Olbermann: Limbaugh 'Hate Radio' Has 'Blood on Your Hands' for Oklahoma City Bombing

Published: 4/20/2010 1:59 PM ET

On Monday's Countdown show, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann used his regular "Worst Person" segment to accuse Rush Limbaugh of having "blood on your hands" for the Oklahoma City bombing in response to the conservative talk radio host pointing out that, while some liberals have tried to blame talk radio for inspiring Timothy McVeigh to commit mass murder, McVeigh himself actually admitted to being motivated by the 1993 raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and even perpetrated the attack in Oklahoma City on the two-year anniversary of the disastrous event.

Ignoring the argument that the federal government might have more successfully freed the children from the compound alive if other methods had been used, Olbermann instead distorted Limbaugh's words and claimed the talk radio host "wants a memorial to David Koresh."

Olbermann quoted Limbaugh as the conservative talker alluded to the fact that the innocent children whom the government was trying to rescue did not survive the raid, and the tendency by liberals to ignore McVeigh's choice of April 19 as the date for his terrorist act thus linking it to Waco, as the MSNBC host answered Limbaugh's rhetorical question about whether the Waco raid or talk radio inspired McVeigh by asserting that it was indeed the fault of conservative talk radio:

Well, obviously the answer is talk radio. Specifically Rush Limbaugh`s hate radio, which encouraged people as he encouraged people today to view the child molester, David Koresh, and the Branch Davidians somehow as innocent victims of what he called an invasion by U.S. military tanks. This is an exact parallel to the paranoia that Limbaugh stokes daily among those who feel themselves invaded by the U.S. government today. Limbaugh claimed others would have blood on their hands in the event of future right-wing terrorism.

Frankly, Rush, you have that blood on your hands now and you have had it for 15 years. Limbaugh, today`s "Worst Person in the World."

Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Monday, April 19, Countdown show on MSNBC, followed by a transcript of relevant portions of the same day's Rush Limbaugh Show:

KEITH OLBERMANN, IN OPENING TEASER: Rush Limbaugh wants a commemoration for David Koresh.

...

OLBERMANN, BEFORE COMMERCIAL BREAK AT 8:41 P.M.: Worsts, on the day the victims of Oklahoma City are remembered, Limbaugh wants a memorial to David Koresh.

...

OLBERMANN, AT 8:43 BEFORE INTRODUCING "TEA TIME" SEGMENT: Rush Limbaugh calls for a national memorial for David Koresh`s anti-government cult.

...

OLBERMANN: But our winner, Boss Rush H. Limbaugh, who today asked why amid memorials and anniversaries for the dead of Oklahoma City, quote, "were there any anniversary ceremonies for the Waco invasion? Have with had any anniversary ceremonies for the invasions of Waco by Janet Reno and U.S. military tanks 17 years ago?"

"Let me ask you a question: What was the more likely cause of the Oklahoma City bombing: talk radio or Bill Clinton and Janet Reno`s hands-on management of Waco, the Branch Davidian Compound and maybe to a lesser extent Ruby Ridge?"

Well, obviously the answer is talk radio. Specifically Rush Limbaugh`s hate radio, which encouraged people as he encouraged people today to view the child molester, David Koresh, and the Branch Davidians somehow as innocent victims of what he called an invasion by U.S. military tanks. This is an exact parallel to the paranoia that Limbaugh stokes daily among those who feel themselves invaded by the U.S. government today. Limbaugh claimed others would have blood on their hands in the event of future right wing terrorism.

Frankly, Rush, you have that blood on your hands now and you have had it for 15 years. Limbaugh, today`s "Worst Person in the World."

From the Monday, April 19, Rush Limbaugh Show:

RUSH: Well, let's see. We're having anniversaries to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing, right? Well, I understand that. Were there any anniversary ceremonies for the Waco invasion? Have we had any anniversary ceremonies for the invasion of Waco by Janet Reno and US military tanks 17 years ago? Or did we do it a couple years ago on that 15th anniversary and I missed it. Did we do that? Seventy-six people who died in the Waco fire, including more than 20 children, two pregnant women at the hands of the US military ordered there by Janet Reno and when Clinton was asked about it, (doing Clinton impression) "Well, you know, you gotta go talk to Attorney General Reno about that, 'cause she's the one ordered that. I don't know much about that."

Greetings, folks. It's Rush Limbaugh, this the EIB Network, Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies. Great to be-with you here's the telephone number, 800-282-2882, the e-mail address, ElRushbo@eibnet.com.

Let me ask you a question. This is all over the media. This was so predictable. Starting last Wednesday or Thursday into the weekend the media template was established, the narrative was there, Bill Clinton and Obama blaming the tea parties for a future Oklahoma City type bombing, which hasn't happened. Let me ask you a question. What was a more likely cause of the Oklahoma City bombing: talk radio or Bill Clinton and Janet Reno's hands-on management of Waco, the Branch Davidian compound, and maybe to a lesser extent Ruby Ridge? Don't forget that the Oklahoma City bombing occurred two years to the day after the Waco invasion, two years to the day, and Tim McVeigh as much as said so.

A survey of Tea Party people, they don't want any part of Timothy McVeigh, nobody does, no reasonable American does. But President Clinton now trying to shift blame, all this focus on me and the Tea Parties and talk radio - let's just tell it and identify it for what it is - it is an attempt just like they're trying to rewrite the economic history of the 1980s, it is an attempt to rewrite the history of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the President's role in it and the administration's role in it. They know this is about Waco, they know this is about the U.S. military invading a religious compound, 67 people died in the fire, we remember watching it, 20 children. Janet Reno said we have to go in there because children are being abused. Yup, they really got abused by the U.S. government. And this angered some people who didn't quite like this invasion domestically of military power.

But Bill Clinton's ties, I mean, he can try to, he and his buddies in the press, the Obama administration, they can go out there and they can try to rewrite history and they can try to make Oklahoma City the result of a modern Tea Party movement, which is really what they're trying to do. But President Clinton's ties to the domestic terrorism of Oklahoma City tangible. Talk radio's ties are nonexistent. We had nothing to do with it.

- Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.