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Keith Olbermann Gets Bad News on Sarah Palin Perjury Accusation

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» 47 comments

On last night’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann reported on perjury accusations leveled at Sarah Palin by little-blog-that-could Palingates. At issue is whether Palin opened herself up to criminal liability by claiming, at the trial of the man who hacked her email accounts, that she never diverted gubernatorial business to her personal email.

After presenting Palingates’ case, Keith brought in the Washington Post’s Dave “Reality Check” Weigel to ruin the fun.

As I’ve mentioned before, Weigel’s role on Countdown seems to be to throw some cold water on Olbermann’s fever dreams of Republican misfortune. If you throw in a few dozen one-liners, they’ve got the makings of a pretty good comedy duo:


I’m not a legal expert, but Weigel’s analysis sounds right to me. There’s more to proving perjury than meets the eye, and his (presumably disinterested) sources specifically say that the questioning was sufficiently narrow to avoid trapping Palin.

Keith takes the news, that Palin is probably in the clear, pretty well, even comically. Palingates (whose web address is not Palingates.com, as Keith says, but Palingates.blogspot.com) is a different story.

Rather than discuss the merits of Weigel’s analysis, they attack his objectivity. Their argument seems to center around Weigel calling them “Palin haters.” I hate to break it to you, Palingates, but you are.

That doesn’t mean they have nothing valuable to say, just that they shouldn’t be planting their flag on the idea of objectivity.

A Palin perjury trial would definitely be entertaining, if only for the spectacle of Republicans recycling Clinton-era defenses in service of Palin, but I think Keith, and everyone else in the media, are better off with Palin roaming free. When the town halls are empty, and the Tea Parties have all packed up, Sarah Palin will always be there to stir the pot.

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  • valkyrie101

    Yea, Keith, leave Sarah alone. We love her. :-)

  • http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

    One thing that no one should forget, Olberman is INSANE.

  • NORBIT

    Did Olbermann get anyone fired last night for not liking his tie, or something?

    Did he list himself as worst person for what he had msnbc do to D.D.?

  • dhg

    When is somebody going to put Olbermann on trial for pretending to be a journalist and relevent within the segment of the human species that is sane?

  • The Real Royal King

    When we are dealing with the Drop Out Governor of Alaska, it is important for us to always remember, that she never, never basks in the bright light of moral and ethical uprightness, but tends to lurk in some ill-defined penumbra, at times venturing into the total black-out. While she may not have the immorality of a Newt Gingrich, nor the amorality of a Richard Nixon, she is and remains a volatile threat, and journalists who cast the harsh light of truth upon her do us all a favor, and, in the end, render a service to her. With someone like DOGA, whose first priority is and always shall be herself and herself alone, we all have to work to make certain that her narrow self interest doesn’t cast her into a world totally dark. As Hillary! reminded us, “It Takes a Village ….” DOGA desperately needs our light and vision.

  • Barney

    I’ve heard more than one psychologist explain the pathological hatred of Palin by the leftards as projection. She is the anti-them..and, by extension, the anti-Obama.

    It first started at the GOP convention in St. Paul, when she gave what many described as the finest political convention speech in history. This coming off the heels of Obama’s ridiculously poor perfromance in front of the Greek columns in Denver.

    She didn’t need the glitz and the stage dressing. She blew the crowd away. Obama, on the othere hand, with all his supposed rhetorical skills flopped miserably..and looked like an idiot on that stage to boot.

    She is the opposite of Obama. She is smart. She is skillful. She is self-made. She is honest. She is decent. She is hard working. She has natural appeal.

    Obama…not so much. The left really wants to believe all the bullshit hype about Obama…but they can’t..and the cognitive dissonance this causes is manifested in their irrational behavior even at the mere mention of her name.

    It drives the leftards crazy when she laughs off their attacks. They admire,yet try to ridicule, her strength when they hilariuosly try to mock her for standing her ground.

    The hatred of Palin by the left really is nothing more than self-loathing.

