Video: “Red Eye” dumps on Olbermann for comparing Cheney to terrorists
posted at 4:24 pm on May 23, 2009 by Allahpundit
An enjoyable sequel to last night’s meltdown di tutti meltdowns, although I find myself compelled to fact-check TV’s favorite ombudsman on one point. At 5:55, he speculates that the left, aside from Olby, is being unusually credulous about the NYC synagogue plot because there’s finally a sheriff from their side of the aisle in the White House. Maybe, maybe not — it’s hard to scoff at the motives of four guys who got caught planting what they thought were bombs in cars outside a temple — but is it really true that Olbermann’s the only lefty downplaying the seriousness of it? Feast your eyes on this jawdropper from TPM Muckraker, which drips with sympathy from the odd use of the pejorative word “betrayed” in the headline to this candidate for the bleeding-heart hall of fame in the conclusion:
It’s easy to laugh at this gang of goons — and we’ve done our share of that. But, frankly, it’s also hard not to feel some compassion for what looks like a group of struggling, credulous, under-educated men, existing on the fringes of society, who lacked the intelligence or willpower to avoid getting taken in by a government informant anxious to mitigate his own situation, and by their own vague understanding of radical Islam and the hole it might fill in their lives.
Pity the poor, struggling would-be car-bomber. I guess this is the left’s new take on freelance terror in the age of Obama: Not doubting that the plots are real, just doubting that they’re anything to worry overly much about. Baby steps. Click the image to watch.
Blowback
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Yeah well the England bombing and the Spain train bombing – wasn’t that the work of home-grown, struggling, poor misunderstood Muslim radicals?
manofaiki on May 23, 2009 at 4:26 PM
oooh oooh! I was first for the FIRST TIME EVAH!!!
manofaiki on May 23, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Palate cleansed!
And mano, I hope that is not your life’s crowning achievement…
Nigel on May 23, 2009 at 4:32 PM
This is the not-unexpected result of eight years of BDS combined with the deep personal problems and lack of intelligence of the Leftoids.
BathTub Boy / Olberdouche is only the tip of the Iceberg of Sh+t, with each day bringing another odd creepy tale of astonishingly poor judgment and a bizarre twisted view of politics and government
Janos Hunyadi on May 23, 2009 at 4:35 PM
Sounds like this gang of
Obama votersgoons understand Islam better than Muckraker ever will. Here’s a tip from reputable journalists: read the Koran before you report on it!TMK on May 23, 2009 at 4:38 PM
Re: the TPM jawdropper, so much for my hope/slash fantasy that once they were in charge they would see that there really is danger–it’s not just fear-mongering. But they still go after Bush for not stopping that wacky boxcutter hijacking plot.
juliesa on May 23, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Hey RNC, let’s make Olby the titular head of the democratic party. Think of the ad possibilities!
califdreamnred on May 23, 2009 at 4:43 PM
But it’s hard for TPM to feel compassion for those who would have been killed, injured or lost loved ones, if these men had blown a hole in that synagogue.
Loxodonta on May 23, 2009 at 4:45 PM
The problem is that they might have been stupid and everything but they probably would have made fine muscle if they ever linked up with anybody else. (I mean to bring 9/11 into this weren’t 3/4 of those guys “Stupid muscle”?)
Dave_d on May 23, 2009 at 4:46 PM
FIFY
Romeo13 on May 23, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Shorter Olbermann: “Radical Islamists are not a threat and Bush and Cheney are to blame for the danger.”
Sir.
SteveMG on May 23, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Is there any better show in the history of television that Red Eye?
Okay, there’s a few…but not that many!
DarkKnight3565 on May 23, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Allah, its easy to downplay the NY synagogue story…those guys are borderline retarded.
ernesto on May 23, 2009 at 4:52 PM
KO,has lost his bisciuts!
I thought the Left won and are in power,where is all
the bitterness from the Left coming from,or is it,that
the underlying problem,is the fact that the Left are
really pissed off and ‘Betrayed’by Obama,for not stopping
the war,as he promised all his Liberal sheep who voted for
him!!
canopfor on May 23, 2009 at 4:56 PM
Rather than watch Olber(wo)man, I’ll just meander down to the park and watch dogs defecate. It’s far less disgusting.
oldleprechaun on May 23, 2009 at 4:56 PM
whew. thank you for this. my boobs were starting to hurt from all the jealousy flung at them.
I_C on May 23, 2009 at 4:57 PM
So, bombs exploded by people that are “borderline retarded” kill less people, or something like that?
