Gov. Rendell: ‘Keith Olbermann Should Be On The Obama Payroll’

When it comes to media bias, if liberals are not only able to recognize your press organization's lack of impartiality, but also assert such when cameras are rolling, you know you're not fooling anybody.

Such appears to certainly be the case with cable network MSNBC, and, in particular, its "Countdown" host, which both were the targets of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) a few weeks ago when he actually stated three times on PBS's "Charlie Rose," "Keith Olbermann should be on the Obama payroll."

With Olbermann's sycophantic behavior during this campaign, what makes Rendell think he's not?

With that in mind, the following extraordinarily candid discussion on March 26 that somehow slipped under the radar until now is sure to delight all those disgusted with the behavior of MSNBC employees (h/t Olbermann Watch via Hot Air, video embedded upper right):

ED RENDELL (D), GOVERNOR PENNSYLVANIA: Well, first of all, Charlie, I`ve been involved in running for elective office for 31 years. I got elected when I was a really young guy. And not so much anymore. But I had never seen anything like this. The first two months ofthis campaign, January and February, it was absolutely reprehensible what the media did.

Senator Obama literally walked on water. Senator Clinton could do no good and do nothing right. Her demise was predicted over and over again with much glee.

CHARLIE ROSE, HOST: I think that happened, if there was any -- I mean, I`ve heard this argument before expressed by people close to Senator Clinton. It is.

RENDELL: Not just close to Senator Clinton. How about "Saturday Night Live"?

ROSE: Well, I mean, Lorne Michaels says that they did that because they knew it was great comedy. It does not suggest anything other than they knew it was great comedy.

RENDELL: Great comedy usually occurs because there`s more than a grain of truth in it. That`s what satire is all about.

ROSE: You think most reporters who are covering the campaign favor Senator Obama over Senator Clinton in their reporting?

RENDELL: Well, let me ask you, when is the last time you watched MSNBC? Keith Olbermann? I love Keith`s show. In fact, it breaks my heart, but Keith Olbermann should be on the Obama payroll. If he is not, he should be on the Obama payroll. And then the sad part is, I used to love Keith Olbermann. He was one of my favorite shows to watch. He should be on the Obama payroll.

I heard Joe Scarborough, who I admire the heck out of, saying that because Hillary and Bill Clinton took a picture with that fellow from Chicago, it made a wash of the issue. Senator Obama took $167,000 from him, he helped Senator Obama buy his house, but the Clintons were in a picture. They didn`t take money or anything. And it was a wash. I mean, journalists lost their objectivity.

ROSE: They lost objectivity because you believe they wanted Obama to win because they thought it was a better story, because there was more excitement about Obama, because what?

RENDELL: And also because they got taken in as -- and I don`t mean that in a negative way, but they got carried away with the enthusiasm. Lee Cowan, an MSNBC reporter at one point said.

ROSE: He`s actually an NBC reporter.

RENDELL: NBC reporter, but he was on MSNBC I think, at one point he said something during an Obama rally, he said, this is unbelievable. He said, it`s hard to stay impartial. And he was congratulated for that by Brian Williams.

Yes he was.