Even Matthews Not Buying Sharpton Defense of Hillary's "Plantation"

January 17th, 2006 8:09 PM

Apparently even Chris Matthews has his limits when it comes to swallowing Dem BS.  The proof came on tonight's Hardball, when Matthews clearly wasn't buying Al Sharpton's transparently lame defense of Hillary Clinton's allegation, at an MLK Day event, that "the House of Representatives has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about."

Sharpton's theater of the absurd reached its apotheosis when he claimed that Hillary "did not make the comments at a Harlem church".  Even the New York Times had to admit that she had spoken in "at the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem," and Hardball rolled footage of her speaking at a lectern in the church draped with fabric decorated with a cross.

Responded Matthews, not even attempting to suppress an amused look: "You're kidding me, Reverend.  I don't understand why you're defending her.  Do you think she would have used that word with a Jewish group, an Italian group?  She used that phrase, 'you know what I'm talking about.' What's that supposed to mean?  She was pandering."

For what it's worth, in the following segment, MSNBC reporter Norah O'Donnell, who had spoken with people in the Hillary camp, gave conflicting indications on the fall-out.  On the one hand, O'Donnell said that Hillary is not going to "walk away" from her plantation statement.  On the other hand, Norah said Hillary will have to "clean-up" her remarks.