Olbermann

I remember Keith Olbermann from years ago when his TV schtick was sports only.  He was fun to listen to - outspoken, outrageous, smart.  Then I lost track of him, although I was dimly aware he moved over to the news side somewhere.

Then about a year ago I saw "Countdown," his daily show on MSNBC.  I enjoyed it for all the same reasons I enjoyed Olbermann in his sports incarnation PLUS his political views and disgust with everything George Bush and his cronies have done fit perfectly with my point of view.  So of course "Countdown" would appeal to me.

I set up my DVR to record him every day during the election campaign.  I usually wasn't interested in his cutesy segments - Best Persons, Worst Persons, Oddball, etc.  And it quickly became apparent that while "Countdown" covered juicy political news, it wasn't the show to watch for other news from around the world.  However, the political stuff made it worth the time. 

I've continued to watch since the election, but I notice that I have less and less patience with Olbermann's style, ego and vendettas.  We're still pretty much in sync re our political attitudes, but when he turns into a mouthpiece for an extreme view (in his case on the left side) I am turned off.  I've got a button on extremism, irrespective of the issue or which end of the ideological spectrum is in play.

Since I don't watch "Countdown" live, it is easy to fast forward through segments that annoy me or are of no interest.  These days I find myself fast forwarding more and more.  For now I'll continue to check it out regularly, but I wouldn't be surprised if some day soon I relegate it to my "used to watch" list.