Last year, Olbermann, host of MSNBC's "Countdown," parlayed his previous experience as an ESPN SportsCenter anchor to become involved with NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcasts.
In April 2007, when asked if he would be apolitical during these broadcasts, Olbermann told Sports Illustrated's Richard Dietsch the following (HT Inside Cable News; bold is mine):
"Am I going to launch a political diatribe in the middle of sportscast? That sounds like bad programming. You will see exactly as much pure politics in Football Night in America as you did last year."
..... "I’m certainly not going to go and take advantage of a situation in which someone has said to me, 'Hey, we know what your doing. We have no fear of trusting you on this.'"
Tonight, his reaction to a serious injury to Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards was not exactly apolitical, as relayed by one of Malkin's e-mailers:
Just after 8pm tonight during the NBC Sunday NIght Football games summary, Keith Olbermann said that after suffering a concussion, Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards said that he could see Russia from here — a slap at Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin.
This is not surprising. A September 8 Associated Press report carried at, of all places, MSNBC.com, notes that during the Republican National Convention, evidence of Olbmermann's advanced Palin Derangement Syndrome poured forth:
Olbermann began to have difficulty keeping his opinions in check, or simply stopped trying.
He sarcastically dismissed GOP pundit Pat Buchanan on the air after Buchanan said the Republicans had been enlivened by the entrance of a conservative Republican.
"Those reading US Weekly with the picture of her and her youngest daughter with the word ‘scandal’ written across it won't be so happy," Olbermann said.
He expressed little sympathy at another point when GOP anger at rumors over the Internet about Palin were being discussed.
"We'll see if people feel sorry for unfounded rumors on the Internet," he said. "If that's the case, Senator Obama's probably standing up and cheering and waiting for people to feel sorry for him."
Perhaps most embarrassing, Joe Scarborough was discussing positive developments in John McCain's campaign at one point when Olbermann was heard on an offstage microphone saying: "Jesus, Joe, why don't you get a shovel?"
The picture caption at the link also notes that during the convention, Olbermann "criticized the network for showing a Sept. 11-themed video prepared by the Republicans."
His PDS-driven convention conduct earned the MSNBC host swift removal from future political-night anchoring duties for NBC.
Will there be any repercussions for Olbermann's promise-breaking pettiness pointed at Palin?
