Olbermann named Kristol "Worst Person" "runner-up," McCain and Hume the "winners"

Summary: On the March 24 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, Keith Olbermann named New York Times columnist William Kristol the "runner-up" and Sen. John McCain and Fox News' Brit Hume the "winners" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment.

On the March 24 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named New York Times columnist and Weekly Standard editor William Kristol the "runner-up" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for asserting on the March 23 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday that there are "no comparisons" between Sen. John McCain's association with televangelist John Hagee and Pastor Rod Parsley, who have both endorsed McCain for president, and Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. As Media Matters for America has noted, Hagee has made controversial statements about homosexuality, Islam, the Catholic Church, and women; furthermore, Parsley, in his book Silent No More (Charisma House, 2005), wrote that "America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion [Islam] destroyed."

Olbermann noted that "Hagee and Parsley each appeared with McCain at campaign events in the last two months." He also asserted: "We in the media have largely given McCain a big, fat pass about these nut bags of his." As Media Matters for America documented, contrary to Kristol's assertion that Hagee and Parsley are "just individuals who've endorsed Senator McCain," McCain embraced Hagee's endorsement, saying in a joint appearance with Hagee: "All I can tell you is I'm very proud to have Pastor Hagee's support." And in an interview with New York Times reporter Deborah Solomon, Hagee stated: "McCain's campaign sought my endorsement." Additionally, McCain reportedly called Parsley a "spiritual guide" during a Cincinnati campaign rally.

In addition, Olbermann named McCain and Fox News Washington managing editor Brit Hume the "winners" for McCain's admittedly false claim that "Al Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran" and Hume's assertion that the claim was "just a blip" and "kind of a senior moment."

From the March 24 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The runner-up, William Kristol of The New York Times, claiming there are no comparisons between Jeremiah Wright and Pastor Rod "destroy Islam" Parsley and Pastor John "the Catholic Church is the great whore" Hagee. Quoting Kristol, "[B]ecause these are just individuals who've endorsed Senator McCain. But leaving that aside, no, this would be like attacking Obama because random individuals in the Democratic Party have endorsed him."

Once again, Bill, you can't take 45 percent of the facts and call them truth. Hagee and Parsley each appeared with McCain at campaign events in the last two months. And Hagee didn't just endorse McCain; Hagee says McCain solicited his endorsement. And after it, McCain said he was very honored, very proud of the endorsement.

We in the media have largely given McCain a big, fat pass about these nut bags of his.

But our winners tonight, Senator McCain and one of his press spokesmen, Brit Hume of Fixed News. After McCain four times said Iran was training Al Qaeda for missions in Iraq, then was corrected by Senator Lieberman , then said not Al Qaeda, extremists, then went the next day back to saying it was Al Qaeda, not just extremists. Spokesman Hume said, "It's probably just a blip. The feeling was not that he's a dope, didn't know his way around. He might have had a senior moment there."

So taking your best-case scenario there, you want we should elect a guy who has senior moments about starting wars? These are my choices? He's a dope, he's a liar, or he has senior moments? Senator McCain and his press spokesman Brit Hume of Fox: today's "Worst Persons in the World."

—A.J.W.