Spitball Army

I have no hesitation telling anyone that I enjoy watching Hardball with Chris Matthews.  Folks that have engaged me in political discussions probably know that I greatly admire Matthews for his intelligence and energy and boundless curiosity.  This sometimes throws people because – it seems to me – the same attributes I admire in Matthews are characteristics that annoy the hell out of them (especially the over-the-top energy and shrillness of his speech).  But I am a Chris Matthews fan, and I do believe that he attempts to be a universalist and non-partisan on his show, even though he fails at that from time to time.  He is also a history buff, and demonstrates frequently how well he knows his stuff.  I’d hate to have to face him in a debate.

Last night, he rhetorically eviscerated Kevin James, a conservative squawk show host, by calling him out on not knowing the historical facts to back up his comparison of Barack Obama to Neville Chamberlain.  The exchange had me practically hiding my eyes behind my hands.  It’s a classic.

The full segment is contained here, and runs nearly ten minutes.  The first four minutes are great fun but, if you want to skip directly to the fireworks, begin around 3’55: