Olbermann to Apologize for Giuliani Miscue

MSNBC Host Mistook ‘Assad’ for ‘Osama’ in Giuliani Campaign Speech

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/2/2007 5:10:00 PM

Keith Olbermann plans to apologize Friday night on his MSNBC show for criticisms he leveled at Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani based on a mishearing of a Giuliani quote from a campaign speech.

That's according to an MSNBC spokeswoman, who said Olbermann would air the correction and apologize on his Friday-night show.

Olbermann had taken aim at Giuliani on a segment of Tuesday night's Countdown program. He said Giuliani "accuse[d] the Democrats of coddling [Osama] bin-Laden and [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad a year before the election, and Giuliani is already publicly contending that the Democrats are willing to invite Osama bin-Laden to the White House to negotiate. Sure they are, buster."

Olbermann then played a clip of Giuliani mocking Democratic candidates Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for saying that they would invite Ahmadinejad and [Syrian president Bashar al-Assad] to the White House.

But Olbermann heard "Assad" as "Osama" and attacked Giuliani for either lying or engaging in hyperbole for suggesting that the Democrats would invite a terrorist to the White House, with guest Ariana Huffington adding her criticism of Giuliani as a "thug" and a "tyrant.”

Olbermann was not the only one to get it wrong. The AP also issued a correction for misreporting the comments.