At midnight on March 1, 2007, OlbermannWatch shut its doors.
I'd like to think that Bob Cox and his gang saw the proverbial light - that they realized bullying, misinformation, name-calling, etc. was not only wrong, but a shining example of the most irresponsible misuse of the blogosphere as a conduit of information and creator of community.
I'd like to think that, but I'd probably be wrong.
Cox was uncharacteristically brief in his parting post:
We are an hour away from the final ticks off the OlbermannWatch Countdown Clock and we hear at OlbyWatch are still wrestling with our big decision.
I think this may be farewell.
Overlook the misspellings for a moment to consider what was not said.
No thanks. In yet another supreme act of arrogance, there was no expression of appreciation for the regular readers who (sadly) made his blog what it was.
No apologies. No expression of regret or the slightest sign of any acknowledgment that
words, however self-righteously justified, do indeed have an impact.
Bob ended as he began - in a flurry of arrogance and obfuscation.
Are he and his cohorts off to greener pastures? I doubt it. I'm sure that he and his gang would tell you otherwise. I'm sure they would argue that the need for OlbermannWatch is no longer as pressing and, besides, Cox's megalomania is certainly better served elsewhere.
At the moment that Countdown with Keith Olbermann is at its strongest, most powerful, most popular, Cox chooses to close OlbermannWatch.
The timing is telling.
Cox has never been a watchdog. If he were, OlbermannWatch would still exist.
He's a bully - an ad-man who seized upon a marketing opportunity. Not an opportunity to promote a particular brand of truth or policy stance, but an opportunity to traffic in vitriol because it is that sort of poison which he discovered would be the most effective route to his own personal success.
Goodbye, Bob. Don't let the door hit you...
