It's one thing for Chip Reid or David Gregory to give Mitt Romney a hard time over his abortion position change, as I documented here and here. But on this evening's Hardball, Chris Matthews took it to a fiery new level, and Pat Buchanan got into the act. Matthews: "This is like the kind of conversions you had in Spain in the old bad days where if you were Jewish, you were Christian the next day or you were burned alive!"
The screencap shows Chris Matthews giving Pat an approving finger as the paleo-con posed and answered his own question:
"Do I believe these are sincere, honest conversions of Rudy or Romney? In my judgment, probably not. I think they're changing their positions for political reasons. And you either accept that or you take the alternative which may be Hillary Rodham Clinton."
Matthews: "Wow. Pretty rough stuff here."
Mike Barnicle: "If you're Mitt Romney, you cross your fingers and you fib, or lie, depending on your point of view. From 1994, he stood next to Ted Kennedy in a debate running for the United States Senate in Massachusetts and said at one point that he could do more for the gay community than Ted Kennedy could. So what do you do about that one with the evangelicals? I don't know. You lie!"
View video here.
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.















Editor at Large

Comments Policy
MSNBC is a JOKE
February 13, 2007 - 21:58 ET by florida_chadMSNBC is a JOKE
FL Chad,This network has flow
February 13, 2007 - 22:09 ET by NeoConfirmedFL Chad,
This network has flown so far left that I heard Michael Moore's nightly program is in pre-production and is scheduled to start in May. It's going to follow Matthews and it will be called 'No Balls'.
NC...I already call that Sca
February 13, 2007 - 22:25 ET by bigtimerNC...
I already call that Scarborough Country!
Btw..the network now is really going after 24 now.
First it was BOR, then American Idol, now 24...
What idiots...they give free hour and hours of advertizing to FOX and are too simple to understand that.
BT,Thanks for reminding me th
February 13, 2007 - 22:40 ET by NeoConfirmedBT,
Thanks for reminding me that Joey follows Chrissy.
Is that two hours of stirring political debate or what?
There hasn't been that much brain power on TV since Fantasy Island followed The Love Boat in the seventies.
It is a dangerous joke--and w
February 14, 2007 - 04:27 ET by Andrew H.It is a dangerous joke--and we already know Barnical lies, yet he shows up on the network--Imus and this garbage. I don't waste my time.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
Scarborough's a Joke
February 14, 2007 - 09:55 ET by Eagle OneReguarding MSNBC's Scarborough Country, there could not be a worse host than Joe. He's not that bright, his guests are the same peolpe over and over. Joe as a congressman stabbed Newt Gringrich in the back, tried to unseat him. The man is a fool.
If your a liberal your a nut!!
So, Mark, they can say the word, 'lie', huh?
February 13, 2007 - 22:32 ET by acaiguanaSo, Mark, they can say the word, 'lie', huh?
Was Bush blamed for any of that?
I'm trying really hard to understand the effort put into this segment. Was the point to get 'evangelicals' to understand that Romney's position now is different that it used to be; therefore it is bad he changed?
If that is the case, then evangelicals should quit tomorrow because last time I checked with my neighboring evangelical trying to 'convert' me he thought I could change. So, I'm a bit confused.
Buchanan has lost it even more than I thought he could lose it anymore. Man that is something. Here he gives us his 'opinion'. I hope you don't mind my parsing a bit.
"Do I believe these are sincere, honest conversions of Rudy or Romney? In my judgment, probably not. I think they're changing their positions for political reasons."
So, Buchanan has judgment? Since what year? Buchanan is a vile sort of creature that is awfully egocentric about political ideas that went out of date somewhere around the end of WWI. His take on history is more than strange, it is deluded and filled with ideas that would make the most radical skinhead blush. But I digress.
Basically a statement of the most shallow and obvious conclusion one person might come to, right?
"And you either accept that or you take the alternative which may be Hillary Rodham Clinton."
And here is why this quote caught my eye. Buchanan is giving us one alternative to Romney and Rudy. Another example of a basically shallow mind. I knew a lot of Buchanans when I was a kid, they were really difficult people because they hadn't any way to adjust to new things.
One might take the more obvious 'alternative' which is that the stands are actually believed by both men. Buchanan avoids that by bringing in an alternative that wasn't even in the cartoon.
