Chris Matthews Agrees With Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is gloating just a leetle, and rightly so. Less than a week has passed since Chris Matthews kicked her off Hardball for suggesting that the wound that gave rise to John Kerry’s first enemy marksmanship award Purple Heart may have been self-inflicted, and now the Kerry camp is conceding that it may be true. Matthews isn’t admitting he’s wrong, of course; rather, he’s sticking to the words he put in Malkin’s mouth to claim that she claimed Kerry had deliberately “shot himself” (with a grenade?!). That charge is indeed “without merit and baseless,” as Matthews rightly claims. It’s also a figment of Matthews’s imagination. Pat Buchanan attempted to make this point in a more recent show. After being interrupted four times (by Matthews, who else?), Buchanan finally made his point, which was that Malkin was simply pointing out that Kerry’s first injury may have been self-inflicted, by a grenade that had hit the rocks in front of him. To which Matthews responded:
Right.
I’m tempted to stop right there, seeing as Matthews has just expressed every bit as much assent for Pat Buchanan’s agreement that Malkin as Malkin herself had appeared to endorse for Matthews’s strawman, despite the fact that Matthews, unlike Malkin, was not bullied into expressing it. Much as I’d love to dowdify Dowd or give Matthews the Matthews treatment, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’ll be more gracious to Matthews that Matthews is to his own guests, and allow him to finish his statement:
Of course we all know that kind of thing happens in war. The question is, was it purposely—did he purposefully shoot himself or not? That was the question that was being suggested by that discussion.
That was indeed the phony issue Matthews himself kept bringing up out of nowhere, but it is not the issue raised by the the Swift Vets, nor was it an issue Malkin was attempting to raise while he repeatedly interrupted her. The non-issue of whether or not Kerry deliberately shot himself, or whether it is even possible to “shoot” oneself with a grenade, is purely a figment of Matthews’s imagination. Had he taken the time to read the book, or even allowed Malkin to get a word in edgewise, he’d know that the real issue is whether or not Kerry earned his first Purple Heart. If he was wounded by enemy fire, or even by friendly fire in a combat situation, he did. If his wounds were self-inflicted during a non-combat situation - purposely, accidentally, or otherwise - he didn’t. The end.
Clearly, the story about Kerry’s allegedly self-inflicted wounds has more legs than Matthews thought when he ambushed Malkin. At this stage, he has only two credible options. One is to apologize profusely for his inexcusable behavior, both in baiting and switching Malkin into discussing the topic she had not originally come to discuss, and for browbeating her into apparently endorsing a strawman rather than discussing the real issue at hand. The other is to stick to his guns, and continue to kick off all guests - Kerry campaigners included - who continue to advance the notion that any of Kerry’s wounds may have been self-inflicted. Personally, I hope he takes the latter option. If he does, soon his show will have even fewer guests than viewers.
August 24th, 2004 at 2:29 pm
The Kerry haters could have easily just said that Kerry’s injury was accidentally caused by himself. I just don’t buy the idea that the swift boat ad people aren’t trying to imply that it was intentional as part of a plan.
August 24th, 2004 at 2:33 pm
Buy or don’t buy what you want. I haven’t read the book yet, and I suspect you haven’t, either. What I have gleaned from those who have is that Kerry fudged matters to get a Purple Heart he hadn’t earned. I haven’t heard anyone argue that he deliberately injured himself, let alone that he “shot” himself with a grenade. Matthews simply made that up.
August 24th, 2004 at 3:13 pm
Purple Heart medals are not awarded for injury’s inflicted absent combat conditions. They are awarded for meritorious service under combat conditions..i.e. for VALOR during a time of actual combat. A PH can still be made if the wound or injury was accidental or self-inflicted. But it cannot be awarded for accidental injury absent conditions necessary for valor. The story re: Kerry indicates he was not under gun fire at the time of this injury. That’s okay because it’s all Bush’s fault anyway. Right ?
August 24th, 2004 at 6:19 pm
I’m just wondering when the Kerry campaign is going to start paying royalties to M*A*S*H for using the Frank Burns character as their candidate.
August 24th, 2004 at 6:20 pm
To borrow an XRLQism: Crow, it’s what’s for dinner
August 24th, 2004 at 9:18 pm
I’m in full agreement with you, Jeff, about Matthews.
I’ve heard the recording of Matthews’ badgering of Malkin at least twice. Rush Limbaugh has accurately described Matthews as being “unhinged” during the interview. The guy was not merely rude, obnoxious, and unfair—he was out of control.
