Olbermann: ‘Fatuous, condescending lunatic’ Cheney failed to prevent 9/11

The eight years of Dick Cheney’s memorable vice-presidency will be over and done with two weeks from now, but MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann remains determined to get in his parting shots at “Crazy Vice-President Gate.”

On Monday, Olbermann found his opportunity in Cheney’s remarks on Face the Nation when asked whether we are better off than eight years ago.

“I think we’ve done some very good things in the course of the last eight years,” Cheney replied. “Defending the country against further terrorist attacks like 9/11 I think’s a major accomplishment, for example.”

Olbermann was clearly offended by Cheney’s claim that preventing another 9/11 meant the nation was now better off than before 9/11, but it was the remarks which followed that really got him steamed.

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“There’s no question about what the new administration … are going to have their hands full with,” Cheney went on to say. “The new set of problems, if you will, centered especially on the economy … just as our task when we came in was ultimately to deal with the aftermath of 9/11.”

“Listen, you fatuous, condescending lunatic,” Olbermann erupted. “Your task was not to deal with the aftermath of 9/11 — it was to prevent 9/11.”

“And if you utterly whiffed,” concluded Olbermann, “on the most important test of all the presidencies in your lifetime, Mr. Cheney, you do not get credit for getting a C on the pop quizzes that followed.”

This video is from MSNBC’s Countdown, broadcast Jan. 5, 2008.