Olbermann: Obama Nomination Like Fall of Soviet Union, Apartheid

August 28th, 2008 10:46 PM

How does Keith Olbermann view pre-Obama America?  Apparently akin to the Soviet Union, and South Africa under apartheid.  Here was his statement from the top of tonight's DNC coverage.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: It is an iconic night in history: we'll all remember this night as long as we live. This is the night that the first Western government, the first Western political power, or party, has nominated an African-American, someone of African heritage, to lead the country. It's something that took a long time to happen, almost like an old Polaroid film developing. But here it is.  It happened officially last night, and tonight it is crowned, this achievement.  And it's going to happen at a football field.

KEITH OLBERMANN: And it happens as suddenly in some respects as the Soviet Union crumbled or apartheid was beaten in South Africa.  These seemingly invincible hurdles that could never be overcome and within a short period in our historical timespan, suddenly they're gone. And almost nobody saw it coming. Certainly no one at all saw it coming more than four years ago.

View video here.

So that's how Olbermann sees America: until the Dem party nominated the most liberal member of the Senate, we were in the same class of outlaw regimes as the brutal totalitarians of the Soviet Union or the racists of South Africa.  Speak for yourself, Keith.

Note: beyond his invidious view of America, Olbermann is simply wrong in asserting no one could have imagined an African-American candidate more than four years ago. The GOP nomination was virtually Colin Powell's for the taking in 2000.