Viewers of Countdown might have thought they had tuned in to a rerun tonight, as host Keith Olbermann pegged his retrofitted “Worst Persons in the World (Not Really)” award to a two-week-old abstinence and safe sex PSA starring Bristol Palin and Jersey Shore’s “The Situation.”

Worse than that, though, Olbermann criticizes perhaps the only redeeming thing about the cringe-worthy spot, and makes a tone-deaf comparison to George W. Bush and 9/11.

Olbermann is seriously in need of some catchup. Not only is the PSA in question old-ish news, but after watching a clip from the spot, he exclaims “She’s the Candies spokesperson for abstinence?”

Actually, she has been for a year-and-a-half, now. Also, we have a black President.

Here’s the clip from tonight’s Countdown, from MSNBC:

And here’s the original PSA, in case you can’t remember back that far:

Now, there’s a lot wrong with this clip, from the awkward line readings to the cringe-inducing spectacle of “The Situation’s” singsong display of his “Mag-nums!” (a surer sign of overcompensation than a Humvee with a mirrored ceiling and a pair of “Truck Nutz”), but if there’s anything to applaud, it’s Palin’s embrace of safe sex alongside abstinence as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy or disease. Amid all the natural revulsion at the two leads’ sand-and-water chemistry, this is a message that deserves some credit, a break from stereotypical social conservative orthodoxy.

Perhaps it is Olbermann’s intention to draw fire from Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin, and he probably will. Certainly, anti-Olbermann sites like Johnny Dollar are already working on their “Keith Olbermann Compares Bristol Palin’s Child to Terrorist Attack” headlines, but even a fair-minded person would find his quip jarring. Not only is it bad form for such a vocal critic of Palin to go after her child (a context that just made the bit seem mean-spirited), but using 9/11 as a punchline is a tiny needle to thread, and this misses by a lot.

Early chatter about the talk indicates that the usual Palin dramas were fodder for more analysis, including the pregnancy of the former Alaska governor’s teenage daughter Bristol. “Truthfully, we were devastated,” Palin told Walters, admitting that she didn’t know her child was having sex before she was informed of the pregnancy.

The baby’s father — Levi Johnston — has stoked his own publicity flame with fervor lately, in anticipation of his own forthcoming print spectacular: an appearance in Playgirl. As of now, there’s nothing to indicate that Walters breached the Levi issue with Palin, but you can bet that we’ve yet to hear about the juiciest parts of the 20/20 talk.

Last week, 20/20 had a similar wave-making interview — the first with pop star Rihanna since her beating at the hands of Chris Brown — which was teased identically, with early preview segments airing throughout the week on Good Morning America. The ratings return was huge for Rihanna, but we all know Palin hates second place. We’ll be following throughout the week.