Talk about people who live in glass houses . . .

For some time now, Chris Matthews has played the leitmotif of a "second-rate second term" at the White House. When on this evening's Hardball he invited Margaret Carlson to whack the Bush pinata, there were embarrassing consequences for the toothy ex-Time editor, now languishing at Bloomberg News.

Matthews tried his best to tee it up for Carlson:

"Margaret, I look at a pattern of events and they come out of people's mouths, conservatives, liberals, whatever: Katrina - competence question. That nomination for the Supreme Court, Harriet Miers, and now the ports issue. Is there a pattern of not being on base as we say in baseball, being caught off base by the President?"

Poor Margaret, eager as she surely was to cry 'incompetence' at the White House, replied: "And you forgot Katrina."

Retorted Matthews: "I started with that."

Rut-oh!

A 'gracious' Carlson tried to wriggle off the hook . . . by blaming Matthews: "It took you so long I had forgotten what you said."

Right. Probably a good 15 seconds.

Already on probation for her gaffe, Carlson inexplicably chose to attack Chris later in the segment, disparaging him as a '50s' guy for using the term 'Red China.' Guess Margaret's a 'People's Republic' kind of gal.