WHERE'S THE GIFT CERTIFICATE??!!??

Why does anyone still talk to Tom DeLay?

Matthews then asked DeLay whether he is a birther. The former House Majority Leader mistakenly said that he would like to see the President’s “gift certificate” and asked Matthews to personally ask Obama for it. He also compared Obama to “illegal aliens”:

DELAY: Well, I’d like the President to produce his birth certificate. I can. Most illegal aliens here in America can. Why can’t the President of the United States produce their birth certificate? [...]

Chris, will you do me a favor? Will you ask the President to show me his gift certificate — I mean, his — gift certificate — his birth certificate?
MATTHEWS: No, I’m not going to ask him.

DELAY: Oh, c’mon, please!

When Matthews asked DeLay whether anyone has asked him for proof of his birthplace, DeLay responded, “The Democrats sued me for being a resident of Texas. That’s just like asking me for my birth certificate.” “No, it’s not,” responded Matthews.

His gift certificate.

Really.

How disgraced and stupid does a Republican have to be before he is no longer considered an A-list guest on television?

Bush did not keep us safe

This clip from Hardball, in which Matthews smacks Ari Fleischer around for his "Bush kept us safe" claim, is getting a lot of attention.

I like hearing Matthews point out to Fleischer that 9/11 happened on Bush's watch, and that if "keeping us safe" from terrorism is a measure of Bush's success, then 9/11 is proof of his failure to do so.

But what I would also like to see is an emphasis on the fact that even by Fleischer's sorry standard, Bush failed to keep us safe. Even if you accept the Bush apologists' premise that the responsibility to prevent terrorist attacks did not begin until September 12, 2001, Bush failed. Beginning on September 18, 2001, and continuing for several months, America was terrorized by a biological attack that killed five people and frightened tens of millions.

Even President Bush described the anthrax letters as a terrorism event separate and apart from 9/11.

As all Americans know, recent weeks have brought a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country: deadly anthrax spores sent through the U.S. mail. There is no precedent for this type of the biological attack.

By Bush's own contemporaneous assertion, the revisionist claim that he "kept us safe" after 9/11 is false.

Oh, and how on earth did invading Iraq keep Saddam from "striking again" when he never struck us in the first place? I can't believe that zombie lie is still lurching around out there.

Blank Slate

As you watch this clip, keep in mind that the right-wing radio host being eviscerated by Chris Matthews isn't from some low-power station in Eunice, Louisiana or Hopkinsville, Kentucky. This clown has a radio talk show in Los Angeles, CA, the second-largest media market in this country.

MATTHEWS: You don’t know what you’re talking about, Kevin. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Tell me what Chamberlain did wrong.

JAMES: Neville Chamberlain was an appeaser, Chris. Neville Chamberlain was an appeaser, all right? […]

MATTHEWS: I’ve been sitting here five minutes asking you to say what the president was referring to in 1938 at Munich.

JAMES: I don’t know.

MATTHEWS: You don’t know, thank you.

Not only did Mr. James not have any idea what Neville Chamberlain did to earn his infamous place in history, but I'll bet that if Matthews had asked what the word "appeasement" means, he would have come up blank.

What understanding of the world could anyone possibly gain from listening to this man?

Irregular People

According to Chis Matthews, the category of "regular people" does not include negroes, or those with a lot of fancy book learnin'.

MATTHEWS: OK. Let me ask you about how he -- how's he connect with regular people? Does he? Or does he only appeal to people who come from the African-American community and from the people who have college or advanced degrees?

And I guess if Chris ever met a black person who has one of those advanced degrees, then he'd really freak out.

Here you go, Chris

I just watched Chris Matthews grill a Texas state senator who supports Barack Obama over naming any of Obama's legislative accomplishments. The Texas lawmaker couldn't name any. Brutal.

So, for Chris' edification, here are a few of Obama's legislative accomplishments.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

I dunno, maybe Matthews was trying to make up for some of his sexist rhetoric against Hillary. Who knows. But anyhoo, I hope this answers his question.

Matthews apologizes for conflating Osama and Obama

What is wrong with these people?

Hardball displayed a photo of Osama bin Laden behind Chris Matthews as he promoted a segment on Sen. Barack Obama, saying: "[W]hat did Barack Obama say and why is it causing controversy? Well, we'll take a look at that fight that erupted today over something Barack said on the campaign trail." Matthews later stated, "You may have noticed a graphic over my shoulder -- a picture we showed over my shoulder -- that was a mistake earlier in the broadcast. We apologize for the error." Matthews provided no further explanation of the error or why it occurred.