Religious_Zealot on May 23, 2009 at 5:00 PM
“Unsophisticated?”
Wow. I think that’s the harshest liberal criticism I’ve ever heard directed toward terrorists.
Or, I suppose, that should read “…directed toward would-be terrorists.” And I think that’s why.
Usually, liberals describe Islamic terrorists (successful Islamic terrorists, mind you) as if they’re super heroes — a little bit smarter than Lex Luthor, and a LOT more pius.
But not now. Because these guys FAILED. Liberals aren’t happy about this; they’re not gloating over the fact that some of these maniacal idiots got taken off the street.
Instead the liberals all sound, if anything, disappointed.
logis on May 23, 2009 at 5:05 PM
Sirrrrrr
Resignnnnn
Fascistttt
therightwinger on May 23, 2009 at 5:06 PM
I have it on the authority of a coworker that Olbermann is one of the most objective journalists out there.
Yeah, he also has a dkos convention sticker in his office.
shocker that.
aikidoka on May 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
As Olbermann put it, “rear world view“.
maverick muse on May 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
When I was in 10th grade I had to recite Antony’s Soliloquy in English class. I got up and did the whole thing with a crappy fake English accent, did’t even know I was doing it until I was done.
That was 25 years ago and it still embarrassed by it.
Every time I hear Olby trying to sound erudite, I remember that day.
29Victor on May 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
All indications point to no KO biscuits ever having existed.
baldilocks on May 23, 2009 at 5:11 PM
I think I fear bombs in the hands of the “unsophisticated” and “borderline retarded”…
…than I do bombs in the hands of “geniuses.”
Religious_Zealot on May 23, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Dude, I heard that too. lol
baldilocks on May 23, 2009 at 5:12 PM
As per “homegrown terrorists”, Napolitano needs to focus on ex-cons, not conservatives. The FBI had these Muslim converts under surveillance for a year, so give credit to George Bush’s presidency AGAIN for stopping carnage. Chances are, had Obama known what was happening, he’d have ruined the sting.
maverick muse on May 23, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Is that the view you have when your head’s up your a**?
29Victor on May 23, 2009 at 5:14 PM
The media better be careful of their continuing assault on the mental capabilities of foiled “home grown” followers of Islam. They are starting to blanketly describe them as developmentally or intellectually challenged. They might be able to get away with that when describing the United States Military but I am pretty sure there are some prominent American Muslims that are going to take exception.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 5:15 PM
baldilocks on May 23, 2009 at 5:12 PM
The weirdest thing is that anyone takes Olbermann seriously. This guy dreams up speeches and fabricates settings in order to vent his insanity for public consumption.
Until the Left can get him under control, where’s the logic in getting bent out of shape over a fuddy-duddy 007 ad? /More snark needed.
maverick muse on May 23, 2009 at 5:17 PM
I loved during the Ombudsman Levy bit where Andy said that Ron didn’t have a fake Ivy league diploma, and Ron replied “I will by tomorrow!”
Tman on May 23, 2009 at 5:20 PM
KO is a masochist fighting his inner demons, unable to prevent delivering his own KO punchline.
maverick muse on May 23, 2009 at 5:20 PM
Olbermann’s on speed.
So is Meghan.
Speed kills.
maverick muse on May 23, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Seeing as these guys didn’t know sh*t about explosives and weren’t even discussing them until the good old FBI began zealously recruiting them…I’m not losing sleep over it.
ernesto on May 23, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Are there wardrobe people at Fox? I am looking at you Bill.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 5:25 PM
Ah, I see.
So it’s not the terrorist’s fault, it’s the FBI’s.
Ah. Yeah.
Religious_Zealot on May 23, 2009 at 5:27 PM
Awesome last line by Levy, lol.
nickj116 on May 23, 2009 at 5:29 PM
So was it Lynne or Liz Cheney who blew up the nightclub in Bali? Oh yeah, my bad UberdouchemanN, it was Muslims on jihad and not a Cheney.
Keith UberdouchemanN does like old people.
If Keiffy like old people he’d, “resign sir!” and save their 401Ks via the GE stock. Just saying.
Branch Rickey on May 23, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Getting blown to bits by smart guys is much, much worse than getting killed by stupid ones ’cause you’re deader.
Rod on May 23, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Careful Rod, you might upset lil ernesto’s world view.
Branch Rickey on May 23, 2009 at 5:31 PM
So had they skipped the FBI guys and went to the internet to find McVieh’s hard to master materials would you lose sleep then?
