I have expended more than a few words criticizing Keith Olbermann for his kid-glove (fawning? sycophant?) treatment of Barack Obama, particularly his coverage of Obama's flip-flop on opposition to the very bad FISA compromise. Last night Olbermann reversed himself (sort of) and expressed some mild criticism of Obama's position on FISA (sort of) in a "Special Comment", so I thought it fair to include it here.But first, let us recap - A brief outline of the story so far:
- Barack Obama expresses strong opposition to the Bush FISA executive eavesdropping power expansion with the Telco Immunity provision.
- Keith Olbermann broadcasts a "Special Comment" calling the FISA bill with Telco Immunity fascist.
- Obama flip-flops announcing support for virtually identical FISA "compromise" with Telco Immunity.
- Olbermann and Jonathon Alter praise Obama for "not cowering to the left" on the FISA compromise.
- Glenn Greenwald calls out Olbermann on his hypocritical coverage of Obama.
- Keith Olbermann says he did not read Greenwald, but responds anyway.
- Greenwald does read Olbermann's post and dismantles his response.
- Olberman says, "Lets change the subject."
- Olbermann broadcasts this "Special Comment" on Monday saying "Senator Obama wants his cake and eat it too":
Frankly, I found this Olbermann "Special Comment" to be somewhat incoherent, as he apparently feels compelled to wrap superfluous caveats and insert two shots at Republicans for every mild criticism of the Obama flip-flop. That said, he explicitly urges Obama to take a "second chance to make a first impression", do the right thing and either - join the opposition planning to filibuster the bill -or- explicitly state that an Obama administration will pursue a criminal prosecution of the Bush administration and Telco companies for violations of the original FISA law.
Olbermann makes much of the fact that the bill - (both the version that Obama opposes and the version that Obama supports) only provides immunity from civil lawsuits. Greenwald maintains that the possibility of criminal prosecution under this bill to be a fantasy, and remains focused on the bigger issue of stopping the expansion of executive power. In any case, I expect Obama to embrace neither of Olbermann's suggestions. Having already flip-flopped once on the issue, it just would not be politic for him to flop-flip back.
Olbermann makes much of the fact that the bill - (both the version that Obama opposes and the version that Obama supports) only provides immunity from civil lawsuits. Greenwald maintains that the possibility of criminal prosecution under this bill to be a fantasy, and remains focused on the bigger issue of stopping the expansion of executive power. In any case, I expect Obama to embrace neither of Olbermann's suggestions. Having already flip-flopped once on the issue, it just would not be politic for him to flop-flip back. 
More important, Olbermann's commentary and the Olbermann/Greenwald debate has helped keep a spotlight on this important issue and the impending vote. This has all been made possible because a few Senators like Feingold and Dodd (and unlike Obama) were willing to show real leadership on this issue and keep principle ahead of politics. They succeeded in delaying the FISA vote until after the Independence Day holiday, allowing time for opposition to build. Stopping or modifying the bill still seems unlikely, but this is politics, and... who knows? Our elected representatives might even decide to defend and protect the Constitution. It could happen. X-posted at Donklephant.
Technorati tags: Keith Olbermann, 2008 election, Democrats, Barack Obama, FISA
Technorati tags: Keith Olbermann, 2008 election, Democrats, Barack Obama, FISA
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