    Plain. Simple. Obvious

  • valkyrie101

    Sarah is not a threat, Royal. She is the proverbial “God send”. I can think of quite a few people who, if they were in the position of influence that Sarah is in, I would consider a threat. Sarah is harmless.

  • tjl

    Barney, you lost me at “she is smart.” If you think she is smart, you have some reading to do. And if your claim is that Obama is “not smart” I hope you are saying that in jest. Though, the right seems to play the intellect game as if it were golf — the fewer degrees you have, the smarter you are! Go Glenn Beck!

    Also, I think it should be noted that Palin’s approval rating is somewhere in the mid to upper 30′s. So, you are either conceding that 60+% of people in this country are left leaning, or that you yourself are not very bright. I can certainly see that the latter is true, but I have yet to see any evidence that a majority of this country is left leaning…

  • Barney

    Palin gives hour long speeches off the top of her head in front of thousands. Obama needs a teleprompter to talk to 3rd graders

  • valkyrie101

    Come on Barney, you are now saying that Palin is a better public speaker than Obama? Palin, McCain, O’Reilly, Beck, virtually anyone you can name, uses either a teleprompter or notes. Some use cribs on their hands. Its all the same.

  • tjl

    Ah, to be so ignorant… must be refreshing…

    Palin can’t string a sentence together. It’s like listening to yoda. The teleprompter thing is hilarious too. What’s your take on Reagan? He used a teleprompter as well! As does your precious Glenn Beck. That “discussion” is getting old. If your definition of being smart — which is “giving hour long speeches off the top of [your] head,” as you so eloquently put it — were any indicator of people’s actual levels of intelligence then this world would be in a lot of trouble. Thankfully tea baggers like yourself aren’t the ones calling the shots around here.

    By the way, you nor Palin could ever get into Columbia or Harvard. It’s a fact.

  • Barney

    “Come on Barney, you are now saying that Palin is a better public speaker than Obama?”

    Absolutely..and that’s one of the reasons the left hates her so much. Obama is an empty suit who got by because he could read a teleprompter…sometimes.

    Palin wows people with her presence.

  • Barney

    Palin had emotional intelligence and self confidence. She simply laughs off the most viscious attacks. The mildest criticism sends Obama into paroxysms of rage.

  • Barney

    The leftards hate Palin so much they go after even her youngest child .They are that deranged. Lie after lie is told about Palinand her family and gleefully propagated by the leftard media.

    Just imagine if this story about Obama’s mother was pushed?? Check it out

    http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=2266

  • tjl

    Man, I want whatever drugs Barney is taking! Sometimes I envy your ignorance…

  • valkyrie101

    Well Barney, if you argue that Palin is a better speaker than Obama, and that is why the “left” hates her, then ok, whatever you say.

    Palin/Hannity 2012

  • The Real Royal King

    Barney says:
    April 27, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Palin had emotional intelligence and self confidence. She simply laughs off the most viscious attacks. The mildest criticism sends Obama into paroxysms of rage.

    I use to pull an administrative assignment at an urban, public hospital. I can assure you that the chief characteristic of the people I committed to the mental health unit was their laughter. Uproarious cackling. Totally oblivious to anything around them or what was happening to them. So, you will excuse me if I don’t find your Dime Store Psychological Analysis of the DOGA an ringing endorsement of her.

  • MarkStr82Hell

    That’s pretty interesting, King. Please tell us more about yourself

  • The Real Royal King

    I dislike chocolate, but I am inordinately fond of licorice and gum drops.

  • Puter Boi

    TC? Keep up the good work….

  • Barney

    “chief characteristic of the people I committed to the mental health unit was their laughter. Uproarious cackling.”

    Insteresting that. The lovely Sarah merely chuckles when she resonds to the idotic leftard attacks, though.

