Chris Matthews took another cheap shot at Democrats on national security last night.
Here's what he said:
"Here we have the president looking like a Democrat in this debate over war and security and the Democrats looking like security-conscious Republicans."
Nice, Chris -- I would have thought that your paycheck from G.E. would be big enough that you wouldn't have to moonlight for the RNC as well.
The transcript is right here (scroll down about half-way to the segment with Bob Shrum (who didn't challenge the cheap shot).
My letter to Matthews is below the fold, along with his e-mail address, in case you want to write him too.
To : hardball@msnbc.com
Cc :
Attchmnt:
Subject : Cheap shot at Democrats last night
----- Message Text -----
Chris,
I'm a regular viewer of your show and a Democrat, and I just wanted to let you know that I thought your off-hand remark last night that Bush's incompetence on port security made him look like a Democrat was not only a
cheap shot, but was also factually untrue.
In introducing your segment with Bob Shrum and Ed Rogers, you said:
"Here we have the president looking like a Democrat in this debate over war and security and the Democrats looking like security-conscious Republicans."
The truth is, in this mess Bush looks exactly like a Republican.
Since September 11th the Bush administration has repeatedly refused to take up the issue of port security; it has been Democrats that have vainly attempted to raise the issue and do something about it. I know you were
around during the 2004 Campaign -- it's impossible for me to imagine that you failed to notice the constant references to port security in John Kerry's speeches.
The truth of the matter is that Democrats have been trying to do something about port security ever since 9/11 and their efforts have been stifled every step of the way by the Bush administration and by the Republican leadership in the House.
Bush's gaffe in this morning's cabinet meeting was telling. He said "This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." That's exactly right. If Bush were really
concerned about America's security, not only would this deal not have gone through, but he and congressional Republicans would have joined their Democratic colleagues in strengthening port security long before now.
That is what makes this whole scandal so deeply embarrassing for the White House and why you see congressional Republicans squealing like stuck pigs -- THEY ARE VULNERABLE ON THIS ISSUE!!
I enjoy your show and appreciate the fact that you are usually as good as your word when you say you are equally tough on all your guests (with the very notable exceptions of Tom DeLay and John McCain), but your constant, unjustified, cheap shots at Democrats on national security matters are unprofessional and dishonest. Thanks for your time,
-- Joel Bloom
(Cross-posted at MyDD)