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 5:31 PM
While i’ll acknowledge the snark isn’t entirely unfounded…you would be going too far if you consider the capabilities of these men, left to their own devices, to be something truly worth worrying about.
ernesto on May 23, 2009 at 5:31 PM
Dag-nabbit AP!
I refused to watch that Olberdork post you did and now you have tricked me into it with a Red Eye tease.
Below the belt sir!
conservnut on May 23, 2009 at 5:32 PM
FAIL.
nickj116 on May 23, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Well good for you. I’m just glad I sleep in the midwest cuz I’ll still be around after the next band of “borderline retards” you don’t give a s&it about blows the bejesus out of New York again. You morons will not learn until 30 seconds prior to your death, will you?
Tim Zank on May 23, 2009 at 5:36 PM
What I would like to know is how intimately detailed were the reports of this on going investigation to Pres. Obama? Ever since 9/11 the Left has been whining that the former administration should have know what was going to happen based on the daily reports. Was Pres. Obama aware of this investigation? And was it he, not the FBI & NYPD who really saved the synagogues?
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Zachary Roth is a complete wackjob. He’s the one who unsuccessfully tried to whip up the “Jindal lied about Katrina!” meme. And he broke down weeping in the newsroom when he got fired from the last legitimate job he had.
Jim Treacher on May 23, 2009 at 5:38 PM
so you really believe we narrowly averted catastrophe this week?
ernesto on May 23, 2009 at 5:42 PM
Now I feel sorry for him. Sounds like he might need some hormone replacement therapy.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 5:44 PM
No wonder he feels sympathy for wannabe Jew-murderers: He obviously hates himself.
Jim Treacher on May 23, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Ernesto,
Has it occurred to you, maybe these guys were channeled to using explosives so they could be given fake explosives. These guys were going to do something and it was better this way then having them buys guns from the neighborhood gun dealer (illegally bought) and visiting the local mall. The FBI is not dumb and I am sure there was a lot of intel gathering going on to see if there was bigger fish to be caught.
Howcome on May 23, 2009 at 5:52 PM
I don’t know if we were in “imminent” danger or not in last weeks particular plot, but I do know that these plots will continue, and one of them will in fact kill a lot of people.
Too laugh them off you and so many do, to downplay them and dismiss them is at your own peril. Even a blind squirrel get’s a nut now and then.
Tim Zank on May 23, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Not a fan of the Jews, then?
Jim Treacher on May 23, 2009 at 5:58 PM
To use a quote so popular with the lefties:
“If it saves even one life it was worth it.”
redshirt on May 23, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Look the guys actually planted the “fake” explosives! Just exactly how much more serious does it have to be? So while it is being thrashed out how smart they were, the obvious is being ignored. They were willing to blow things up.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 6:01 PM
I wonder what Bathtub Boy thinks about the year long investigation that it took to infiltrate, earn their trust, obtain knowledge of their terror cell and how they were recruited in prison, supply them with artificial bombs, lay the trap, and then finally catch the bombers………..
……….. that’s right, it was under President Bush’s Justice Department, with Vice President Dick Cheney riding shotgun, that did the majority of the work.
Seven Percent Solution on May 23, 2009 at 6:03 PM
You don’t have to have a high IQ, or money, and education, to know right from wrong.
This is seriously dangerous, if Obama, and his administration, take this attitude, toward anyone, that even remotely comes close, to terrorism.
capejasmine on May 23, 2009 at 6:06 PM
So when the folks from GITMO are housed in our mainland federal prisons, will they be allowed to interact with these poor unwitting types?
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 6:07 PM
By that thinking, they should be let go, and the next time they want to get involved in something, it might not be an informant, but the real deal! Brilliant!
capejasmine on May 23, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Besides, if you believe success requires intelligence, I have 2 words for you.
Ted Turner
redshirt on May 23, 2009 at 6:09 PM
That’s true. They had initially tried to buy ground to air missles from a guy who turned out to be an informant. Too bad; so sad. You would be losing more than sleep over it if they had been able to obtain them and aimed one at you.
Blake on May 23, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Would you rather we had taken a chance and let it happen?
Del Dolemonte on May 23, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Nigel,
I STILL dream of the day I can have the first comment. However, I did have my letter read on RedEye once.
TugboatPhil on May 23, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Out of the millions of people in, and around New York City, this informant, just happened to pick out these 4 gents? I’m guessing the FBI got involved, after someone informed them, of conversations they’d had with these guys. It’s to easy to try and pick at our intelligence community. That’s doing the hack work for Obama, and his goons.
capejasmine on May 23, 2009 at 6:22 PM
The reality is this. If you actually talk to people in the know in the government, we have averted many attacks. They will not tell you the specifics but it is in fact true.