    What is truly astonishing to watch is that the meore the leftards attack her, the stronger she grows…

    …and that just the leftards even more cray

    …and this drives the leftards

  • writer

    Minister Royal is supposedly a white Texan, yet he uses the most vile stereotypes when describing white southerners. He excuses this by saying whites have never faced discrimination or oppression. He’s supposedly a patriot, yet he spells America with a ‘k’, ala the far left practice in the sixties, and he spells Reagan as Raygun. He’s supposedly a regular church goer, yet looks down on vast segments of the population and mocks them. A shining example of mental illness.

  • SteveMG

    Tommy:
    Hmm, why no identification of that blog – Palingates – as a leftwing anti-Palin site? Or at least, ideology aside, certainly anti-Palin.

    I’m certainly no fan of Palin’s – she’s completely unqualified for national office (in terms of experience, gravitas, knowledge) – but just as there are ideologues for Palin, there are ideologues against her. Neither group is exactly looking at things without its own, to use the phrase of the day, epistemic closure.

  • Olby Sucks

    When were you released, phony queen?

  • The Real Royal King

    Palingates

    You don’t find the term sufficiently clear? Interesting. I would think anyone would figure that out as soon as they say it. Any word ending in “gate(s)” generally denotes a scandal.

  • Olby Sucks

    Has olbermann or maddow covered any of the violence coming from the mexicans in arizona? Lock their **** asses up, now!

  • SteveMG

    You don’t find the term sufficiently clear?

    I assume that was directed at me? No, it’s not clear to me where its/their viewpoint comes from.

    For all I know (just from the name), it could have been an objective blog that examines the allegations made against Palin. Adding the words, “the anti-Palin website Palingates” wouldn’t have taken too much effort.

    In any event, if it was a blog called “Obamagates” – i.e., an anti-Obama site – I’m reasonably sure it would have been labeled as a rightwing anti-Obama blog. Correctly so.

    Care to disagree?

  • Tommy Christopher

    Steve, did you read this part? Didn’t think it was subtle.

    “Rather than discuss the merits of Weigel’s analysis, they attack his objectivity. Their argument seems to center around Weigel calling them “Palin haters.” I hate to break it to you, Palingates, but you are.

    That doesn’t mean they have nothing valuable to say, just that they shouldn’t be planting their flag on the idea of objectivity.”

  • The Real Royal King

    No, I won’t disagree. We must have an age difference. As a Watergate kiddo, I had no trouble determining exactly what was meant.

  • SteveMG

    Rather than discuss the merits of Weigel’s analysis, they attack his objectivity. Their argument seems to center around Weigel calling them “Palin haters.” I hate to break it to you, Palingates, but you are.

    Er, I did miss it.

    I ask for unanimous consent to revise, extend (and withdraw) my remarks. Where’s the “delete posts” button at this site?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gulag-Irkutsk/100000987322062 Gulag Irkutsk

    valkyrie101 at 10:13 am said: She is the proverbial “God send”. I think you mean she’s a “virtual” godsend, or a “literal” godsend. I don’t know of any proverbs or conventional wisdom about “God sends”. I think you mean that ‘God SENT her to you guys to save us all’, right?

    Lying under oath is “perjury”. It is what it is. I think Olbermann and his guest are confused. I think they are discussing what it takes for someone to actually be charged with perjury. There would be no consideration of formally charging Sarah Palin with perjury because nothing that she says, true or not, changes the facts of the what the defendant is charged with. Bottom line – they wouldn’t bother. People lie in court all the time, they rarely charge perjury. But it’s still lying under oath.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Snow-Billy/100000723949197 Snow Billy
  • Rogue-Comic

    Palingates: The blog that believes Bristol Palin possess two distinct uterus’s allowing her carry a child to term in each circa five months apart.

  • Rogue-Comic

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/04/i_sarah_palin_defender.html

    What? Are you kidding me? This babygate story is bigger than watergate. What do you mean, “so what”. Sarah Palin told the American that she gave birth to a DS child to get votes when in fact she was unable to become pregnant after the birth of Piper. Give me a break!

