, incisive, and perceptive. Olbermann has the knack of seeing through hypocrisy, and he displays a memory for facts and events that zeros in on his subject's contradictions e.g. "Mr. Bush claimed, `One hundred seventy-seven of the opposition party said, You know, we don't think we ought to be listening to conversations of terrorists.' The hell they did. One hundred seventy-seven Democrats opposed the president's seizure of another part of the Constitution."

You can imagine what it is like reading one hundred seventy-two pages of irreverence and cynicism.

In case you haven't guessed it, his targets include Cheney, Giuliani, Donald Rumsfeld, in addition to his favorite--George Bush. He strips them of their words, their arguments, and their allegations. Their pronouncements and claims are grist for the Olbermann mill.

This book is short in duration but long on insight. It is better suited for the train ride rather than the recliner. (It will be over too fast for the latter). It is also suited for the one who has been the subject of countless conservative finger-pointing.

My only regret about the book is that there wasn't enough of it.

This book is, in essence, a compilation of the "Special Comments" portion of the program he hosts on television. In addition, however, he has added an introduction to each comment so the reader will know what inspired him to write and deliver the comment in the first place. Some of the introductions are very short, while some span several pages and contain a fair amount of information. This would be a wonderful read even without the introductions; however, with them it is fantastic.

The book is well written; Olbermann has an obvious gift for words and the writing is partly amusing, partly sarcastic and always deadly serious. I suppose the comments would be better if they were spoken, however there are some of us who do not get his television station (in my case because the cable company chose that station alone as the only news channel to be made a "premium channel") and these are comments that should be preserved and read again and again.

I doubt Olbermann's critics will take the time to read the book, which is a pity. This book will cause you to think, and whether or not you agree with the author, you will definitely look at the current political situation in a different light.

Keith Olbermann's first Special Comment (although it was not called such at the first broadcast) was a scathing critique of the failure of the Bush administration to "save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water" in the state of Louisiana. The more well-known inaugural Special Comment came a year later, when the anchor launched into a six-minute diatribe that began "The man who see absolutes where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning is either a prophet or a quack. Donald Rumsfield is not a prophet." Olbermann concluded that broadcast with the words of his hero, Edward R. Murrow: "And so good night, and good luck." Truth or Consequences collects two dozen of Olbermann's Special Comments, which are intensely organic by nature. When his management encouraged him to develop the Special Comments, the anchor refused to do so on any schedule, insisting that by their very nature, Special Comments are only warranted by the instantaneous political climate.

The author insisted that his broadcasts be reprinted in the book as they were stated on the air, including any of "the sort of little grammatical infelicities that my copy editor tried to weed out." Each Special Comment is introduced by the author, bringing greater context (and fun stuff like a behind-the-scenes look at the off-camera character of President Clinton) to the impact of his message. Reading the twenty-four chapters over the span of a few days, I was struck by how well-constructed Olbermann's analysis is. He repeatedly exposes logical fallacies and inconsistencies in the message of the Bush administration, and he delights in taking Bush's ill-formed historical analogies to task. He might seem passionately charged up on air, but his monologues are well-crafted and comprise a complete, scholarly look at modern American politics. There is merit both to watching him live in the heat of the moment (or on that little network called YouTube) and to reading his Special Comments as a unified collection.

Do you worry about Olbermann running out of material with a change in administration? Don't worry, he told NPR. "I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. This isn't right -- you're not doing what you said you were going to do. You have not restored habeas corpus fully. We're still in Gitmo. We're still in Iraq. We're not out fast enough. These are still going to be issues. They don't go away with George Bush."

Olbermanns now legendary special comments bought to you in a book. A combination of insight, historical perspective and the balls to stand up to a regime that has worked hard to squash free-speech, Olbermann again delivers stinging commentary on bush and his cronies. My only wish is that more commentators had the intelligence and back-bone to speak the truth in these dark days under Bush.
To Daniel Noar, Expressing an opinion does not make someone a Commie or a Socialist it makes them a patriot. Try googling "US Constitution" and looking up freedom of speech. Its something that bush has tried to crush and something Olbermann is utilizing.

Olbermann has always impressed me. Despite the "right's" claim that there is a left bias of the press, most of the media are too busy catering to the needs of the administration to face it head on. In fact, I think the people, by and large, are better informed than the "press."

Olbermann has provided an alternative. He's confronted the Bush regime head on. In his "Worst Person in the World," he does so with great and memorable wit.

In this fine volume, he begins each chapter with a brief explanation. That adds to the substance of the book. However, I prefer his spoken word to the written word; nearly every chapter of the book is a written version of what he says on the his show. And I appreciate the looks on his fact, his eloquence, and the way he, again, confronts the liars and their lies, insisting that they be converted to truth.

The last chapter is a list of the bogus terrorism "threats" that the fear mongers have teased us with. That chapter itself--particularly because we know so little about it from the rest of the media--is worthy of an award.

What interests you most? Bush's lies? Gonzalez's absurdity? Fear-mongering? Each has evoked Keith's legitimate rage, and eloquent commentary.

If you haven't seen Keith's editorials, I strongly recommend the book. It's really a relief to learn of what we haven't been told by the mainstream media. If, however, you watch Olbermann, you'll read what you've been told before. So the four stars don't suggest lack of quality, just that, if you watch Keith, be prepared to see what you've already heard.

Yes, I would say this book is intended for Olbermann's admirers, but I wouldn't say this is a bad thing. These commentaries are witty, well-written and a good reading choice for anybody looking to expand their skills at expressing written outrage. In addition to sharpening my political conscience, they have made me a more effective writer. Most books you receive for the holidays won't provide all that!
Good luck and good reading.

Whether you agree with his viewpoint or not, you cannot deny Keith's skills as a writer. The most interesting parts of the book to me were his explanations of what he was thinking when he wrote each Special Comment, or to what he was reacting. He gives credit to his high school teachers for the endless writing drills that turned out to be perfect training for broadcast writing!

I will hold on to this book for a long time. I hope in 20 years I can reread this book, remember how bad things got in this country, and breathe a grateful sigh that our civil liberties were restored, and our role in global politics has improved.

The truth hurts,doesn't it?We have been lied to and scammed by those who swore to protect and defend the Constitutuon,and Olbermann is one of the few journalists brave enough to call this administration on their crimes.Highly recommended prior to voting in 2008.

Since Katrina, Keith Olbermann has become an unexpected, but sorely needed, voice of reason. In a country where most journalists are simply stenographers to power, and where the Democratic leadership does anything but lead, Olbermann fills, as much as his anchor position allows, a serious void.

It's Olbermann, almost alone, who has dared criticize the ineptitude, corruption and plain stupidity of the Bush administration. It's Olbermann who has made us feel less alone, voicing our belief that this emperor has no clothes, and that George W. Bush will be remembered as the worst President in American history. For your intelligence, eloquence and guts, we thank you, Keith.