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Olbermann: Bill O’Reilly Defended the Nazis

James Joyner
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Robert Cox notes that Keith Olbermann is defending his bizarre Nazi salute stunt by slandering Bill O’Reilly:

Olbermann claimed that Bill O’Reilly “defended the Nazis from World War II on three separate occasions”, a claim he had advanced earlier in the day in a letter sent to noted media blogger Jim Romenesko of the Poynter Institute.

And incredulous Leno asked “Oh, really?”

Olbermann replied “Yes, I wish I were making this up.”

To his credit, Leno’s instincts were right. Olbermann was making it up.

Much more at the link. Now, frankly, I find O’Reilly annoying at best and obnoxious at worst. I liked Olbermann as a sports guy but find him to be a pompous ass as a news pundit. Still, this kind of thing is beneath him.

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12 responses to “Olbermann: Bill O’Reilly Defended the Nazis”

  1. Anderson Avatar
    Anderson

    Well, sorry, but if Michael Moore had said what O’Reilly did, I rather suspect OTB would have 12 posts on the subject.

    Not much excuse for O’Reilly continuing to get it wrong time after time. But Allied troops certainly did commit atrocities in Normandy & elsewhere; Max Hastings in Overlord has good examples.

  2. geezer Avatar
    geezer

    Olbermann was a pompous windbag as a sportscaster back in L.A. in the day; I suffered through enough of his schtick when stationed at Edwards at the time.

    Sports are a trivial pursuit, and that’s one thing. This clown pontificating on politics brings to mind Denis Leary’s famous line: “Don Henly’s gonna tell me how to vote? I don’t f—–g think so.” We all knew someone like him in high school, and he usually had a hard time undressing in front of other guys for some strange reason.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you.

  3. mrbill Avatar
    mrbill

    Oreilly did say that 3 times. I watched the painful episodes in real time. He stated that we had done the same things in WWII. He stated (wrongly) Americans massacred German troops at the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. It was the other way around. He kept yelling at some general he was interviewing as he tried to tell Oreilly he was wrong, but he would have none of it.

    The Malmedy incident is painfully depicted in The Longest Day.

  4. anjin-san Avatar
    anjin-san

    Damn, you guys are seriously obsessed with Olbermann. Do you really care that much about him one way or the other? There have to be better things to worry about.

  5. malcontent Avatar
    malcontent

    Comment in violation of site policies deleted.

  6. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III Avatar
    Zelsdorf Ragshaft III

    Andersonm, if O’Reilly gets it wrong all the time, why not comment on his show? Prove him wrong. It is not done very often, I have noticed. James doesn’t like O’Reilly’s style, but he didn’t say Bill was wrong. Olbermann outright lied. What is your jusification for that? Anjin would like to divert attentions away from idiots on the left to those he is obsessed with. His BDS is rampant.

  7. McGehee Avatar
    McGehee

    Bill who?

  8. Ed Avatar
    Ed

    So geezer, Olbermann shouldn’t be listened to because he was a sportscaster but O’Reilly should be listened to because he did a gossip show(that he falsely claims he won a Peabody Award for)?

    Geez geezer, you’re logical thinking just overwhelms me.

  9. madmatt Avatar
    madmatt

    Its not like bill lets people disagree with him on his show so when he gets his facts wrong somebody needs to say something…and he was definately wrong about the malmedy incident…maybe not about other things but definately about malmedy and feel free to go look up the video…its available…took me 6 seconds to find it online why can’t you?

  10. Wayne Avatar
    Wayne

    Many would think that many actions taken in many wars are atrocities. Atrocities are after all a relative term. Old WWII veterans once ask me about a scenario. If during an assault I capture a handful of Germans but the battle was still waging, my unit is still pushing forward but a counter offensive is pushing them back I have a choice. It is obvious that I will be overrun before I can get the prisoner back. I have a choice. Release the prisoner so they can rearm and kill more of my unit or kill them and go help my buddies try beat back the assault. It was clear to me what his choice was. It still tore him up but that is war. He is dead now but I be damn if I going pass judgment on him.

  11. Steve Verdon Avatar
    Steve Verdon

    So geezer, Olbermann shouldnâ??t be listened to because he was a sportscaster but Oâ??Reilly should be listened to because he did a gossip show(that he falsely claims he won a Peabody Award for)?

    Geez geezer, youâ??re logical thinking just overwhelms me.

    Geez Ed geezer didn’t say anybody should listen to O’Reilly…your logical thinking is completely absent.

  12. Kent G. Budge Avatar
    Kent G. Budge

    Still, this kind of thing is beneath him.

    Not on the evidence.

    Malmedy took place over six months after D-Day, so any depiction of it in The Longest Day would have been a serious anachronism. Perhaps you are thinking of the scene where an American infantryman shoots a bunch of Germans who are trying to surrender. The scene is a bit ambiguous, but my impression is that the infantryman didn’t realize the Germans were trying to surrender.

    I have no idea if O’Reilly is a Nazi sympathizer. I stopped watching him because he is obnoxious, and because he is significantly more oblivious to his own cluelessness than the rest of us.

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