That's the headline from Chris Reed, an editorial writer and blogger for The San Diego Union-Tribune. "Jump the shark," of course, is a TV term that refers to the point where the TV star crosses the line, goes past the point of no return.
Here's Reed's posting in "Sign On San Diego," which I will admiringly repeat almost all of, because it's so good.
Reed begins by recalling what Keith Olbermann had to say recently, in Playboy magazine, about Rupert Murdoch:
"Al Qaeda really hurt us, but not as much as Rupert Murdoch has hurt us, particularly in the case of Fox News. Fox News is worse than Al Qaeda -- worse for our society. It's as dangerous as the Ku Klux Klan ever was."
The Cable Gamer could insert her own comment here, and she will, but first, let's Chris Reed have his say:
Unbelievable.
Olbermann is a hugely talented broadcaster and one of the smartest guys around, but his tunnel vision on politics is wearisome. The mainstream media is loaded with liberals as dishonest and slanted as Fox News' GOP stalwarts; sorry, as bad as Fox News is, nothing it has done compares with Dan Rather's use of forged documents to try to prevent W.'s re-election.
TCG isn't so sure about the "hugely talented" part--it seems that his "talent" consists mostly of Bush- and Fox News-bashing. And for that you only need a sledgehammer, not talent. But let Reed have some more say:
For someone as sharp as Olbermann to look at this landscape and see only one class of bad guys is baffling and off-putting.
Once again, TCG will get the last word on this "Olbermann-ocity," but next, let's hear from Jeff Bercovici, writing for Conde-Nast's new magazine, the business monthly Portfolio:
Comic exaggeration is part of Olbermann's shtick -- this is, after all, someone who names a new "Worst Person in the World" every night. But equating Fox News and Rupert Murdoch with racists and killers is neither funny nor particularly insightful. It's shrill and unattractive, and reeks of the same blowhardism that Olbermann is usually the first to skewer. I know the O'Reilly feud has been great for Countdown's ratings, but it's time to ease up.
OK, here's what TCG thinks: It's time for all those media watchdog groups, such as Media Matters and FAIR, to step in and make Olbermann apologize. Look, Murdoch is fair game, for a lotta reasons. But there's satire, criticism, and ridicule--and then there's outright slurring and sliming. Of course, those groups are mostly liberal, so they probably won't say a thing against Olbermann.
Now here's some advice for MSNBC management: Dan Abrams should step in to muzzle Olbermann. Because KO has gotten to the point where his ego is out of control, and that means he will keep on attacking and defaming, getting worse and worse, till eventually, his big mouth causes real trouble for not only MSNBC, but also corporate parents NBC and GE.
Mark my words, Olbermann's rendezvous with destiny is coming soon. Karma does, indeed, have a way of biting.