CWforFreedom on May 23, 2009 at 6:23 PM
Add to that list Ted’s ex-wife, as well as the subject of this thread.
Also Mikey Moore, Bill Maher, Chrissie Matthews, Joy Behar…
Del Dolemonte on May 23, 2009 at 6:24 PM
Fortmer Bush terror guy Jack Goldsmith was briefly a darling to the Left a few years back, simply because he disagreed with Bush on some of the terror stuff, and resigned.
But a couple of years ago, he gave a speech at Boston College where he noted that the evil Bush had in fact under-reported the number of terror threats to the American public, not over-report them as many of the BDS college kids claimed.
Once Goldsmith said that, the Left dropped him even faster than they threw Cindy Sheehan under the bus.
Del Dolemonte on May 23, 2009 at 6:35 PM
I love your certainty, your confidence, your quickness to take the side of the downtrodden, the misunderstood, the local dimwitted terrorist. You must understand them all so well. And you’re an expert on who is and who is not a terrorist threat to boot! Impressive.
I hope the feds are reading this because your inferred suggestions here would make it so easy to determine who’s a real threat: Just give terrorist’s IQ tests!
And you thought of it! I’ll bet they’ll name it the “Ernesto Test”!
They can give it to all the guys in Gitmo. The smart ones that pass get shipped right back to the battlefield and shot. That helps solve the Gitmo problem ’cause it okay to make them definitely dead on the battlefield but it’s not okay to keep them indefinitely alive in Gitmo.
The dumb ones that fail get government paid condos in Miami.
Gitmo problem solved! I hope you get a medal ’cause you deserve it.
Rod on May 23, 2009 at 6:41 PM
Maybe, but it just could be that even the worst criminals in NYC would draw the line at supplying anyone using Muslim names with materials that would later be tied to terrorism. I know it’s weak but I am hoping for honor among thieves.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 6:42 PM
ernesto:
Yes, I do.
Perhaps it wasn’t averted “this” week, but these are still men who are willing to kill without provocation and without warning in the name of Allah. That makes them dangerous REGARLESS of their intellect or cunning.
And the fact remains that what if they also bought bombs from a different, REAL demo merchant?
These are not laughing matters, and is you have studied 9/11 or even the so-called “Black Tigers” of the late LTTE, you will know how dangerous small, resourceful, and fanatical groups can be.
Turtler on May 23, 2009 at 6:47 PM
So, Olbermann is comparing Cheney (a modern day Cincinnatus) to terrorists, and then we are treated to Defense Secretary Robert Gates quoting Alcibiades in his address to West Pint, trying to give lessons of leadership. Does Gates not know who Alcibiades was? Alcibiades was the boldest and most infamous traitor in history. He went from Athens to Sparta to Persia to Athens, selling out each of his successive colleagues on his path of total self-preservation at the expense of any and all others. And this is the guy Gates is using as an example for West Point grads? Unreal.
progressoverpeace on May 23, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Impossible. REAL Islamic terrorist arms suppliers always try to talk the bombers out of it, and give them IQ tests to make sure their motives are absoultely pure.
In the world of the Moonbat, it’s the FBI who run terrorist brainwashing camps.
logis on May 23, 2009 at 7:10 PM
*sigh*
You’ve been making such progress…
Don’t go wobbly now.
Kensington on May 23, 2009 at 7:16 PM
As far as the Red Eye clip goes…how about that Lauren Sivan?
Nice…
Kensington on May 23, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Got to keep up their image and their propaganda. These are the kindly compassionate folks who have empathy for all except conservatives of course. We are the undeserving.
jeanie on May 23, 2009 at 7:33 PM
I have found in my life that raw intelligence is no real indicator of how well and how far someone can/will go in their lives.
I’ve seen brilliant people do some of the stupidest things and I’ve seen people who didn’t graduate high school get rich in life through determination and perseverance.
Thus I simply don’t buy into the “they were dumb thus they weren’t a threat” meme.
Religious_Zealot on May 23, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Oberman’s tirade should have been a jump the shark moment for even his most loyal followers. Even the Fonz lost viewers when he jumped the shark.
