An outraged Chris Matthews scolded John McCain, on Tuesday's "Hardball," for criticizing Obama's stance on Iran's elections as the MSNBC host exclaimed: "The difference between the President, who is being very calm and not jumping up and down, and those on the right who are hitting the idiot button right now. And the idiot button is the one often pushed by Sarah Palin, but this week by John McCain and others." Matthews -- who also mocked Sarah Palin for praising the troops in her acceptance of David Letterman's apology -- attacked conservatives in general for engaging in "idiot talk."

MATTHEWS: Okay yeah, let me try to get to your left, let me try to get to your left Lawrence because I feel like getting over there tonight. Snuggling over to your left Lawrence O'Donnell because I disagree with you. I think there's become, there's become this new idiot button on the right where you have to punch this button in order to be considered a real conservative now. "Obama is a socialist on health care. He's a socialist. All his fiscal programs are insanely socialistic." You have to punch that button. Then you gotta say this [Iran] election was "bogus." You gotta punch that button. If you don't talk in that, that right wing, idiot talk you're not considered a conservative any more. The idea of being a thoughtful person is wrong now, politically, on that side of the aisle. That's where I think it's going. [audio available here]

The following exchanges were aired during the June 16 edition of "Hardball":

CHRIS MATTHEWS: What strikes me David [Ignatius] and Bob [Baer] is the difference between the President, who is being very calm and not jumping up and down, and those on the right who are hitting the idiot button right now. And the idiot button is the one often pushed by Sarah Palin, but this week by John McCain and others. They're all jumping. Mitt, Mitch, Mitt Romney. They're all saying, "Phony!" "Bogus!" "Let's attack Iran!" That seems like exactly what the bad guys in Iran want us to be doing.

...

MATTHEWS ON DAVID LETTERMAN APOLOGIZING TO SARAH PALIN: Well Governor Palin responded with a written statement that reads quote, "Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who joke about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve. Letterman certainly has the right to joke about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction. And this is all thanks to our U.S. military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's right to free speech - in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect." Joining me to assess this state of play, Tina Brown editor-in-chief of TheDailyBeast.com and Roger Simon the political columnist who we love dearly here, with the Politico. Tina you're laughing because it is outrageously digressive here! What on God's Earth has this got to do with our brave fighting men and women in uniform defending, defending the right of David Letterman to trash? I don't even want to get through it. It's so outrageous! This was written like, by the Kremlin! It's so awkwardly written. What is this stuff about women and girls and the fighting men and women? All she could have said was, "I accept his apology," but she had to get some extra points.

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MATTHEWS AFTER CLIP OF MCCAIN: Well that's Senator John McCain criticizing President Obama for not speaking out stronger against the crisis in Iran. We're back with Lawrence O'Donnell and Ryan Lizza with more of the "Politics Fix." You know McCain just gets further and further into [Joe] Lieberman country. Further and further into that far right mentality about everything is simple and Manichean. All you have to do is push that idiot button now.

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MATTHEWS: Okay yeah, let me try to get to your left, let me try to get to your left Lawrence because I feel like getting over there tonight. Snuggling over to your left Lawrence O'Donnell because I disagree with you. I think there's become, there's become this new idiot button on the right where you have to punch this button in order to be considered a real conservative now. "Obama is a socialist on health care. He's a socialist. All his fiscal programs are insanely socialistic." You have to punch that button. Then you gotta say this [Iran] election was "bogus." You gotta punch that button. If you don't talk in that, that right wing, idiot talk you're not considered a conservative any more. The idea of being a thoughtful person is wrong now, politically, on that side of the aisle. That's where I think it's going.

—Geoffrey Dickens is the senior news analyst at the Media Research Center.