Propaganda and using the media as a device of politics - MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is all over that stuff, thankfully. The American people are better off because of Olbermann’s near-fearless reporting and blogging.

On his blog, linked below, Olbermann tells the story of the propaganda behind how Newsweek retracted its story of the “Koran in the Toilet”.

The administration demanded Newsweek retract the story, after the administration’s highest officials confirmed the story.

But due to the retraction, the lapdogs at the Republican Spin Network, FoxNews, and the talk radio spinwits, are spinning the retraction as if this in another Dan Rather episode by the “liberal media”.

And so Olbermann wonders whether the administration convinced Newsweek to retract a truthful story just to create something controversial for the koolaid drinkers and spinwits to bitch about.

Olbermann might be wrong, but he lays out his case with real facts and reasonable inferences based on real facts.

Olbermann is a credit to journalism in my opinion. I would like to point out, though, that I do not always agree with Olbermann - I am not an Olbermann koolaid drinker, just a fan who appreciates his efforts to get the real story and promote a reasonable version of truth.

Olbermann is not a propagandist for any political party.

DailyKOS discussion of Olbermann’s piece calling for McCellan’s resignation.

The resignation of Scott McClellan - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com

Firstly, the principal reporter on the Gitmo story was Michael Isikoff - “Spikey” in a different lifetime; Linda Tripp’s favorite journalist, and one of the ten people most responsible (intentionally or otherwise) for the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Spikey isn’t just a hero to the Right - the Right owes him.

And larger still, in terms of politics, this isn’t well-defined, is it? I mean Conservatives might parrot McClellan and say ‘Newsweek put this country in a bad light.’ But they could just as easily thump their chests and say ‘See, this is what we do to those prisoners at Gitmo! You guys better watch your asses!’

Ultimately, though, the administration may have effected its biggest mistake over this saga, in making the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs look like a liar or naïf, just to draw a little blood out of Newsweek’s hide. Either way - and also for that tasteless, soul-less conclusion that deaths in Afghanistan should be lain at the magazine’s doorstep - Scott McClellan should resign. The expiration on his carton full of blank-eyed bully-collaborator act passed this afternoon as he sat reeling off those holier-than-thou remarks. Ah, that’s what I smelled.