Matthews Makes Nice With Olbermann

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Can it be coincidence that on the day it's reported that Keith Olbermann is feuding with Chris Matthews, the Hardball host goes out of his way to shine up the clown prince of Countdown?

As NewsBuster Noel Sheppard has noted, the New York Post, in the course of reporting today that Olbermann has been "lashing out" at his network's talking heads, stated that Olbermann's "feuding with 'Hardball' host Chris Matthews is nothing new."

So on this evening's Hardball, how does Matthews promote tomorrow night's primary coverage that he will be co-anchoring with Olbermann?

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Remember, tomorrow night with Keith Olbermann, we're going to be working together for complete coverage of the Oregon and Kentucky primaries. As I said, for me it's Christmas morning. I don't know how it feels to Keith.

Looks like Olbermann's got the whip hand at MSNBC. It's—almost—enough to make me feel sorry for Matthews.

Note: in a similar promo earlier in the show, Matthews spoke of his Christmas-like excitement about primary night without mentioning Olbermann. But Matthews clearly seemed here to be counting his forthcoming collaboration with Olbermann as an additional cause for anticipation. Otherwise, his question "I don't know how it feels to Keith," would have to be interpreted as wondering whether Olbermann looks forward not to working with Chris, but to covering the primary results, which would be an insult to an on-air personality.