Olbermann Attacks 'Fired MSNBC Employee' - Likely Former GM

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Keith Olbermann Wednesday went after "a fired MSNBC employee" who likely was the network's former general manager Dan Abrams.

During a revised "Worst Person in the World" segment, the "Countdown" host once again took issue with criticism from Abrams' website concerning his statements about Tea Parties being all white and how hypocritical this is given the lack of diversity on MSNBC's lineup.

"There are at least 23 minority newscasters, hosts, part time hosts, paid contributors and correspondents from NBC on MSNBC`s lineup," said Olbermann.

"Perhaps the reason that Mediaite took a Tea Party`s word for it is that this is the same site of a fired MSNBC employee, and in his attempt to implant his bitterness towards this place, to plug or weave it into his website, he has wigged out" (video embedded below the fold with transcript):

KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST: We are tonight changing the title of one of more popular segments. The premise is the same, but since some of the people did not get that the title was ironic, ladies and gentlemen, here are tonight`s inductee and the two runners up for the COUNTDOWN Hall of Shame.

The bronze to the website Mediaite. Can`t figure out why I called them gullible last night. They offer a few conspiracy theories about it, never recognizing that to simply take a look at a Tea Party video and pair it, without questioning or even checking its claim that it "highlights the remarkable lack of diversity on MSNBC`s lineup. Judge not, lest yeah be judged." Ain`t journalism. There is not remarkable lack of diversity on MSNBC`s lineup. There are at least 23 minority newscasters, hosts, part time hosts, paid contributors and correspondents from NBC on MSNBC`s lineup. Perhaps the reason that Mediaite took a Tea Party`s word for it is that this is the same site of a fired MSNBC employee, and in his attempt to implant his bitterness towards this place, to plug or weave it into his website, he has wigged out. He would like us to sweep his failure under the rug, as if it were a bald-faced lie, or there will be hell to pay.

Mediaite's Colby Hall fired back Thursday:

Roughly three weeks ago we asked "Is Keith Olbermann Losing It?" Now we know the answer. Yes, sadly, Keith Olbermann has lost it.  

Another Mediaite employee, Rachel Sklar, tweeted about this squabble Thursday (in proper time sequence with oldest first):

I actually find this Olbermann thing tiresome. He knows he egregiously misrepresented Dan's relationship - ongoing! - with MSNBC + NBC.

I wrote about Olbermann resenting Dan as his boss here: http://bit.ly/aO5fRZ Dan laid out his MSNBC/NBC sitch here: http://bit.ly/aD1aAb

That first link referenced a Radar Online interview with Olbermann in December 2006:

Radar: Dan Abrams said recently that your program "could become a model for the newscast of the future." Are you a role model?

Olbermann: I don't know what Dan has to do with it frankly. We've never had a conversation about the direction of the show.

Radar: He's actually the-

Olbermann: The general manager [of MSNBC], right, but we rarely interact. As far as I know he works on dayside programming. Phil Griffin runs the network. He is the vice president of NBC [News] and my original producer in television.

Radar: What the hell is Abrams doing giving quotes about you to everyone from the Washington Post to the LA Times, then?

Olbermann: You got me.  

Doesn't seem that Olbermann had much respect for Abrams when they worked together, does it?

For the record, NewsBusters is also no fan of Abrams'. Over the years, we've been highly-critical of his reporting.

As such, we have no pony in this race; we just like watching liberal media members eat their own.