Keith Olbermann is getting quite a bit of attention for last night's Special Comment criticizing the Democratic party leadership, but he also deserves attention for the sharp words he delivered in support of gay parents earlier in the show.

During the "Worst Person in the World" segment, Olbermann gave the Government of the State of Virginia -- yes, the whole Government -- the top ranking:

"Heather Poe, Mary Cheney's partner of fifteen years, is not permitted any legal connection to the child whatsoever -- can't adopt as a second parent, can't legally exist. To the folks that keep that law on the books, let me see if I've got this right -- your political or religious beliefs are more important than this one kid having a loving, two-parent home. Not theory here, not abstractions... this particular little boy, on day one facing all the crap life has to offer him and everybody else. He doesn't get two parents and this makes you feel better about yourself how?"

Olbermann ended the segment with a curt declaration of the Government of the State of Virginia as the day's "Worst Person in the World," a sharp contrast to the comic delivery that usually closes the segment.

Olbermann's criticism of anti-gay legislature is effective because it focuses on how the issue affects individuals. Anti-gay pundits have made light of gay issues by pointing out the absurdities that arise when a system never designed to acknowledge non-traditional families tries to be fairer, but it gets harder to laugh at how Massachusetts Public Health officials fill out birth certificates when you consider the consequences for the families involved.

Beyond the snarky demeanor, Keith Olbermann brings a critical eye that's unfortunately uncommon in the news media. When I watch the news, I find too many reporters who seem to believe that hearing opposing arguments gives them a full understanding of the story. Olbermann is quick to question the common wisdom, seeking to reconcile it with reality, and offers more insight than a repackaging of arguments. Olbermann has been vocal about gay issues in the past, previously calling out Anderson Cooper for discussing the particulars his personal life in his best-selling a book, but declaring it off limits when it extends to questions of his sexual orientation.

That "Worst Person in the World" segment isn't available as an embedded video, but you can find it through Countdown's website. Take a look and let us know what you think!

MSNBC talking head Keith Obermann is well established as one of the few news anchors out there willing to really speak up about controversial topics. (For the record, I think he's great.) He's repeatedly taken on the Bush Administration, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and pretty much anyone else he suspects of being a hypocrite. Turns out Olbermann's outspokenness extends to his fellow news anchor Anderson Cooper of CNN. In a recent interview with New York Magazine Olbermann has this to say about Anderson (recently "outed" so to speak by Out magazine):

Don’t tell me you don’t want to talk about personal life when you wrote a book about your father’s death and your brother’s death. You can’t move this big mass of personal stuff out for public display, then people ask questions and you say, ‘Oh, no, I didn’t say there was going to be any questions.’ It’s the same thing as the Bush administration saying, ‘We’re going to war, but you really aren’t allowed to know why.

Don't hold back there, Keith!