    Posted by: cvbell1 | April 27, 2010 3:34 PM

    ______________________________________________________________________________________

    These people make some of you guys seem sane. ;-)

  • injest

    Yes Uberidiot facts matter, and the matter of fact is

    “Jan 22, 2010 … KTUU.com | Alaska’s news and information source | Court rules in favor … state e-mail account and two private Yahoo accounts and a private …”

    The court has ruled,
    Judge Patrick McKay writes that “Palin did not violate the law”.

    McKay concluded, among other things, “not all emails relating to state business are necessarily public records”.

    In other words, Uber, “shop talk”.

    Uberidiot is skirting and perhaps crossed the line known as slander.
    He/MSNBC knows or should know, Palin won this case in a court of law, to continue to state that she violated some law is in my opinion slander.

    As the judge told Andree 51 50 McLeod “Applying this law to a hypothetical scenario presented by McLeod, it is clear that while the public may be better served by having a stricter policy for email retention, the Governor fully complied with applicable law,” the judge wrote.

    Andree “51 50” McLeod “hypothetical scenario” was taken as a FACT by useful idiots like Olbermann.
    It is sad, so sad that Andree “51 50” McLeod was taken as fact by some many simple minded idiots like Olbermann.

    And now this idiot Kernnel is looking at a possible 50 years in prison cuz he was dumb enough to believe Olbermann.

  • felixw

    Any reasonable person on the Left would be embarrassed to talk about the legal implications of hacking into Sarah Palin’s private email account. But Keith Olbermann does not fall into the category of reasonable people, so of course he would think this incident allows Palin to be prosecuted. Say what you will for Olbermann, but he never lets common sense interfere with his thinking patterns.

  • injest

    The Real Royal King says:
    April 27, 2010 at 9:24 am
    “When we are dealing with the Drop Out Governor of Alaska, it is important for us to always remember, that she never, never basks in the bright light of moral and ethical uprightness, but tends to lurk in some ill-defined penumbra, at times venturing into the total black-out.”

    Would you care to be more specific?
    Or do you wish to hide under vague accusations?

    21 ethical complaints were filed against her, 21 ethical complaints were dismissed or she won them. She’s batting 1000.

  • injest

    Gulag Irkutsk says:
    “Lying under oath is “perjury”.

    True. Now considering she didn’t lie what is that called?

    Do you have some inside information that the court ruled her Yahoo account was private and not subject to any “public records” laws?

    Are you another parrot to lazy to look things up?

  • valkyrie101

    So, to be clear, felix, your position then, is that Bill Clinton should not have been impeached?

  • Sunnyr

    Poor old Keith Olbermann, the classic LOSER, DUD, SAD SACK, KLOWN! lmao!! Does anyone really watch this creep?

  • http://thedailybarb.com Jack Burns

    Keith Who???

  • jackypond

    I understand that one is really not a good news for them.They shock when they hear this one It is really nice for them.I am glad about this thing.It is very nice and cool for me.
    sumvision cyclone

  • Latin2

    “Keith Who???”

    Keith NOBODY.

  • Sunnyr

    Olbermann is a bottom-feeding maggot who hears voices in his head. I wonder if he will be as breathless in reporting on the National Enquirer story about Obama’s tryst with his lover, Vera Baker? How about it, Olby? Gonna be fair and balanced or just continue being a partisan dirtbag?

    Sarah Palin – 100

    Olbermann – ZERO!!!!!

  • kieronnpollard

    This does not mean that they have nothing of value to say, but they are not planting their flag on the idea of objectivity.
    memory stick

  • briandtn

    People leave Keith alone!! Can’t you tell by looking at the man that he has down syndrome? Keith has lived his whole live riding the little bus, being the guy with pb&j in the corner while everyone wears adidas and has lunchables. Can’t you all see by the eyes that this guy isn’t all there? He reminds me of my neighbor, she eats crayons. Give the poor guy a break, it’s been 19,672 days since his parents declared mission accomplished and got him to move out.

  • Disfuncion

    It’s a chicken coop.

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