And they pay this guy and let him on TV for these many years. I've never been impressed with his reasoning, his writings or his political blather. I for one do not buy into Buchanan being the 'smartest' conservative in the room, even when he is the only one.
Of course he isn't a conservative at all. That's what is galling about them using him as a foil.
ACA
...
Hillary Clinton says: "I want to take those profits."
Who knows who....
February 13, 2007 - 23:25 ET by Tidy Bowl ManThis is DEPRESSING!!!!!!!!!!
Can we please come up with better candidates!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe an actual Conservative?
Everyone so far is crap. I hope the real candidates are waiting until closer to the actual elections.
MSNBC is so clearly the off
February 14, 2007 - 00:26 ET by mlongMSNBC is so clearly the offical network of the DNC that I don't understand why any Republican even bothers to go on it.
Let's just hope that Rep. Tom
February 14, 2007 - 03:14 ET byLet's just hope that Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) runs. There is hope that he will.
I used my xray vision Mr. Bar
February 14, 2007 - 09:47 ET by ucI used my xray vision Mr. Barnacle > the Mitt's fingers were not decernable though the apposable thumb was in Mitt's announcement in "Mitten State."
Very funny Mr. Barnacle > couldn't you have spent more time on how well Mr. Romney speaks across many subjects clearly and articulately? He speaks like he may have run an international venture already much concerned with uniform language and level playing field universal standards. I even wanted to start showing my Irish more after hearing him.
Oh, and about that poll CNN ran about a mormon, a black, and a woman >> If only their "qualifications" were close to equal CNN's reporting wouldn't have been have as laughable.
When liberals change their
February 14, 2007 - 10:05 ET by motherbeltWhen liberals change their minds, they "evolve"...to a higher station, of course. And of course it's not lying when they change their story depending on what group they are pandering to. (Does anyone else remember HRC saying that she once tried to enlist in the Marines?)
That said, Romney needs to do some immediate damage control, and explain why his position has changed. If he can make the case that he was wrong then, and is sincere in his current beliefs, he has a chance. If not, stick a fork in him.
And their stated position has
February 14, 2007 - 10:38 ET by Hunter12And their stated position has no correlation to how they vote on issues. That's why Barack and Hillary can talk about strong family values and their love of children when they've demonstrated support for non-family issues on their way to the podium.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
HARD LEFT TURN
February 14, 2007 - 10:23 ET by allanfThis story and many others like it on Newsbusters are evocative of the hard left turn taken by NBC News. It seems to have been a deliberate business decision.
We are now treated to an NBC News foreigh policy statement that Iraq is in the midst of a "civil war". Tim Russert, who tried hard to mask his Democrat Party ties for years is now unleashed. David Gregory gives the President far less respect than Diane ("prom-girl") Sawyer showed Assad of Syria and Iranian leader Ahmadinejad.
At the farm team, MSNBC, Chris Matthews, the former aid to Tip O'Neill rivals Nancy Pelosi for partisanship. (At least that's Nancy's job). Chuck (once a Republican) Scarborough is undergoing a late in life conversion to the Democrat party. Norah O'Donnell seems to think the word "Republican" is a disorder.
Matt Lauer has continued on a downward slide, taking over leftist duties fromt he departed Katie Couric. Ann Curry plays the sympathetic but empty headed leftist with alacracity.
This coordinated behavoir can only be part of a deliberate pattern. Does anyone else agree?
Maybe he was lying before?
February 14, 2007 - 11:10 ET by exLibInteresting isn't it that no one dares suggest that maybe he was lying before? Or being politically expedient?
I guess once you say you are pro-abortion you are branded for life. Only anti-abortion people are allowed to legitimately change.
On the flip-side, too many here in Boston are or have been quick on the trigger to brand Mitt the liar because he told everyone that he was pro-abortion and pro-homsexual when elected and now he is changing his tune. Here in Boston most believe him now and it's a bad thing.
I am still unaware of any legislation that Mitt passed that was pro-homsexual or pro-abortion in the state of Massachusetts. He unequivicably opposed the court decision to allow homosexual marriage and vowed to fight it to the end.
I think this line of "debate" is really an attempt to derail Mitt and make sure the stupid evangelicals don't vote for him.
Oh gee, some politicians lie
February 14, 2007 - 13:16 ET by Michael ChapmanOh gee, some politicians lie to get elected?!? Say it ain't so!