I’ve been a fan of Keith Olbermann since the early 1990s when he was a sportscaster on local news here in Los Angeles. I am the opposite of a sports fan and yet he somehow made football, baseball and the rest seem almost interesting.

This year, Mr. Olbermann did as much as anyone in the media to soften up the Republicans in advance of the midterm elections.

But Mr. Olbermann’s “special comments” about Bush Administration’s malfeasance gave the cover of mainstream legitimacy for criticism of the president and his party to spine-challenged liberal pols. The editorials also helped make his “Countdown” show the top-rated live news program at last-place MSNBC.

But Democrats should not count on Olbermann to look the other way if they whiff their opportunity to lead:

“If the Democrats don’t undo a lot of the things that have been done, like the Military Commissions Act and many of the other infringements on freedom, as I see it, there will be a special comment with their name on it,” Olbermann vowed.

I believe him. And the Dems had better believe it, too. Democratic leaders should consider Mr. Olbermann to be the proverbial canary in the coal mine. If he starts to squawk, I hope they’ll listen.