The Birther conspiracy obsessed Chris Matthews, on Friday's Hardball, suggested the disaster in Japan was a good opportunity for Barack Obama to remind people he was born in Hawaii. Well when a guest on Monday's show pointed out Obama did just that, the MSNBCer couldn't help but congratulate him as he told the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson: "Thank you for reminding us the President was raised in Hawaii...and not of the Maus Maus, which some of his more insane critics have brought up."
Matthews began his final segment by leading his guest into the answer he was looking for by asking, "What do you think of the way he's handled this thing?"
The following Robinson response and subsequent Matthews praise was aired on the March 14 edition of Hardball:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me go to Gene. You know the President was at his best, I thought, in terms of just that quickness. And here's a country that has bought into our culture, since the war. Baseball, of course probably the most impressive country in buying our country many ways. What do you think of the way he's handled this thing?
EUGENE ROBINSON, WASHINGTON POST: Well what was interesting to me was, the way the President noted his personal connection to Japanese culture, having been raised in Hawaii, which has a heavy influence of, of Japanese culture, he's familiar with it. I think it affected him personally. And so, in terms of the, the humanitarian response of trying to help Japanese I think he has been as fast and, and correct as you could possibly be.
MATTHEWS, CLOSING THE SHOW: Gene, thank you for reminding us the President was raised in Hawaii! That the influence he felt was of the Japanese-Americans and living in Hawaii and not of the Mau Maus, which some of his more insane critics have brought up.
—Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here
