Huckabee Strikes Back At Matthews: 'See a Doctor - You’re Off Your Meds and Out of Control'

As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Wednesday accused former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee of wanting to commit "ethnic cleansing" on Arabs in Israel's West Bank.

After conservative radio host Laura Ingraham played the "Hardball" clip to Huckabee on her radio program Thursday, the affable Fox News contributor had some choice words for the man that admits getting thrills up his leg when President Obama speaks (video follows with transcript and commentary):

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: Gee, it’s a real shock why MSNBC has about a third of the ratings of Fox on any given day. Well, we have the aforementioned ethnic cleanser in the studio.

MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: (Laughs)

INGRAHAM: Former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. His new book “Simple Government” just out. Well..

HUCKABEE: Just call me Mr. Clean. Can you believe this guy? I mean, come on. Chris Matthews, he’s got to be one of the most incredibly interesting people who gets a job in the media today. And he’s calling me a lunatic because I happen to believe that you can’t take a country like Israel, with its tiny little strip of real estate, and continue to allow its enemies to sit on top of them. Guess what? That doesn’t work. When you have this organization called the Palestinians, and they don’t even think that Israel should exist, and never have yet acknowledged their right to an existence, and you want to give more land to them so they can be even closer to your children’s playground so they can throw, shoot rockets at them, this is, this is really amazing.

But I tell you what, I want to say to Chris Matthews, “Chris, see a doctor. Do it quickly. You’re out of control. You’re off your meds. You absolutely must get help. And do it today.”

Fewer people watch Chris Matthews than are standing in line at the hot dog stand on Sixth Avenue in New York on any given day.

INGRAHAM: I would say that are in our other studio right now.

HUCKABEE: Yeah, that’s probably right.

Although Huckabee was being tongue-in-cheek, I don't think Matthews' problem is medicinal.

Other than the early days of "Hardball" when it was on CNBC and he wisely moved to the right to cater to a more conservative audience as a seemingly centrist host, Matthews has been far to the left and practically insufferable as both an author and commentator.

"McLaughlin Group" fans should recall his performances on that PBS program years ago were akin to Eleanor Clift's today. As such, I dont't think what ails this MSNBCer can be cured with pharmaceuticals alone.

On the other hand, medicating the audience might help.

Hmmm.

Bonus coverage at end of video features Huckabee taking on Politico's recent report that if he ran for President in 2012, it would only be to spite Mitt Romney.