Olberman: Gibbons "Worst Person in the World"

When a governor, even an obscure one, goes all nutty over a conspiracy theory, people take notice. So was the case with MSNBC's Keith Olberman last night:

But our winner... Governor Jim Gibbons of Nevada.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the FBI is investigating him for having allegedly accepted unreported gifts or payments from a military contractor, while the Governor was a U.S. Congressman.

But he has an explanation. "I have heard," he says, "that the Democrats have paid to have these Wall Street Journal articles written."

Governor, don't you think, if the Democrats could get good coverage out of the Wall Street Journal by paying for it, they might spend the money on a little higher-value target than the Governor of Nevada?

The Wall Street Journal, for cryin' out loud!

Governor Jim Gibbons of Nevada... Today's Worst Person In The World!

You can view the video here.

Gibbons himself now seems to be channeling George W. Bush, in that he endlessly repeats himself and I just don't understand what he's saying at all:

"Is there a double standard?" Gibbons said. "I don't think there should be a double standard. ... Let me say that I'm one who has been subjected to a lot of false rumors that have been published by people -- statements created and fabricated against me. ... So I don't think there should be a double standard."

[...]

"I'm not paranoid," he said. "I'm not thinking people are out to get me. I just repeated that what I had heard was what was asked of me. ... The question was had I heard, and I said yes, I had heard."

Gibbons was asked multiple times whether he believed the rumor.

"Do I believe it? I don't know if I believe it or not. It's a rumor," he said. "I have no way of knowing. ... It's just a rumor. There are rumors all the time, and I'm one who's always subject to rumors being published. So I understand the fact about rumors. They're just rumors."

Meanwhile, basically everyone thinks Gibbons has gone to a new low, to put it mildly. There are quite a few fun comments in there. My favourite is this one:

Community College of Southern Nevada historian Michael Green said anyone with common sense would have laughed off that conspiracy scenario, but Gibbons appeared to have taken it seriously, revealing an "amazing view of the world."

Green also called Gibbons' comments "mind-boggling," "ridiculous" and "memorably bizarre."

"What Gibbons is doing is sounding like a guy broadcasting from his bedroom on public access on the far end of the AM (radio) dial in Buttflap, Alabama," Green said. "It doesn't come across as coming from a governor. It doesn't sound like someone in a state that's trying to be taken seriously."

Gibbons was also the top story on KVBC Las Vegas. They report on the recall efforts. You can view the video here. Notice how prominently Nevada Scandalmonger's blog "Vote Gibbons Out" is shown in the report. This prompted him to write a post that his blog is not the official recall site and to link to every single Gibbons scandal. So, if you want an overview that's really the best place to go.

And Gibbons has an approval rating below Bush's at 29%.

And the Las Vegas Sun is also making fun of him.

And the Nation also joins in ridiculing Gibbons:

Rumors? Has anyone heard rumors about the Wall Street Journal being on the take from the Democratic Party? If that's the case, Democrats -- aside from Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman -- ought to ask for their money back. No newspaper has more consistently editorialized in favor of the Bush administration's failed policies, and the initiatives of Republicans at the state level, than the Journal.

It's gonna be one heckuva summer.