He was bullying her, cutting her off, and talking over her to the point where she could no longer get out anything beyond one-word answers. In the midst of his hounding of her she at some point said “yes” when she should have said “no.” It’s as though he was trolling for a sound bite, pummeling her until she stumbled upon the response he was looking for.
I’m sure she at no point intended to state that Kerry intentionally wounded himself, and I don’t fault her for getting momentarily confused during Matthew’s pit bull style verbal frenzy.
Jeff, your conclusion pretty much sums it up …
August 24th, 2004 at 10:04 pm
If Matthews was badgering her, well, it’s a style I’ve seen Sean Hannity use many times.
August 24th, 2004 at 10:31 pm
What’s your point?
August 25th, 2004 at 10:16 am
My point is that people of both the left and right have a tendency to think their own crap doesn’t stink.
August 25th, 2004 at 10:37 am
Chris Matthews, Dickhead
Chris Matthews is a dick….
August 25th, 2004 at 11:08 am
All true, but I don’t see anyone doing that in this discussion. The thread is about Chris Matthews’s bad behavior, not yours, mine, Sean Hannity’s, or anyone else’s. Matthews’s crap doesn’t stink any less just because Hannity’s does also.
August 25th, 2004 at 12:06 pm
I’d like to inflict some damage on chris matthew’s self. A 150 mph two by four right around his mouth area would be poetic justice, and good tv too. Just think how viewers would cheer as that asshole took a shot not unlike the chairshot Geraldo Rivera took years ago. Matthews is an incompetent, rude, obnoxious, ill-mannered, boisterous, dickhead. I wish someone would chop that asshole up. What he did to Malkin deserves retribution…maybe
Bob Dole ought to pay a vist and bitchslap him.
August 25th, 2004 at 1:35 pm
Or maybe people should just stop watching Hard Bawl. Although, I don’t know how bad your ratings have to be to get dropped from a network no one watches anyway.
August 26th, 2004 at 7:51 pm
The Kerry Grill: New SVBT; Link Roundup
The Kerry Grill - where news about John Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is seared - seared! - into your memory The new Swift Boat Veterans for Truth released their new ad, “Never in Cambodia.” The script is available of you have a slow co…
September 17th, 2004 at 10:58 am
Kerry is a kommie. Matthews is a maggot-sissy. Klinton (both the dress-stainning, sax-blowin, first black president and the most intelligent (and beautiful, I might humbly add) womBman in the world are liberal vomit. Right!
And I would like to take my 1 honestly earned PH and force it slowly it up each one of these here demo-holes one at a time.
John P. McKenzie Cosby, TN
PS: I could knock out “Hardball” Matthews with one punch in less than 1 minute. And if that panty-waist and panty-WASTE jackass wants me to prove it somebody call me 1 423 487 3878. I will travel to him at my expense.
Kerry is a damned EM-BARE-ASS-MENT to every American except Jane Fonda and diehard demo-holes.
Watch “IN HARM’s WAY”. Kerry is the self-serving, political scumbag Navy Commander (played by James Colburn) whom Commander Eddington (Kirk Douglas) slapped accross the smug face and the “hero-hack” did not retaliate “only because it would besmirch the uniform”.
And by the damned way if the self-serving, Jane Fonda sniffing ketchup heiress serving billionaire/demo-hole wants a little of this 60 y/o Vietnam 101 grunt call 1 423 487 3878 and I’ll knock his candy loving, JFK imatating, Kennedy ugly ass all over the floor. Any time, Any where, anyhow!
September 17th, 2004 at 11:29 am
:twisted::evil::grin::idea::oops::razz::mad::roll::roll::whip::mad::lol::eek::mrgreen::smile::neutral::twisted::arrow::shock::smile::???::cool::evil::roll::razz::whip:
8/24/2004
Chris Matthews Agrees With Michelle Malkin
Filed under: Liberal Morons 2004 Election People Unclear On The Concept by Xrlq @ 2:14 pm
Michelle Malkin is gloating just a leetle, and rightly so. Less than a week has passed since Chris Matthews kicked her off Hardball for suggesting that the wound that gave rise to John Kerry’s first enemy marksmanship award Purple Heart may have been self-inflicted, and now the Kerry camp is conceding that it may be true. Matthews isn’t admitting he’s wrong, of course; rather, he’s sticking to the words he put in Malkin’s mouth to claim that she claimed Kerry had deliberately “shot himself” (with a grenade?!). That charge is indeed “without merit and baseless,” as Matthews rightly claims. It’s also a figment of Matthews’s imagination. Pat Buchanan attempted to make this point in a more recent show. After being interrupted four times (by Matthews, who else?), Buchanan finally made his point, which was that Malkin was simply pointing out that Kerry’s first injury may have been self-inflicted, by a grenade that had hit the rocks in front of him. To which Matthews responded:
Right.
