My Person of the Year

I wasn't going to do a Person of the Year, but then I figured, why not? Everyone else does, so I might as well join the party.

Just like my Rear of the Year, I'll pick one every year and post it on my blog. And next year I'll pick both a bit earlier.

My Person of the Year won't be the typical Person of the Year, though, like Time Magazine's or other national media outlets. My POY will be someone who I feel has affected America in a profound way, and more importantly, me. Don't take that the wrong way - I don't say that in an egocentric way at all, but I mean it in that I will have had some sort of contact with the person - politically, etc. I know that's not too clear, but then again, I'm kind of thinking this up as I go along.

Anyway, as you already know by the picture, my first annual Person of the Year is Keith Olbermann, anchor of MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann.

He has had quite an impact in the world of politics and political discourse. He's not afraid to take on people who he feels are blowing smoke up Americans' behinds, from Ann Coulter, Matt Drudge, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and most notably Bill O'Lielly neé O'Reilly.

Yes, I love Olbermann because he's a liberal, but more than that, he's a realist. He doesn't take on the above characters and more with more political puffery of his own; he takes them on with facts, their own lies, and, best of all, videotape of those lies.

Bill-O, and Olbermann calls him, lies so much, he probably doesn't even know what the truth is anymore. But, before Keith came along, there really was no one with any kind of substantial following who called him on it. Well, those days are over, and that's why O'Lielly hates Olbermann so much -- the No Truth Zone gets called out daily on Countdown.

However, Olbermann isn't above some controversy of his own. Appearing on The Tonight Show, he sported a mask of Bill-O and did the Nazi salute. He did it to prove a point, but I'd say he already proves his point with his words - he doesn't need to resort to such tactics. Anyway, he apologized and went back to doing what he does best, and that's making talking heads, mostly right wingers, look like the small-minded rubes they really are.

Olbermann's success when he first began on MSNBC was anything but assured. His ratings were in the tank, and many people believed he would never make it with a talk show, especially a political one. His lineage before MSNBC was sports, starting with local stations in Boston and California and then ESPN, where he rose to national prominence. After a feud with ESPN's management, he left for MSNBC.

However, one Iraq War later, and Olbermann found his voice, and it's a voice that has become a loud one in our political discourse. I rarely miss Countdown to hear Olbermann's sage voice of reason and honesty.

Nice work this year, Keith. Most importantly, keep the stooges who try to hoodwink us from both sides of the political spectrum honest.