On Saturday night, former MSNBC host Kieth Olbermann was honored by conservative columnist and Ann Coulter at 2011 Media Research Center Dishonors Awards, an event noted for “roasting the most outrageously biased liberal reporting.” Coulter explained why she was taking on the task of commemorating Olbermann.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m giving this award tonight,” Coulter said. “There are a number of reasons. First, of course, both Keith and I are girls. We also both went to college in Ithaca, N.Y. I went to the Ivy League Cornell School of Arts and Sciences, and Keith went to the Old McDonald’s School of Agriculture. I wouldn’t mention it except Keith is compulsively telling people saying he went to the Ivy League Cornell, desperate to have people think of him as a major egghead.”
Coulter also credited herself as being an “early Keith watcher,” qualifying her to present the award.
Watch (Video courtesy of the Media Research Center – more here):
The MRC offered three nominations of Olbermann’s work dating back to 2007:
1) From his Jan. 18, 2010 show pertaining to then-candidate for Massachusetts Senate, Scott Brown – “In Scott Brown, we have an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, teabagging supporter of violence against women and against politicians with whom he disagrees. In any other time in our history, this man would have been laughed off the stage as unqualified and a disaster in the making by the most conservative of conservatives.”
2) From his April 19, 2010 show taking on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh – “’What was the more likely cause of the Oklahoma City bombing: talk radio or Bill Clinton and Janet Reno’s hands-on management of Waco, the Branch Davidian compound and maybe to a lesser extent Ruby Ridge?’ Well, obviously, the answer is talk radio, specifically Rush Limbaugh’s hate radio….Limbaugh claimed others would have blood on their hands in the event of future right wing terrorism. Frankly, Rush, you have that blood on your hands now, and you have had it for 15 years.”
3) From his “Special Comment” on Sept. 4, 2007 addressing then-President George W. Bush over his Iraq policy – “Everything you said about [withdrawing some troops from] Iraq yesterday, and everything you will say, is a deception, for the purpose of this one cynical, unacceptable, brutal goal: perpetuating this war indefinitely. War today, war tomorrow, war forever!…A man with any self respect, having inadvertently revealed such an evil secret, would have already resigned and fled the country! You have no remaining credibility about Iraq, sir!…Mr. Bush, our presence in Iraq must end, even if it means your resignation, even if it means your impeachment, even if it means a different Republican to serve out your term.”
The eventual winning clip from his April 19, 2010 show, was determined by a panel of judges including Tony Blankley, Neal Boortz, Monica Crowley, Erick Erickson, Sean Hannity, Larry Kudlow, Mark Levin, David Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh, Kathryn Lopez, Al Regnery, Cal Thomas, Walter E. Williams and Thomas Winter.
Accepting the award on behalf of Olbermann was Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, a so-called member of the “Worst Persons in the World” caucus of the House of Representatives.