Keith Olbermann's exile is nearly over. But the fallout may just be beginning.
On the eve of his return to the airwaves, MSNBC's most reliably liberal pundit penned a letter to his fans, thanking them for their "extraordinary and ground-rattling support" in the wake of his suspension for making political donations.
But needless to say, he had quite a different sentiment for his network.
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In the letter, which, unsurprisingly, was released by Olbermann's reps and not MSNBC, the Countdown host said that he had no intention (or knowledge) of the internal rule he was apparently flaunting, saying he "mistakenly violated an inconsistently applied rule--which I previously knew nothing about."
Adding further insult to injury, Olbermann said that he was fully prepared for an internal warning, a stern talking-to, or to address his inadvertent error on the airwaves. He said that his rep was even "assured that no suspension was contemplated." Well, by now you know what happened next.
"I was suspended without a hearing, and learned of that suspension through the media."
Through the media?
Olbermann also wanted to clarify for his fans that there was nothing devious or sneaky about his donations.
"You should also know that I did not attempt to keep any of these political contributions secret; I knew they would be known to you and the rest of the public. I did not make them through a relative, friend, corporation, PAC or any other intermediary, and I did not blame them on some kind of convenient 'mistake' by their recipients...I immediately volunteered to explain all this, on air and off, in the fashion MSNBC desired."
Apparently, the network's desires lay elsewhere.
Olbermann, who signed the letter "K.O.," returns to the airwaves tonight, where he plans to make reciprocate the love thrown his way by viewers, and to "begin the repayment of your latest display of support and loyalty--support and loyalty that is truly mutual."
Well, this will certainly make for an interesting show.