I’m tempted to stop right there, seeing as Matthews has just expressed every bit as much assent for Pat Buchanan’s agreement that Malkin as Malkin herself had appeared to endorse for Matthews’s strawman, despite the fact that Matthews, unlike Malkin, was not bullied into expressing it. Much as I’d love to dowdify Dowd or give Matthews the Matthews treatment, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’ll be more gracious to Matthews that Matthews is to his own guests, and allow him to finish his statement:
Of course we all know that kind of thing happens in war. The question is, was it purposely—did he purposefully shoot himself or not? That was the question that was being suggested by that discussion.
That was indeed the phony issue Matthews himself kept bringing up out of nowhere, but it is not the issue raised by the the Swift Vets, nor was it an issue Malkin was attempting to raise while he repeatedly interrupted her. The non-issue of whether or not Kerry deliberately shot himself, or whether it is even possible to “shoot” oneself with a grenade, is purely a figment of Matthews’s imagination. Had he taken the time to read the book, or even allowed Malkin to get a word in edgewise, he’d know that the real issue is whether or not Kerry earned his first Purple Heart. If he was wounded by enemy fire, or even by friendly fire in a combat situation, he did. If his wounds were self-inflicted during a non-combat situation - purposely, accidentally, or otherwise - he didn’t. The end.
Clearly, the story about Kerry’s allegedly self-inflicted wounds has more legs than Matthews thought when he ambushed Malkin. At this stage, he has only two credible options. One is to apologize profusely for his inexcusable behavior, both in baiting and switching Malkin into discussing the topic she had not originally come to discuss, and for browbeating her into apparently endorsing a strawman rather than discussing the real issue at hand. The other is to stick to his guns, and continue to kick off all guests - Kerry campaigners included - who continue to advance the notion that any of Kerry’s wounds may have been self-inflicted. Personally, I hope he takes the latter option. If he does, soon his show will have even fewer guests than viewers.
16 Comments »
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The Kerry haters could have easily just said that Kerry’s injury was accidentally caused by himself. I just don’t buy the idea that the swift boat ad people aren’t trying to imply that it was intentional as part of a plan.
Comment by Joel Thomas — 8/24/2004 @ 2:29 pm
Buy or don’t buy what you want. I haven’t read the book yet, and I suspect you haven’t, either. What I have gleaned from those who have is that Kerry fudged matters to get a Purple Heart he hadn’t earned. I haven’t heard anyone argue that he deliberately injured himself, let alone that he “shot” himself with a grenade. Matthews simply made that up.
Comment by Xrlq — 8/24/2004 @ 2:33 pm
Purple Heart medals are not awarded for injury’s inflicted absent combat conditions. They are awarded for meritorious service under combat conditions..i.e. for VALOR during a time of actual combat. A PH can still be made if the wound or injury was accidental or self-inflicted. But it cannot be awarded for accidental injury absent conditions necessary for valor. The story re: Kerry indicates he was not under gun fire at the time of this injury. That’s okay because it’s all Bush’s fault anyway. Right ?
Comment by Nanuk — 8/24/2004 @ 3:13 pm
I’m just wondering when the Kerry campaign is going to start paying royalties to M*A*S*H for using the Frank Burns character as their candidate.
Comment by caltechgirl — 8/24/2004 @ 6:19 pm
To borrow an XRLQism: Crow, it’s what’s for dinner
Comment by SayUncle — 8/24/2004 @ 6:20 pm
I’m in full agreement with you, Jeff, about Matthews.
I’ve heard the recording of Matthews’ badgering of Malkin at least twice. Rush Limbaugh has accurately described Matthews as being “unhinged” during the interview. The guy was not merely rude, obnoxious, and unfair—he was out of control.
He was bullying her, cutting her off, and talking over her to the point where she could no longer get out anything beyond one-word answers. In the midst of his hounding of her she at some point said “yes” when she should have said “no.” It’s as though he was trolling for a sound bite, pummeling her until she stumbled upon the response he was looking for.
I’m sure she at no point intended to state that Kerry intentionally wounded himself, and I don’t fault her for getting momentarily confused during Matthew’s pit bull style verbal frenzy.
Jeff, your conclusion pretty much sums it up …
baiting and switching Malkin into discussing the topic she had not originally come to discuss, and […] browbeating her into apparently endorsing a strawman rather than discussing the real issue at hand.
Comment by clark — 8/24/2004 @ 9:18 pm
If Matthews was badgering her, well, it’s a style I’ve seen Sean Hannity use many times.
