An unhappy Chris Matthews on Wednesday night slammed Marco Rubio’s foreign policy comments at the Republican debate, suggesting that the Senator was trying to “prove himself the strongest, best informed, most articulate hawk. He clearly made Sheldon Adelson happy tonight.”
Later, the Hardball host again singled out the long-time supporter of Israel, saying, in effect, that Rubio was sucking up to “the darling of the hawks, Sheldon Adelson and every other Daddy Warbucks out there.”
Matthews bizarrely declared that the Republican presidential candidates weren’t actually trying to win the White House. The journalist snarled, “They all had their own messages and nobody seemed to be competing for, 'I'm going to be the best president.'”
Offering his own brand of helpful advice, the MSNBC anchor referenced that the debate took place at the Reagan Presidential Library: “The reality of Air Force One right there should have kept reminding them, this is about commander in chief, chief executive of the United States. It's not just fun. It's for real.”
At another point in the show, Matthews insisted that when "he hears Cruz or Rubio speak," he “swear[s] they are still fighting a Cold War" and "[t]hey speak about apocalyptic terms."
Before the debate, he brought on liberal Senator Barbara Boxer to trash Carly Fiorina.
Partial transcripts of the September 16 comments are below:
11:01pm ET
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Senator Marco Rubio was clearly out to prove himself the strongest, best informed, most articulate hawk. He clearly made Sheldon Adelson happy tonight, as well as his other Daddy Warbucks he’s using to bankroll his campaign. Senator Ted Cruz had an equally clear goal tonight. He is the angriest, fiercest, most morally indignant of anyone running. He is clearly intending to be there when Donald Trump falls. He wants to be beyond doubt, beyond any reasonable doubt, the furthest right candidate across the board, from his hawkish foreign-policy to his all-out opposition to what he calls amnesty for illegal immigrants. Carly Fiorina had it made tonight and she made it, firing her inevitable shot at Trump for his shot at her looks by showing she is the one candidate, also, with no embarrassment about nailing Hillary Clinton personally in the general election. Jeb Bush set out to show he could stand up to the bullying from Donald Trump. He showed a tad more energy tonight, even defending his brother's decision to defend his brother’s decision to invade Iraq or at least I think he did. Ran Paul did his basics. He stood up to the hawks and the neo-cons. Mike Huckabee stood up for religious right. Donald Trump, now there is the story. He took some glancing shots at his opponents but looked tired and for the night at least, he looked finished. I assume he will awake with new energy in the morning, but for the first time, to I, expect, bad reviews.
11:37
MATTHEWS: There are so many segments. Howard, I thought everybody was like in a Middle Eastern suit tonight, each playing to their own particular customers. I mean, there was Huckabee playing to the religious right, the only one playing to the tune of anti-same sex marriage. You had, of course, Rand Paul trying to be the only dove in the room, the only one who’s trying not to be one of the neo-cons. You've got Cruz trying to prove he is the most right-wing guy on every single issue, whether it's immigration or foreign policy. Then, of course, the darling of the hawks, Sheldon Adelson and every other Daddy Warbucks out there, of course was Marco Rubio singing this symphony of, sort of international armaments and ‘let's go to war.’ I think he did it beautifully. But they all had their own messages and nobody seemed to be competing for, 'I'm going to be the best president. I’m going to be the best at leading the country.' But that picture there, the reality in fact of Air Force One right there should have kept reminding them, this is about commander in chief, chief executive of the United States. It's not just fun. It's for real. I'm not sure it always does that.
