Keith Olbermann and Matt Lauer share one thing in common: They both have NBC credentials. While one remained under the radar in terms of questionable behavior, the other made no bones about his self-assumed, Edward Morrow, moral role. One was quite immoral according to the latest bombshells. The other made political morality his penchant through bombastic comments as he got more comfortable in his newfound position as the primetime point-man at MSNBC.

There seems to be a common thread of a common problem ensconced throughout the Peacock network.

Ever since Dan Rather gave CBS News a black eye during his infamous walking off the set, “NBC Nightly News” became the go-to, 8 PM ET/5 PM PT news program for many Americans ever-after. Whatever happened to the Tom Brokaw and the late, great Tim Russert principle of honest, cutting-edge journalism? Richard Engel is not included among the current roster of those who were respectable but have lost their way - Andrea Mitchell as well as Chris Mathews top the list. Why weren't Chris Jansing and Alex Witt awarded their own primetime slots years ago?

No, NBC has doled out platforms to the new women on the political block like Katy Tur, Hallie Jackson, Kasie Hunt, Kristen Welker and others. Two years prior, nobody had heard of them much, at least on the national stage, if not for covering then-candidate Trump's campaign.

Commentary vs common sense

The previously mentioned tendencies of NBC set a retrospective stage. Keith Olbermann was the first, outlandish personality regarding political commentary on an NBC network to stand out like so many sore thumbs after a carpenter's day of hammering. Ironically, "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" was a nice alternative to "The O'Reilly Factor" at 8 PM ET/5 PT, for those who were looking for a summation of national headlines without Bill O's overt opinion entwined with some political spin.

The spin quickly spiraled out of control as Olbermann introduced “The Worst Person In The World” - very mean-spirited if not somewhat justified - and thereafter threw in “Special Comment” in addition to WPITW. Furthermore, a personal feud began between the two programs since they shared the same timeslot and the same, dominant personalities.

It's not like Keith Olbermann has had to re-invent himself due to hard times. He acquired the potential for the best of times, from three different networks and in two, different mediums. He was the spark to the rather sedate Dan Patrick back in the day. How does one go from sports to political commentary without there being some sort of campaign involvement? Well, that was the final straw which led to his ouster at MSNBC; the fact that he made political contributions to campaigns after the recipient had appeared on his show no less, without getting approval from upper management. That all kind of sounds like nailing Al Capone for tax-evasion.

Olbermann’s departure from ESPN is still shrouded in mystery somewhat, but for sure, he was outright fired according to Media Blogger, affiliated with the NY Times, from the network which took him on post-MSNBC, Current TV.

Olbermann used to be the head commentator on MSNBC during big-time, high-profile political events, most notably during the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections. Those who have stayed true to MSNBC's edgier primetime lineup are now stuck with Rachel Maddow. Shed no tears since his settlement from Current TV whose founders include former VP Al Gore, totaled 50 million dollars as reported by The Guardian and NY Times. Never trust a pundit who insists on trudging ever onward regarding their message when they have earned more financial security in only a few years than most Americans will in a lifetime.

From flying high to landing low

Keith Olbermann and for that matter, Rita Cosby (formerly of CNN) were accommodated a plush, king-sized, network provided bed.

All they had to do was play a little bit of sensible ball in the form of sensible, political commentary. Instead, they have been relegated to laying down on a twin-sized with room enough for one of their own making.

For Olbermann's part, he should have seen the writing on the wall when even Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” was somewhat critical. The critiques of the over-the-top commentary were brutally honest. At least Olbermann made no bones about being provocative to his viewing audience, and no one is surprised so much about the downturn of his career. That’s more than you can say about Matt Lauer’s so-called nice-guy image. The boy next door on camera may conceal a secretive, egotistical, sexist twerp, and you can't accuse Keith Olbermann of that. You knew he was an outright, egotistical, politically-oriented but never sexist, twerp.
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