But with the air cleared, Maher wasn’t going to leave it there. He continued rambling on, about mercury and teeth and H1N1 and polio. It was a lecture, not a discussion. “What are you talking about?” asked guest Chris Matthews of MSNBC. “Why are you doing all this, why are you fighting this fight?”

While stumbling through an answer, Matthews continued pushing back – hitting Maher where he knew it would hurt. “This is like Tom Cruise arguing this,” said Matthews. “You’re like Tom Cruise saying I don’t believe in therapy.”