Here’s the transcript from yesterday’s Countdown. It’s a must read for it’s pure softballishness. Another excerpt:

OLBERMANN: Rachel Maddow wanted me to ask this question, so I’m doing this on her behalf, because her new show is starting tonight. Given — given the tone that the campaign has taken, I mean, this Georgia congressman last week, Mr. Westmoreland, who called you and your wife, quote, “uppity.” In that context, do you regret putting the brakes on the 527 groups who would have produced or could have produced hard-hitting ads that would have been sharing your sympathies? OBAMA: You know, I’ll tell you what, Keith, I am confident that the American people, once the dust has settled, are going to say to themselves, “Do we really want to do the same thing we’ve been doing for the last eight years? Or do we want something new?” I think there’s a genuine sense of anxiety out there, not just about immediate economic prospects but the sense that we are not living up to what’s possible in America, that we’re not delivering on the American promise.And I think that understandably people are saying to themselves, gosh, we like Obama, we like his message, but we haven’t known him that long, let’s really lift the hood, kick the tires, you know, take them out and watch them work hard. And you know, let’s take a look at these debates and then we’re going to make up our mind in mid-October.And I think that by the time this thing is all over, the contrast is going to be clear and I believe the American people are going to make the choice for a new direction in the country. And I’m looking forward to helping to lead that.