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Published on NewsBusters.org (http://newsbusters.org)

If Only That Texas Pol Cornered by Matthews Had Said This

By Mark Finkelstein
Created 2008-02-20 08:11

Someone should tell Chris Matthews to go pick on someone his own size . . .

Matthews enjoyed himself at the expense of a local legislator during last night's MSNBC coverage of the primaries. Kirk Watson [shown in a clip from today's Morning Joe] is a state senator from Texas and an Obama supporter. Matthews cornered Watson at length over his inability to name specific accomplishments by Barack. Credit Kirk for keeping a smile on his face, but there's no denying he was put badly on the spot [HuffPo speaks of Matthews having humiliated the guy].

View the exchange here [1], via HuffPo.

But wasn't this the case of a major-league Hardball hurler polishing his stats at the expense of a minor leaguer? Has anyone seen Matthews go after any of Obama's heavy-hitting supporters with such a vengeance? Until Chris challenges the likes of John Kerry or Ted Kennedy -- not to mention Caroline Kennedy or Oprah Winfrey -- in the same aggressive fashion, it's hard to see last night's performance as other than easy pickings for a schoolyard bully.

And don't you wish Watson had had the presence of mind to say something like this?:

I'd say it's a pretty good accomplishment for Obama to be able to send a thrill up the leg [1] of a middle-aged member of the MSM.

Note: Hillary's campaign loved Matthews's performance so much they've linked [2]to the video at her official web site. Does this mean Hillary's hard-feelings toward MSNBC over Shuster are forgotten? Has Matthews gone from Media Matters's Public Enemy #1 to its new fave?


Source URL:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2008/02/20/if-only-texas-pol-cornered-matthews-had-said