Ouch! Norah O'Donnell knows how to get a guy where it hurts. And Kim Jong Il might be feeling 'ronrier' than ever.

On this evening's Hardball, Norah, guest-hosting for Chris Matthews, discussed the failed North Korean missile tests with three separate panels. In each case, she used the same Freudian-fraught metaphor for failure:

To her first panel, composed of congressmen Dan Burton [R-IN] and Bill Pascrell [D-NJ], Norah noted:

"We saw the Taepodong missile essentially exploded and went limp into the sea of Japan after 45 seconds."

Next, with guests Michael Scheuer and Tyler Drumheller - both former CIA officials - she mentioned:

"We realized after 30 seconds, this missile went limp." [Yikes - performance down from 45 to only 30 seconds.]

Finally, with former RNC Chairman/VA Governor Jim Gilmore [a steadfast fellow, I might mention] and Dem strategist Hillary Rosen, O'Donnell observed

"The long range missile essentially failed and went limp after 30 seconds."

On a day when Viagra was again in the news, you have to figure Norah selected her simile with malice aforethought.

Finkelstein lives in the liberal haven of Ithaca, NY, where he hosts the award-winning public-access TV show 'Right Angle.' Contact him at mark@gunhill.net