MSNBC drops Olbermann, Matthews as political anchors

When MSNBC covers the presidential and vice presidential debates, and November elections, David Gregory will be the host, according to Howard Kurtz' article in today's Washington Post.

Previous hosts Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have come under fire for their partisanship while doing the anchor duties for the network's political coverage:

The move, confirmed by spokesmen for both networks, follows increasingly loud complaints about Olbermann's anchor role at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Olbermann, who regularly assails President Bush and GOP nominee John McCain on his "Countdown" program, was effusive in praising the acceptance speech of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. He drew flak Thursday when the Republicans played a video that included a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that if the networks had done that, "we would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that videotape the way I did, I apologize."

The Kurtz article notes NBC political reporters had called for the change, but also makes it clear that Olbermann was asking to have his role clarified.