When it comes to television news, Keith Olbermann of MSNBC appears to have no peer. His willingness and ability to challenge the dominating paradigm with “Special Comments” that are at once eloquent and scathing make him a true treasure. Yesterday, Olbermann was at it again, this time assailing President Bush for failing to not only heed but even comprehend the lessons from the Vietnam War:

It is a shame and it is embarrassing to us all when President Bush travels 8,000 miles only to wind up avoiding reality again.

And it is pathetic to listen to a man talk unrealistically about Vietnam, who permitted the “Swift-Boating� of not one but two American heroes of that war, in consecutive presidential campaigns.

But most importantly — important beyond measure — his avoidance of reality is going to wind up killing more Americans.

And that is indefensible and fatal.

Asked if there were lessons about Iraq to be found in our experience in Vietnam, Mr. Bush said that there were, and he immediately proved he had no clue what they were.

“One lesson is,� he said, “that we tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while.�

“We’ll succeed,� the president concluded, “unless we quit.�

If that’s the lesson about Iraq that Mr. Bush sees in Vietnam, then he needs a tutor.

Or we need somebody else making the decisions about Iraq. [full text and video]