Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews will no longer be the anchors of MSNBC’s live political events, as a result of the strong criticism regarding the channel’s apparent shift to the political left.

David Gregory, the NBC newsman and White House correspondent who also hosts a show on MSNBC, will be the one to anchor news coverage of the upcoming debates and election night.

The measure, which was confirmed by spokesmen for both networks, was taken in consequence of the gradually more feverish complaints concerning Keith Olbermann’s anchor role at the Democratic and Republican conventions. In addition to this, Olbermann, who constantly criticizes President Bush and Republican presidential nominee John McCain, was overenthusiastic in eulogizing the acceptance speech of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Moreover, he expressed his disapproval with regards to a video played by the Republicans, which took account of a tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks.

Keith Olbermann said that if the networks had done that, “we would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that videotape the way I did, I apologize.”

Chris Matthews, who has passed judgment on politicians in both parties, grew to be nevertheless a conflict-ridden figure, as he explained how stirred he was by the Obama speeches and made reproachful comments taking aim at Hillary Clinton, for which he later apologized.

Olbermann and Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage and, according to The Washington Post, unnamed officials at both networks said that the former had made the first move into clarifying his role.