Matthews: Unless She's Starting a War, Conservatives Will 'Kill' Pres. Hillary

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H/t DW.

Chris Matthews went off on one of his patented tirades on today's Morning Joe, imagining how conservatives would relish going after a President Hillary Clinton with a vengeance. Might Matthews, understandably, be short on sleep? He also bit Mika Brzezinski's head off for a harmless statement.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well you know a lot of Republican talk show people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, I think authors, successful authors, I must say, like Ann Coulter, they wouldn't be so unhappy to have Hillary Clinton to beat up for four or eight years, especially four years. And Mr. DeLay would probably love to have Hillary to beat up for two years and then win back the house in '10. I mean I could see the strategy -- sometimes in bad weather you let the other team have the ball. You elect to kick rather than receive. Let them have the ball in the Ice Bowl. Let them try to move it past the second or third yard while you come down hard on them. The people like Bill Kristol out there, the neo-conservatives. Imagine Hillary Clinton as president for a couple of months with about a one-point advantage coming into office? They will crash around her, hitting her with everything they've got.

Chris wasn't done with his diatribe . . .

MATTHEWS: Rush Limbaugh will be in heaven. Sean Hannity will be in heaven. Their ratings'll go through the roof. Roger Ailes, he'll be on Neptune he'll be so happy! Because all they'll do every day is say how do we beat up Hillary Clinton today? Unless occasionally she starts a war, and then they'll give her a parade. They'll give her a parade every day she starts a war. But if she's not starting a war, they'll kill her.

That's when Mika unwittingly provoked Matthews's ire.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I want to know how Chris really feels about this.

MATTHEWS: Come on, Mika, that's the weakest line. Come on, Mika, that is so weak and so below you, how I really feel. That is so yesterday.

BRZEZINSKI: It's so yesterday?!

MATTHEWS: I mean how I really feel. You know how you tell how I really feel, Mika? Listen. [protracted silence]. But you and I agree on so many things sub rosa. I don't know why we're arguing.

BRZEZINSKI: We're not arguing; go ahead Willie.

MATTHEWS: Some things, because in the brilliant light of day, I know we see things [similarly?]. But you're just trying to encourage me, aren't you? I know what you're doing.

BRZEZINSKI: I'm goading you.

Willie Geist, ever the conciliator, jumped in like the man distracting the bull at the rodeo.

WILLIE GEIST: Let me step in here. Chris, it's Willie. So what does that mean practically for this election?