You mentioned the "Clinton 2012 Conspiracy" and I fully agree! The completely corrupt Clintons have no serious intention of helping Obama win this election. That would put her next chance at 2016. And she ain't gonna wait. They WANT McCain/Palin to win so she can run in 2012. They both (Clintons) are soul-less.

I do agree with the sentiment that Olbermann/Matthews are opinionists and commentators more than they are journalists. While I'm sympathetic to the views they espouse, I do appreciate that anchors should be impartial mouthpieces.

So, I'd applaud MSNBC's actions if I felt that they were going to replace Olbermann/Matthews with real journalists covering real topics. I'd even applaud MSNBC's actions if I felt that another mainstream network offered the same.

But they aren't, and they don't.

News coverage in America is a joke. You want objective, investigative journalism? Flip on PBS, 'cause you aren't going to come close to finding it anywhere else. Holding up impartiality here as something sacred to be preserved -- when the stories are still about Palin baby drama, killer bees, and missing white co-eds -- is like getting shot and complaining about what a mess the blood makes.

No, the MSNBC news coverage will remain exactly the same tabloid-style crap. What we lose is the one left-leaning newsblock available to those who aren't actively engaged, who won't do their own leg work to find out the story behind the story. Here it is: Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are liberal propagandists. Given the far-right propaganda pushed by CNN and FOX, we're losing our one imemdiately accessible voice. I think we saw in 2003 a pretty dramatic example of what happens when all news networks speak in unison and report what they're given to report rather than what they've found on their own. The election and re-election of GWB have shown that Americans are dumb enough to believe anything they're fed, and the source of gruel just got thinner and more uniform.

Maybe David Gregory will surprise me. Maybe the next time something like the Georgian conflict crops up, he'll talk less about which senator is sending advisors over for a photo-op and talk more about what led to the South Ossetian breakaway. Maybe he'll talk about the scramble to get Cheney's records covered by the Presidential Records Act so they can't be purged or withheld once he leaves office. Maybe he'll discuss the civilian deaths from an airstrike in Afghanistan without the pre-emptive, USA-can-do-not-wrong defensiveness that's endemic in our media. Maybe we'll hear more about Maliki's dash to nationalist positions on America's occupation and oil futures, and the potential ramifications of a friendly Iraq and Iran. Maybe David will shine a brighter light on congress, making it harder for them to escape criticism when they drop plans to vote on bills like the exansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program, because it might be too politically embarassing for Republicans to oppose CHIP so close to the general election.

Somehow, I doubt it.

It's back to the same old, same old: different networks, identical scripts.

We should have known something was up when Olbermann was muzzeled last week at the RNC. Cowards

Actually he's the only one at MSNBC that had the guts to call out the lies the McCain camp have been spewing. No doubt that contributed to his and Chris' moving to the analyst desk and David Gregory into the hosting chores. Oh and David's a super pick for the assignment. He's SO in the tank for McCain that they're gonna just LOVE him! HE'LL never question a single lie from the McCain camp and that's exactly what Rick Davis and the rest want.

NBC definitely caved to the McCain Machine and not only have I lost all respect for their organization, I'm going to hold them responsible if McCain gets elected and he takes our country even further down the crapper.

NBC Universal, you've been PLAYED. And now that you've CAVED, your organization has ZERO credibility!

I am puzzled by MSNBC muzzling Olbermann and Matthews.
However, not for the reasons most might think. I, for one, don't dare if Anchor people are "objective". I actually
enjoy hearing opinions as well as commentary. I'm perfectly capable of making up my own mind, thank you, and don't need
Mommy and Daddy Network bosses prescreening my info.
If something stupid or misleading occurs at say, a political
convention, I want, need, no, EXPECT the commentators to SAY SOMETHING! That is why Bill O'Reilly is so interesting.
Not because I believe in a "No Spin Zone", but because he is so
OPINIONATED! That is why I so much enjoyed both Matthews
and Olbermann at both conventions. C'mon, for pete's sake. That huge misrepresentation of 9/11 was egregious! Not to say something at the time would indicate a level of inattention and
political hackery that would make a moron blush.
Furthermore I feel that some of the comments on this blog are
intellectually bankrupt. Calling people "jackasses" or buffoon" or
"blowhard" or "clowns", simply because one disagrees with them
is hardly conducive to intelligent debate. Grow up!

Good choice to can both of these idiots. The way Chris Matthews has been sucking up to Obama for the past few months, you would think he was Obama's Athletic Supporter!

Good choice and great decision to can both of these idiots. The way Chris Matthews has been sucking up to Obama these past few months you would think he was Obama's athletic supporter!

lawdgg, I can tell you are smitten with the sound of your own voice, but could you possibly post your response just once? Thanks, preesh.

Yeah, I was actually surprised about the Matthews firing, at least, since he so often says nonsensical things (which the MSM seems generally to like) and he seemed to be totally in the tank for McCain and company during the RNC.

I mean, did you see his response to that awful speech by McCain? He acted like it was one of the greatest political pronouncements in the history of mankind -- he and Pat Buchanan were in total agreement with one another.

And did you notice that, when Rachel Maddow started to add some sense to the analysis (saying "hey, wait a minute, that wasn't a declaration of independence from the GOP at all -- actually all the things McCain talked about doing are all the exact things that Bush & Co. are already doing") -- as soon as she did this, they cut to commercial. And after a couple of floor interviews (mostly with very flat-voiced people acting like they were surrounded by pandemonium, when we could clearly see in the picture that it was three guys grinning foolishly while standing still and holding balloons) -- anyway, after this, they cut back to the "panel of experts", and everyone picked up where they left off...

...except Rachel Maddow had somehow morphed into a tall, long-haired, clearly conservative-leaning black woman.

WTF?!?

