Keith Olbermann's battle with MSNBC is far from over, despite the fact that the network returned him to the air just days after suspending him for making undisclosed political donations. In the Daily Beast, Howard Kurtz takes us inside the tense relations between Olbermann and MSNBC, which have spilled over into NBC News and left him with no allies save Rachel Maddow—and which could result, some theorize, in Olbermann walking away. Sources use words like "narcissistic" and "hypocrisy" when talking about Olbermann and his response; even Tom Brokaw has reportedly weighed in, blaming Olbermann for damaging MSNBC's reputation.
Kurtz outlines the back-story: After the donations fiasco broke, MSNBC president Phil Griffin, a longtime friend of Olbermann's, threatened—during a phone conversation-slash-yelling match with Olbermann's manager Michael Price—to fire Olbermann if he went on Good Morning America. When Price later heard about Olbermann's reinstatement, he asked Griffin why he made the announcement in the way he did (to reporters, rather than Olbermann himself). Griffin's response: "We are at war."
(More Keith Olbermann stories.)