Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann began to poignantly patch things up two nights ago. But there's clearly still mucho trabajo to be done to heal the rift between Joe Scarborough and the temperamental Countdown host. Readers will recall that during the Dem convention, Olbermann was caught [accidentally on purpose?] on an open mic suggesting Scarborough "get a shovel" for his failure to toe a sufficiently pro-Obama line.
On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough took a thinly-veiled shot at Olbermann for the way he tried to keep Republican analyst Mike Murphy off the air, and then tried to pull the plug ["let's wrap him up, alright?"] when Murphy eventually made it into an interview with Chris Matthews.
Pat Buchanan was the sole voice on today's opening-hour panel to opine that Fred Thompson had done a good job with his speech last night. In contrast, Scarborough suggested Thompson had been flat. Pat expressed his feelings of alienation as the show was going to a break. It was then that Joe and Mika let Buchanan know that—in contrast with other MSNBC venues—dissident voices were welcome on Morning Joe.
PAT BUCHANAN: Joe, I had a good time there last night, until I got here this morning.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh, did we do something?
BUCHANAN: Everybody dumped on, I was coming prepared to say what a great time I had, everybody here's dumping all over it.
BRZEZINSKI: Hey! Speak up! We're about a lot of ideas.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: We are about a lot of ideas.
BRZEZINSKI: We won't cut your mic. We won't cut your mic.
SCARBOROUGH: Unlike other people, we won't cut your mic and we won't kick you off the stage.
BUCHANAN: Somebody nattering nabobs of negativism!MIKE BARNICLE: I remember that!
SCARBOROUGH: That's right. I don't want to be that.
I've got an idea. Joe is already in Minnesota. Perhaps Keith can convince the NBC brass to let him out of his NYC studio and fly there to join him. I figure Stuart Smalley, AKA Minnesota Dem senatorial candidate Al Franken, must be in the general vicinity of the Twin Cities. Surely Stuart could get the warring pair to share a cathartic hug.
