Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values

Keith Olbermann's first Special Comment (although it was not called such at the first broadcast) was a scathing critique of the failure of the Bush administration to "save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water" in the state of Louisiana. The more well-known inaugural Special Comment came a year later, when the anchor launched into a six-minute diatribe that began "The man who see absolutes where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning is either a prophet or a quack. Donald Rumsfield is not a prophet." Olbermann concluded that broadcast with the words of his hero, Edward R. Murrow: "And so good night, and good luck." Truth or Consequences collects two dozen of Olbermann's Special Comments, which are intensely organic by nature. When his management encouraged him to develop the Special Comments, the anchor refused to do so on any schedule, insisting that by their very nature, Special Comments are only warranted by the instantaneous political climate. The author insisted that his broadcasts be reprinted in the book as they were stated on the air, including any of "the sort of little grammatical infelicities that my copy editor tried to weed out." Each Special Comment is introduced by the author, bringing greater context (and fun stuff like a behind-the-scenes look at the off-camera character of President Clinton) to the impact of his message. Reading the twenty-four chapters over the span of a few days, I was struck by how well-constructed Olbermann's analysis is. He repeatedly exposes logical fallacies and inconsistencies in the message of the Bush administration, and he delights in taking Bush's ill-formed historical analogies to task. He might seem passionately charged up on air, but his monologues are well-crafted and comprise a complete, scholarly look at modern American politics. There is merit both to watching him live in the heat of the moment (or on that little network called YouTube) and to reading his Special Comments as a unified collection. Do you worry about Olbermann running out of material with a change in administration? Don't worry, he told NPR. "I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. This isn't right -- you're not doing what you said you were going to do. You have not restored habeas corpus fully. We're still in Gitmo. We're still in Iraq. We're not out fast enough. These are still going to be issues. They don't go away with George Bush."

The truth hurts,doesn't it?We have been lied to and scammed by those who swore to protect and defend the Constitutuon,and Olbermann is one of the few journalists brave enough to call this administration on their crimes.Highly recommended prior to voting in 2008.

There can be no doubts that Keith Olbermann is a fresh voice in mainstream media. His unique take on the current administration has been positively accepted by the masses ( his ever increasing ratings is a clear proof and speaks for itself). Picking up from where he left off on his Special Comments, Keith continues down the path of elaborating and commenting on many lingering issues that consumed all of us in the past couple of years. On Don Rumsfeld: Rumsfeld once called Keith Olbermann a morally and intellectually confused personality. Olbermann spends considerable time writing about this topic and more about Rumsfeld himself. History has proven who should have had Rumsfeld's tag. On Hurricane Katrina: Olbermann has reproduced his Special Comments as he told them on air. It's heartbreaking to read how even professional journalists wrote and spoke just like ordinary citizens on those tragic days. (Olbermann and Anderson Cooper were good examples). "Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values" is not just another book on Bush bashing. Keith's fresh perspectives brings a new dimension to most of the issues, and above all he keeps you engaged till the end. The book is unique just like his Special Comments. N.Sivakumar Author of: America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World

Olbermanns now legendary special comments bought to you in a book. A combination of insight, historical perspective and the balls to stand up to a regime that has worked hard to squash free-speech, Olbermann again delivers stinging commentary on bush and his cronies. My only wish is that more commentators had the intelligence and back-bone to speak the truth in these dark days under Bush. To Daniel Noar, Expressing an opinion does not make someone a Commie or a Socialist it makes them a patriot. Try googling "US Constitution" and looking up freedom of speech. Its something that bush has tried to crush and something Olbermann is utilizing.

This book is, in essence, a compilation of the "Special Comments" portion of the program he hosts on television. In addition, however, he has added an introduction to each comment so the reader will know what inspired him to write and deliver the comment in the first place. Some of the introductions are very short, while some span several pages and contain a fair amount of information. This would be a wonderful read even without the introductions; however, with them it is fantastic. The book is well written; Olbermann has an obvious gift for words and the writing is partly amusing, partly sarcastic and always deadly serious. I suppose the comments would be better if they were spoken, however there are some of us who do not get his television station (in my case because the cable company chose that station alone as the only news channel to be made a "premium channel") and these are comments that should be preserved and read again and again. I doubt Olbermann's critics will take the time to read the book, which is a pity. This book will cause you to think, and whether or not you agree with the author, you will definitely look at the current political situation in a different light.