Tweety clarifies "Criminality" remarks from last night

[RamboLiberal]

TVNewser has obtained a portion of Chris Matthews' script from tonight's Hardball. Matthews will read the following copy during the 5pmET edition. It is his response to the criticism he's been receiving today over his remarks last night at the Hardball 10th anniversary party:

Finally, last night we had a great celebration here in Washington of ten years of Hardball. We celebrated the wonders of the First Amendment and our freedom of the press which Americans of all political stripes treasure.

I told the crowd that it hasn't always been easy these past ten years, that politicians don't like to be criticized, that in one case their efforts to silence critics, and to cover up those efforts, got a senior Cheney aide caught up in criminality, indeed, in a conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.

As my hero Eric Severaid once noted, we cannot always be right on the facts, though we must try to be; we cannot always be fair, but we must try to be. But we must always be independent.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/

[DemGa]

1. And about cheney's thugs pressuring his bosses?

Down the memory hole it goes.

[AX10]

2. He got a call.

He has toned down his comments from last night, but the fundamentals of his comment still stands.
I'm waiting for him to get another "call", though he might not back down because it's no longer popular by any means to support *.

[Oceansaway]

3. Tweety needs to

shut the f*ck up and eat another shit sandwich...his only reason for 'changeing' his

tune latley is his stupid book and KO's ratings....give it up Tweets....

YOU SUCK...and your flip-floppin opinion SUCKS too...

[saracat]

5. Did you read his comment/ Sheesh.He is not retracting anything!

[wtmusic]

7. Jon Stewart musta smacked some soul into him nt

[Crabby Appleton]

6. Yep

tweety gives dipshits a bad name.

[TacticalPeek]

9. Oppose this war because it will create a millennium of hatred and the suicidal terrorism that comes

Chris Matthews' newspaper column from September 1, 2002

I remember Sen. Ed Muskie the night he won his last election back in 1976. He'd had some vodka, which I sensed he'd drunk fast -- like a Russian against the winter. He said:

"The only reason to be in politics is to be out there all alone and then be proven right."

That goes for good columnists, too.

So I'll say it: I hate this war that's coming in Iraq. I don't think we'll be proud of it. Oppose this war because it will create a millennium of hatred and the suicidal terrorism that comes with it. You talk about Bush trying to avenge his father. What about the tens of millions of Arab sons who will want to finish a fight we start next spring in Baghdad?

Well, that's it for now. You know where I stand.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/01/IN133269.DTL

He has always opposed the war in Iraq.

[saracat]

4. Interesting. He didn't back down. He didn't retract any of his comments.

[Spinzonner]

8. Did he wake up with an Elephants's head in his bed ?