Is Keith Olbermann putting his career in jeopardy?

I fear for Keith Olbermann.

Like so many others who hunger for some journalistic independence on TV news, I often marvel at Olbermann’s dogged reporting and unique commentary. In a cable news environment of conformity and conservatism, the MSNBC host takes on the Bush administration for “demonizing dissent,” for abusing our Constitutional traditions, for “taking cynical advantage of the unanimity and love [following 9/11], and transmuting it into fraudulent war and needless death.”

Only Olbermann talks about Team Bush “monstrously transforming [9/11 unity] into fear and suspicion, and turning that fear into the campaign slogan of three elections.” He was virtually alone on TV news in seriously reporting on 2004 election irregularities in Ohio, and in exploring the pre-Iraq war Downing Street Memos indicating White House deception. In recent months, his prime targets seem to have evolved from softer ones like Bill O’Reilly to bigger game: Bush and his minions.

And for this and many other reasons Keith has served as the standard bearer for journalists who have shaken off the oak of complacency and made the observations that any good news man should be making, and coming to the conclusions that any thinking person should be coming to on their own.

Keith is our hero. He, Jon Stewart, and Bill Maher, are the only pundits who seem heroic enough to take these guys on and ask the hard questions. The fact that much of the time they have to wrap their probing queries in the comforting clothing of comedy just shows how brittle our country has become. The Republicans have successfully managed to implant the notion in the minds of most Americans that any dissenting opinions are helping the terrorists. This is an insane contention, to make but they managed to drive that point home when we were all at our most vulnerable.

The truth is that these men will go down as heroes in the annals of history. They were unafraid (well maybe not completely unafraid) to "speak truth to power". In a time of weak, small, and fearful journalists our heroes are needed now more then ever. The reason that Jon Stewart is so popular may have less to do with his comic timing then it does with his desire to never allow hypocrisy to pass without challenge. He is perfectly willing ot confront a Democrat or a Republican, or even a foreign leader, about things that he feels his audience really needs to know about.

So if MSNBC tries to muzzle Keith or take his show off of the air they will suffer the righteous indignation of millions of us who rely on him to finally tell us the truth about what is really happening in our governement and our country. And by God we will be heard!