“How dare you?” Fleischer and Matthews hammer each other over Bush, Iraq

posted at 6:52 pm on March 11, 2009 by Allahpundit

The pretext for this moldy talking-points rehash is today’s Politico piece on the efforts of Bush loyalists like Fleischer to rehabilitate Dubya’s legacy. Nothing here you haven’t heard several thousand times before on Hardball, but with Glenn Beck drubbing MSNBC even more than usual at 5 p.m., Matthews has to do something to goose the ratings. So here’s the inevitable showdown, which turns entertainingly nasty about four minutes in when Chris dumps on Bush’s counterterror legacy and Ari’s patience goes up in smoke. Twelve minutes of simmering hostility later, Matthews finally gets to deliver this summa on preemptive war on behalf of his pal “Barack”:

And I am glad that we no longer have an administration that uses that kind of argument… And the American people are happier, too. They are, I can assure you. We don’t like that thinking anymore in this country.

Given the predictable badgering and interruptions, Fleischer stays surprisingly cool and does a solid job parrying the thrust about advance intel on 9/11. Note the stagehands laughing at 8:10 when he demands to get a word in edgewise. Doesn’t he know which show he’s on?


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Comment pages: 1 2 3

Mathews is blessed (sorry Allah) with a big mouth but a small brain. Civility is reserved only for Howard Fineman (sp?) or any NYT op ed writer. Sycophant POS

Fuquay Steve on March 12, 2009 at 10:57 AM

“under Bush’s watch”…..”under Bush’s watch”…….. “under Bush’s watch”…..”under Bush’s watch” …….

‘cept NOW we’re under Obama’s watch.

Ain’t this gonna be fun!

SondraK on March 12, 2009 at 10:59 AM

Libtards like Matthews will NEVER stop pretending we invaded Iraq solely because of WMDs.

Speedwagon82 on March 12, 2009 at 11:00 AM

Does a Democrat controlled Congress exist in Chris Matthews’ world or does he think Bush had a big lever in his office labeled “The Economy” that he just forgot to pull in 2008?

Speedwagon82 on March 12, 2009 at 11:14 AM

What exactly does that 20 percent middle of the road voter want to hear ?

kangjie on March 12, 2009 at 9:36 AM
———-
It would appear that they wanted to hear what Obama was selling and wanted nothing whatsoever to do with what McCain was selling.

Dave Rywall on March 12, 2009 at 9:43 AM

So are you saying you are not part of the 20 percent middle of the road voter?
Where exactly do you fall on the scale. I need to know this before I can give your advice and credence.
Why should we take advice from a lib about what the middle of the road voter wants?

kangjie on March 12, 2009 at 12:29 PM

Fleischer the unflappable. BRAVO!

I sure missed him when he left the Whitehouse. Making a side by side comparison of Ari next to Gibbs is laughable.

silenced majority on March 12, 2009 at 12:35 PM

Funny, it has now been over 5 hours and my comment still has not shown up in Hardball’s comment section. Every comment that is showing is from a liberal (suprise, suprise!). I guess free speech does not apply to Mr. Matthews’ site if you do not agree with him!

http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/11/1832929.aspx?CommentPosted=true#commentmessage

cat in FL on March 12, 2009 at 2:26 PM

…..get Off your frickin knees Matthew’

try again later on March 12, 2009 at 2:33 PM

what a complete and utter tool matthews is…

fleisher always was the consumate professional – Gibbs could learn a lot from watching those tapes…

blish on March 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM

There it is at 4:40 in. Matthews boasts that we were attacked on 9/11 on George Bush’s watch. Remember this. When we get hit again-and we will get hit again- let’s see how this standard of blaming changes.

carbon_footprint on March 11, 2009 at 7:11 PM

Yep, that left-tard meme is the one that pisses me off the most! It’s absurd, ridiculous, and it’s an out-and-out lie! Anyone with half a brain knows it was the previous pacifist Clintoon administration that failed miserably when it came to getting OBL (e.g. Sandy Burger) and going after AQ when they knew damn well something was up!

But hey, at least Clintoon gave us that wonderful budget surplus he was always bragging about, its just too bad the loony-left have no clue what that surplus (obtained by gutting our military and intellience capabilities) truly cost our nation, and that cost was 9-11!

So Chrissy “I got my head so far up THE ONE’s azz I can’t think straight” Mathews, while it’s true 9-11 happened while Bush was in office but the blame for not stopping AQ and OBL rests clearly on the shoulders of the Clintoon administration! Slick Willy knows this and if the lefty panty-waists were ever honest with themselves they too would know the truth…but aswe all know they can’t handle the truth!

F-Off Chrissy, and get some vagisil for that pu**y of yours!

Liberty or Death on March 12, 2009 at 3:14 PM

At 1:40, Matthews says something about leaving the economy in our hands, meaning democrats. Way to be objective Chrissy!

PappaMac on March 12, 2009 at 3:51 PM

I bet there is a giant puddle of spit in front of Chrissy’s desk from his tirade @ 12:45.
I think Ari did a fine job explaining history to her.
Well done Ari.

Geronimo on March 12, 2009 at 6:59 PM

Well it has now passed 12 hours since I posted my comments in the “Hardblogger” comments section of Mr. Matthews Hardball site. Although there have been quite a few comments posted, they all seem to agree with Mr. Matthews and my comments do not show up for some reason. I can only assume the sanctimonious ass will not allow a dissenting view (nah, his staff probably doesnt want wittle Chrissies feelings hurt, WAH!).

cat in FL on March 12, 2009 at 9:19 PM

I just got around to watching this (stupid, stuPID streaming firewall at work)…WTF…Chrissy is such a freakin’ tool… all this “we inherited”…does he have a mouse in his pocket or what?

ladyingray on March 13, 2009 at 6:55 PM

Comment pages: 1 2 3