You're a member of the MSM and a Barack Obama backer. But I repeat myself. More specifically, you're Chris Matthews. What better way to promote your guy's candidacy than to claim that Republicans would really rather run against Hillary?

That's just what the Hardball host did on this afternoon's show. Here's his exchange with the–in my opinion–very impressive Republican strategist Todd Harris, who worked for McCain in 2000, and with Dem strategist Michael Feldman.

View video here.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Todd Harris, are you chuckling over the Democrats's fight? This intramural battle that never seems to end? Are you happy to see the blood and the scarring?

TODD HARRIS: I'm thrilled. I'm about to become a Hillary donor myself. I want to keep this--I mean, why stop at the convention?

MATTHEWS: Are you part of Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos?

HARRIS: I'm not sure I want a riot.

MATTHEWS: I didn't say that.

HARRIS: I do want this thing to go on as long as possible.

MATTHEWS: Can I say it with the right warble? "I'll pray for [unintelligible]." How Rush talks. What do you make of this [addressing himself to Feldman]? Look at the chuckle-worthy coming out this guy. He's loving this.

MICHAEL FELDMAN: I think he's going to get a call from Terry McAuliffe two minutes after we walk out of here.

MATTHEWS: For all we know they're in common, they're in cahoots, you know? Republicans and Hillary, to keep it going.

HARRIS: Seriously, seriously, let's take a look at --

MATTHEWS: You guys do want Hillary in November, don't you?

HARRIS: You know what? At this point --

MATTHEWS: You know you want her.

HARRIS: At this point I'm willing to take either one of them, because both of them are going to limp into the general election.

Is Matthews serious? A couple months ago most Republicans probably would have preferred to go against Hillary with her high negatives. But today? My strong sense is that the GOP feels that Obama is the weaker opponent. In our unscientific but interesting NB poll, for example, over three-quarters of respondents saw Obama as the weaker candidate. And granted, Hillary fan Lanny Davis is far from objective, but he did predict to Chris's face yesterday that if nominated Obama is on track to lose 49 states. I don't think anyone would have the chutzpah to say that about Hillary.

BONUS COVERAGE: Johnny Sack Lives!

Old Mafiosi don't die; they become union thugs in TV commercials.

Immediately following the "you know you want her" segment, a commercial ran in my neck of the woods put out by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. The purpose was to oppose legislation, pushed by Big Labor and their Dem friends, to take away the secret ballot in worker unionization elections. And who turns up inside the voting booth with the worker? None other than a very intimidating Vince Curatola, AKA Johnny Sack of the Sopranos. A very persuasive ad, I'd say. Video at the clip above.

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.