Olbermann Plays the 'Fascist' Card Again

Do you remember the scene in The Naked Gun where Leslie Nielsen, as police detective Frank Drebin, pretends to be a major league baseball umpire in order to be able to search the players to see who might be the assassin?

The very first pitch is dead over the heart of the plate, but Frank hesitates before finally, timidly, calling 'strike.'  The crowd roars in approval.  Frank gets a taste for the positive feedback, and by the third strike is bellowing out his calls, making flamboyant hand gestures, even doing a moonwalk.

A similar phenomenon might be occuring with Keith Olbermann.  As noted here, in a closing 'Special Comment' on last night's show, he accused the Bush administration of representing "a new type of fascism."  Daily Kos and Democratic Underground exploded in paroxysms of joy, and deluged the show with thousands of approving emails. 

Towards the top of tonight's show Olbermann profusely thanked his fans for their outpouring of praise. Now that he's experienced the complete and utter adoration of the netroots that comes with calling Bush & Co. fascists, Olbermann decided to do it again tonight.

With former Nixon counsel turned bitter Republican critic John Dean as guest, Olbermann proclaimed:

"Why is the administration on this Nazi and fascism terminology kick, especially given the fact that the rest of Mr. Rumsfeld's speech read like [fascist politician and Nazi collaborator] Quisling of Norway or Oswald Mosley of the British Union of Fascists?  Is that not quite a rhetorical balancing act, to be so vicious in the terminology whilst embracing to some degree the methods of the [fascist] people you're supposedly criticizing?"

Bouquets, kudos and kisses from the Kosmonauts surely to follow. Shall we tune in tomorrow for the moonwalk, Keith?

Mark Finkelstein lives in the liberal haven of Ithaca, NY, where he hosts the award-winning TV show 'Right Angle.'  View show webcasts here. Email Mark at mark@gunhill.net