Comment by Joel Thomas — 8/24/2004 @ 10:04 pm
What’s your point?
Comment by Xrlq — 8/24/2004 @ 10:31 pm
My point is that people of both the left and right have a tendency to think their own crap doesn’t stink.
Comment by Joel Thomas — 8/25/2004 @ 10:16 am
Chris Matthews, Dickhead
Chris Matthews is a dick….
Trackback by The Queen of All Evil — 8/25/2004 @ 10:37 am
All true, but I don’t see anyone doing that in this discussion. The thread is about Chris Matthews’s bad behavior, not yours, mine, Sean Hannity’s, or anyone else’s. Matthews’s crap doesn’t stink any less just because Hannity’s does also.
Comment by Xrlq — 8/25/2004 @ 11:08 am
I’d like to inflict some damage on chris matthew’s self. A 150 mph two by four right around his mouth area would be poetic justice, and good tv too. Just think how viewers would cheer as that asshole took a shot not unlike the chairshot Geraldo Rivera took years ago. Matthews is an incompetent, rude, obnoxious, ill-mannered, boisterous, dickhead. I wish someone would chop that asshole up. What he did to Malkin deserves retribution…maybe
Bob Dole ought to pay a vist and bitchslap him.
Comment by robert grieve — 8/25/2004 @ 12:06 pm
Or maybe people should just stop watching Hard Bawl. Although, I don’t know how bad your ratings have to be to get dropped from a network no one watches anyway.
Comment by Xrlq — 8/25/2004 @ 1:35 pm
The Kerry Grill: New SVBT; Link Roundup
The Kerry Grill - where news about John Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is seared - seared! - into your memory The new Swift Boat Veterans for Truth released their new ad, “Never in Cambodia.” The script is available of you have a slow co…
Trackback by Les Jones Blog — 8/26/2004 @ 7:51 pm
Kerry is a kommie. Matthews is a maggot-sissy. Klinton (both the dress-stainning, sax-blowin, first black president and the most intelligent (and beautiful, I might humbly add) womBman in the world are liberal vomit. Right!
And I would like to take my 1 honestly earned PH and force it slowly it up each one of these here demo-holes one at a time.
John P. McKenzie Cosby, TN
PS: I could knock out “Hardball” Matthews with one punch in less than 1 minute. And if that panty-waist and panty-WASTE jackass wants me to prove it somebody call me 1 423 487 3878. I will travel to him at my expense.
Kerry is a damned EM-BARE-ASS-MENT to every American except Jane Fonda and diehard demo-holes.
Watch “IN HARM’s WAY”. Kerry is the self-serving, political scumbag Navy Commander (played by James Colburn) whom Commander Eddington (Kirk Douglas) slapped accross the smug face and the “hero-hack” did not retaliate “only because it would besmirch the uniform”.
And by the damned way if the self-serving, Jane Fonda sniffing ketchup heiress serving billionaire/demo-hole wants a little of this 60 y/o Vietnam 101 grunt call 1 423 487 3878 and I’ll knock his candy loving, JFK imatating, Kennedy ugly ass all over the floor. Any time, Any where, anyhow!
Comment by john p mckenzie — 9/17/2004 @ 10:58 am
Kerry is a kommie. Matthews is a maggot-sissy. Klinton (both the dress-stainning, sax-blowin, first black president and the most intelligent (and beautiful, I might humbly add) womBman in the world are liberal vomit. Right!
And I would like to take my 1 honestly earned PH and force it slowly it up each one of these here demo-holes one at a time.
John P. McKenzie Cosby, TN
PS: I could knock out “Hardball” Matthews with one punch in less than 1 minute. And if that panty-waist and panty-WASTE jackass wants me to prove it somebody call me 1 423 487 3878. I will travel to him at my expense.
Kerry is a damned EM-BARE-ASS-MENT to every American except Jane Fonda and diehard demo-holes.
Watch “IN HARM’s WAY”. Kerry is the self-serving, political scumbag Navy Commander Broderick?? (played by James Colburn) whom Commander Eddington (Kirk Douglas) slapped accross the smug face and the “hero-hack” did not retaliate “only because it would besmirch the uniform”.
And by the damned way if the self-serving, Jane Fonda sniffing ketchup heiress serving billionaire/demo-hole wants a little of this 60 y/o Vietnam 101 grunt call 1 423 487 3878 and I’ll knock his candy loving, JFK imatating, Kennedy ugly ass all over the floor. Any time, Any where, anyhow!
Comment by john p mckenzie — 9/17/2004 @ 10:59 am
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