Another Cable Channel Ousts Anchors from Political Events Because of Liberal Bias

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Balancing Act

A major shakeup at MSNBC has yanked two controversial figures from anchoring its political coverage after complaints of bias and last place ratings during both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have been ousted as anchors and will be replaced by White House correspondent David Gregory. Executives are hoping Gregory will deliver a more balanced assessment of the news.

Complaints about Olbermann and Matthews reached a crescendo last week when Olbermann apologized to viewers for a September 11 tribute video crafted by the RNC. He said the Republican Party exploited the memories of the dead.

Meanwhile, Matthews has been heavily criticized since saying back in February after listening to an Obama speech, "I felt this thrill going up my leg," prompting some Hillary Clinton supporters to complain that MSNBC was completely in the tank for Obama.

Caustic Comedian

But never fear, there are even worse examples of liberal bias. While hosting the MTV Video Music Awards, Sunday, British comedian Russell Brand praised Obama and then took a shot at President Bush. He said, "Could I please ask you, people of America, to please elect Barack Obama. Please! On behalf of the world."

He went on to say, "Some people, I think they're called racists, say America is not ready for a black president. But I know America to be a forward thinking country because otherwise why would you have let that retard cowboy fella be president for eight years? We were very impressed because in England, he wouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors."

That during an MTV awards ceremony.

Oprah's Not On

Friday we told you Oprah Winfrey said she had no plans to interview Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. But that decision is causing an uproar among some fans. The Miami Herald reports members of a group called the Florida Federation of Republican Women have decided to boycott Oprah's show and cancel their subscriptions to O Magazine.

The group's president says, "Women in Florida helped build Oprah into the icon she is today... we are deeply disappointed in Ms. Winfrey's decision to sit out the greatest political moment in the history of women since suffrage."

Many viewers are posting their disappointment directly on Oprah's Web site. One writes, "Oprah is no longer welcome in my home... she is not the woman she had us believe for so many years."

Erasing the Steaks

The head of the United Nations' global warming authority says to save the planet people need to eat less meat. The British newspaper The Observer reports the chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says, "Give up meat for one day per week initially, and decrease it from there."

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, generated they say during the production of animal feed and by cows who give off methane gas. The chairman also embraced a proposal aimed at getting governments to force their people to reduce meat consumption by 60 percent over the next 12 years.

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.