Christian Conservative on May 23, 2009 at 7:56 PM
And if the Bush Administration had captured a majority of the 9/11 hijackers before the attack and the others scattered back to their roach holes, we would have been treated to similar ‘analysis’ (which in this case means libtards with what’s left of their brains in their arses) minimizing the ability of them to carry out the plans, minimizing any potential harm from the plans of the terrorist, berating the Bush Administration for islamophobia, dredging up every positive reference for each of the men, calling Bush a dictator who unconstitutionally arrested those young men, and pooh poohing anything presented by the Bush Administration or FBI to the contrary.
eaglewingz08 on May 23, 2009 at 8:14 PM
You know, to this day it STILL seems odd and strange how much damage a couple of guys with box cutters could eventually inflict.
Thus, if we’ve learned ANYTHING from 9/11, it should be to never underestimate the potential harm these people can create.
Religious_Zealot on May 23, 2009 at 8:32 PM
I couldn’t agree more, on that thought. I have the same hope!
capejasmine on May 23, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Very Pollyanna of me but surely even they were impacted by 9/11.
Cindy Munford on May 23, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Wow, what a racists comment. Just because the average I.Q. of a particular racial group is low is no reason to bring it up to cover for a Left wing argument.
GunRunner on May 23, 2009 at 9:20 PM
The quote Oby used from Cromwell is when he dismissed Parliament. He was from that point a dictator. Great history Oby. To bad you used the quote wrong.
Mr. Paul on May 23, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Unless they are Bible clinging, tea-bagging, gun totin’, slack-jawed, yahoos, then they are fair game;)
Oh, did I miss something?
Laura in Maryland on May 23, 2009 at 10:07 PM
So according to the left, when Bush was in power, muslim terrorists were provoked into attacking America, now that Obama and democrats are at the helm, Muslims who actually try, but fail, to blow something up are just clueless rubes who were duped by the all-knowing and all-powerful federal government and there really is no terrorist threat to worry about.
Mord on May 23, 2009 at 10:22 PM
I need to watch that show more often. Thanks for the smile.
mizflame98 on May 23, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Yes. it. is.
baldilocks on May 23, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Speaking of low IQs…
baldilocks on May 23, 2009 at 10:54 PM
Suppose you are a criminal, planning bad acts. You are approached by someone who offers you explosives; you then plan a bombing attack. And, you attempt to execute it.
If you were not already inclined toward these acts, no amount of “recruitment” would make you do them.
Entrapment defenses might work for drunk, out-of-town conventioneers plied with faux hookers, but on terrorists?
Meh.
massrighty on May 23, 2009 at 11:57 PM
Yes, the Left voted for Obama hoping that all this terrorism mumbo jumbo would end with his election and the country would back to the 1990s when Jim Carrey made hit movies and few in this country knew about Radical Islam.
Speedwagon82 on May 24, 2009 at 1:44 AM
Love that last line…damn you FDR! Damn you to helllllllllll!
keyboarddude on May 24, 2009 at 2:09 AM
Olby’s pretty much like a bag lady yelling at traffic; it’s almost as though he forgot that the Dems won.
Fallen Sparrow on May 24, 2009 at 2:48 AM
Obygolly Ogerman always gets it wrong. It being anything particularly his figures. Goofed the amount of money being used (spent) on combating the “Overseas contingency Operation” in a previous episode, and in this one the number of deaths. He wishes it was the 44,500 he started to say but the blood in the edge of his lips indicated he bit his tongue abit so he could correct the number.
MSGTAS on May 24, 2009 at 9:18 AM
So the government actually wanted these guys to bomb the synagogue and led them to do so to capture them or what?
wth is he trying to say here?
amkun on May 24, 2009 at 10:21 AM
The looney left(in other words all of the left) will never be happy until every Republican, conservative, or anyone in general that has a different opinion than them, is eliminated. These are not happy people, whether in power or not. They and their nastiness just get worse and worse as time goes by. Some of them actually think Bush and Cheney should be executed! I have come to agree with the person who coined the term, “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder”. What else could explain it?
silvernana on May 24, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Yep.
Bush was only guilty of being too gosh-darned Christian while he deposed dictators, and thus spurring otherwise innocent Muslims to commit mass murderer.
But, according to the liberals, now that Obama is President, the CIA is actively running its own terrorist cell indoctrination camps — brainwashing hapless Muslims into becoming killer robots.
And, apparently, liberals see this as a gigantic improvement.
logis on May 24, 2009 at 2:31 PM
Is this the first frontpage Red Eye mention? Does this mean AP is considering an appearance? Will this comment be full of nothing but questions?
blish on May 26, 2009 at 8:15 AM
Hell, I didn’t even realize that they finally let Ron Geraci sit in the main studio! Awesome!
blish on May 26, 2009 at 8:17 AM