Chris Matthews Accuses Cheney Of Pressuring MSNBC Brass

[antiimperialist]

Source: The Huffington Post/Washington examiner

Washington Examiner | Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin | October 4, 2007 09:58 PM


Chris Matthews had barely finished praising his colleagues at the 10th anniversary party for his “Hardball” show Thursday night in Washington, D.C. when his remarks turned political and pointed, even suggesting that the Bush administration had "finally been caught in their criminality."

In front of an audience that included such notables as Alan Greenspan, Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Matthews began his remarks by declaring that he wanted to "make some news" and he certainly didn't disappoint. After praising the drafters of the First Amendment for allowing him to make a living, he outlined what he said was the fundamental difference between the Bush and Clinton administrations.

The Clinton camp, he said, never put pressure on his bosses to silence him.

“Not so this crowd,” he added, explaining that Bush White House officials -- especially those from Vice President Cheney's office -- called MSNBC brass to complain about the content of his show and attempted to influence its editorial content. "They will not silence me!" Matthews declared.

"They've finally been caught in their criminality," Matthews continued, although he did not specify the exact criminal behavior to which he referred. He then drew an obvious Bush-Nixon parallel by saying, “Spiro Agnew was not an American hero."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/media/

[MadMaddie]

1. sounds like he feels sorry for himself...

We will never forget Chris, "Your salivating over * in his flight suit...with the packed sock....talking about how he looked and Mission Accomplished"! You helped them to attain the power they have now....so go jump off of a bridge.

You should have been trying to speak up for those that were sounding the warning bells but instead...you carried the talking points for this administration....now that you are trying to speak out you are getting the same treatment....too bad, so sad...no sympathy here.

[aquart]

9. Or how he "wanted to have a beer" with a known alcoholic.

[KansDem]

13. Wasn't he one of those "professional journalists" who gushed at how Bush was another...

FDR, Lincoln, or some other notable president?

Or was it some other media whore...

[tblue37]

21. See my post #20 below for quotes. n/t

[ramapo]

15. Really

He slobbered all over Bush from 2000 until when, last week?

[radiclib]

2. Good for Tweety!

...but what the hell is the story with this guy? I'll never forget a local radio interview in March 2003 when he passionately and articulately declaimed against the impending invasion, while at the same time on TV he was waving the flag for Chimpy. Stephanie Miller calls him the "political crazy-car". Most apt indeed!

[Hepburn]

3. When....

....did Tweety grow some balls?

[Kingofalldems]

4. This needs to be looked into further, Was Russert pressured?

I have noticed Russert concentrates his questions on the RW talking points of the day. This has been going on for years.

[LibDemAlways]

5. I don't think it's coincidental that Tweety's recent

criticism of the Bush Crime Family comes in the wake of Keith O's growing popularity and ratings. Tweety, unfortunately, has his finger in the wind. Whatever the popular sentiment is, he'll go with that.

[aquart]

10. Which, at the least, should make us cheerful indeed.

[Supersedeas]

27. clinging greedily to KO's coattails -- Tweety will always be Mr Superficial

[Ian David]

6. Fair enough! NARF!! n/t

[sallyseven]

7. Too little too late.

Dump pat buchanan and cloulter and we can talk.

[pattmarty]

8. He's a shitbag. All of a sudden he's gonna get on the "right side"?

[d_b]

11. A flaming shitbag

like this

[sarcasmo]

12. Will this bring another investigation of this corrupt administration?

[Trillo]

14. Perhaps this is a singular point upon which both left and right can agree.

1) Censor censorship.

[judaspriestess]

16. oh puhlease, go drool all over yourself tweety

you voted for bushie in 2000 you are an enabler.

[mitchum]

17. You don't need to be Tip O'Neill's bag handler to know which way the wind is blowing

Tweety is just an opportunist

[Swamp Rat]

18. Watch Jon Stewart calls Tweety a fascist:

:D ... in a roundabout way. See near the end:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/10/03/the-daily-show-chris-matthews-book-about-sadness/

:D

[David Zephyr]

19. So Tweety, where were you when Dan Rather was crucified by the White House? Where were you then?

While I am glad to see that Matthews, who screamed that Al Gore "an idiot" in 2000, has finally come around after being on the receiving end of the White House's payback pathology, he might want to offer up an apology for his silence during the wicked and orchestrated destruction of Dan Rather's career and reputation.

Dan Rather is a hero.

[tblue37]

20. Would that be part of what Matthews considers Bush's "sunny nobility" that

makes him so "likable" that only a "whack-job" leftwing fringe fails to succumb to his charm and like the fellow, gosh darn! We all so want to have a beer with him, doncha know.

Some quotes from Matthews, via Think Progress (http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/09/matthews-bush-monologue/):

– “We’re proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who’s physical.” <5/1/03>

– “Sometimes it glimmers with this man, our president, that kind of sunny nobility.” <10/25/05>

– “I like him. Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left.” <11/28/05>

– “A little bit of Lincoln there, I think,” referring to Bush finally admitting that telling Iraqi insurgents to “bring it on” in 2003 “sent the wrong signal to people.” <5/25/06>

[Bluebear]

22. Fine time to say it, AFTER he drank the AquaVelva. nt

[Fluffdaddy]

23. I like Matthews And never miss HARDBALL.

Best of the 3 cable news shows

[chill_wind]

24. Is this a first time for Matthews? Scarborough has reported the same thing.

from way back. Getting calls from the WH while he was on the air when he was actively critical of moves the WH made (the Miers nomination stands out in my mind as one of those times.) He was visibly very angry. This apparantly more common than goes reported. Not that I'm a Scarborough fan, but--- freaking WH goons!

Wonder if Dobbs or Cafferty ever get any phone calls in the middle of their shows. Not quite everything they say is always real flattering of the regime either.

[sutz12]

25. I have to give Scarborough some props...

Sometimes he actually sounds like a traditional conservative that wants his party back.

[Stinky The Clown]

26. Chrissy, Chrissy, Chrissy ....... *You're* the one who had a man crush on these criminals

*You're* the one who got visibly orgasmic as the Bush boy landed on that carrier. Was it the cod piece, Chrissy?

*You*re* the one who praises these criminals when they grace your miserable show with their lying presence.

*You're* the one who gave a blow job to Jack Welch so you could be in the Vinyeard/Hamptons in crowd.

*You* Chrissy. *You*

*You're* an enabler.

o/~ Don't cry for me Chrissy Matthews ...... o/~

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. As much as Tweety pissed me of, has pissed me off over the years by his bullshit cheerleading and

ass kissing for this administration, I am THRILLED that he is speaking out against them now! While I think he may have an agenda here (KO beating his ass in the ratings with his LONE Liberal voice on Teevee), I welcome anyone speaking out against these murderous THUGS.

[DemGa]

29. I really love to see him bring out the facts nationally

I feel it's too much to ask though.

[youthere]

30. kicking

[harpboy_ak]

31. And Friday night he was praising Guiliani?

Friday night he was praising Guiliani for being an "East Coast tough guy" who can get the votes of those "dese, dose, dem" guys. And he tells a female right wing talk show host that he likes her because she also came from a big Catholic family. Talk about someone who's waaaaay overly full of himself. Now he's out pimping his new book about how life is a political campaign. Someone, please get on his show and deflate this giant egomaniac in public!

Ah, fuggedaboutit!