As for Olbermann, I agree with the posters above who are worried that people like him -- the only people who call a spade a spade during election coverage where one party is routinely lying -- are getting shuffled away from the "mainstream" coverage. Objectivity is most certainly not listening to both sides and then picking a point right in the middle. It is about listening to both sides, but then making a decision based on the evidence about which is closer to the truth.

The truth is NEVER in the direct center. If you don't agree, go back and read Aristotle on the "Doctrine of the Mean". The trouble is, the GOP have learned that if you trumpet one extreme while the other side aims largely at the mean or some more reasonable version of their side, the press will shoot for the exact halfway point between the two views -- which is, as a result, inevitably somewhere to the right of center.

Almost makes me wish there were still some stark raving communists running around, to balance all the wingnuts (sigh).

Thank you NBC there might just be hope for you as a news organization yet. Anyone who could defend the Olbermann and Matthews of the world are loonies and mean spirited and in noway ready to be part of a news orgnization at least not one that wishes to be taken seriously. Remember ballance. News is not supose to be biased not left nor right. That is why FOX is the most watch highest rated and most believed news on the air. You can not fool the American people very long. If you walk like a duck quack like a duck your a duck. So for the NBC to make this change they might go back to a time when they were a respected news company.

Actually he's the only one at MSNBC that had the guts to call out the lies the McCain camp have been spewing. No doubt that contributed to his and Chris' moving to the analyst desk and David Gregory into the hosting chores. Oh and David's a super pick for the assignment. He's SO in the tank for McCain that they're gonna just LOVE him! HE'LL never question a single lie from the McCain camp and that's exactly what Rick Davis and the rest want.

NBC definitely caved to the McCain Machine and not only have I lost all respect for their organization, I'm going to hold them responsible if McCain gets elected and he takes our country even further down the crapper.

NBC Universal, you've been PLAYED. And now that you've CAVED, your organization has ZERO credibility!

Have you watched him on his "Race for the White House" on MSNBC weekdays? He's totally in the tank for McCain; almost never puts a McCain surrogate on the spot when they lie, and they lie a lot.

Actually to be honest, I don't believe there is any "objective" journalism anymore; that pretty much went out after Nixon's Watergate. My gripe is that the entire media pool has been coddling John McCain throughout this campaign. Rachel is always fair, and some of the others will surprise me like Andrea, Campbell, David and Norah when they actually confront a lie, but it's only occasionally.

So when Keith and Chris present themselves as the antithesis of the FOX "journalists" and express something favorable to Obama, I say good for them.
They are the only people that will do it consistently, and I find it very refreshing.

It's clear that there's something wrong with the server over there at TPM today.

When you post something, it takes forever for the screen to load, and when it does, you get an "internal server error", and it acts like the post didn't go through.

That's why so many double posts here. Sorry for mine above, everyone. Maybe it was worth reading twice?

Olbermann has had trouble removing his analyst's hat and not only has this harmed the brand of NBC News, but it's been harmful to news in general.

Both of them will still be there as analysts, their proper role, but someone else will be sitting in the swivel chair and tossing out to commercials. I'm sorry and I like both guys, but their antics have been harmful to journalism and for that, I can't stand.

the left has no balls, no cajones! this was a cave and to those who called KO and CM names, shame on you....if you think sucking up will earn you brownie points with fox and the rest, good luck...

Rachel M, Keith O and Chris M are the only three i know of who would ever call a spade a spade....KO is a little rough with the message, but thank god he called the other side out on BS...if you think your little blogs and comedy shows are viral enough to combat the lies, innuendos and smears, then you want OBAMA to lose in hopes that Hillary can run in 2012 and lose again b/c most of us wont forget the wussiness displayed in this great hour of need!

hrc is helping obama, yes she is ...she is campaigning for him (eyes rolling).....if she displayed even half the passion she did during the primaries, i would admit she is helping..not even for sarah palin would she offer a few factual hard hitting points. i am not asking for a cat fight, but since her supporters only listen to her, one would have thought she would have made a sharp distinction between herself and palin--no way jose!! she complimented palin on her gender victory and rehashed talking points with as much passion as mccain(no passion)...

to those who say that hrc should not be expected to do more, i say get your head out of the sand....hillary is part of the reason that obama is in this fix...she stayed in smearing him even though she knew her ship was wrecked and there was no fair chance of righting her tilted ship....she gave the other side their talking points...in doing so, she made it impossible to add her to the ticket...could you imagine if she was the vp and those ads were running everywhere? not one clip but several and one saying mccain is better???? if hrc values her political future she has no choice but campaign and do an honest job of it....2008 slight wont be forgotten by a lot of us!!!!

we should write nbc and express our outrage....i liked keith and chris b/c i expect them to call out crap when they see it....don't let them nuzzle you KO and CM!

I'm not complaining because RACHEL MADDOW GOT HER OWN SHOW WHICH PREMIERED TODAY ON MSNBC!!! Olberman still has Countdown which is now sandwiched in between Rachel Maddow and the repeat of Rachel Maddow. It's so much more important to have that daily analysis from a brilliant and progressive perspective. I don't care who they have anchor election events as long as it is not tipped towards the right.

NBC did not cave. The entertainment division of a major player of America's military-industrial complex just executed corporate policy.

This is the reason for Sherman Anti-trust Acts and the RICO statutes played out before our very eyes.

The weird thing is that they used Gregory, who lost his show (to Rachel Maddow - YAY!) due to lack of ratings. Looks like they get the DOUBLE "F minus" on this one. And I guess that anyone that hasn't used the phrase 'maverick' in an obviously complementary fashion toward McCain and the Straight-up-bambozlement Lobbyist Express isn't "objective" enough to cover the election.
Down is Up, and War is Peace. Got it.