Chris Matthews Loses It Altogether

I heard Chris Matthews say this the other day but I didn't comment on it because, frankly, I couldn't believe my ears: In defending the United Arab Emirates port deal, Bush is emerging as a hero in the mold of Atticus Finch?! (Atticus Finch, you recall, is the liberal southern lawyer played by Gregory Peck in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, recently named as the number one movie hero of all time.)

Let's acknowledge that Bush, like Finch, can be given credit for sticking to a position despite popular disapproval. But don't we have to take the substance of the issue into account? Bush is insisting that a group of oil-rich businessmen have every right to complete a multi-billion-dollar deal to manage import/export facilities halfway around the globe. How similar is that, exactly, to defending a poor Black man from an angry southern town that has unjustly accused him of raping a white woman? Does it take as much courage for a president to brush aside criticism from members of Congress as it takes for a lone, unarmed family man to face down a lynch mob carrying shotguns?

Hey, we all say silly things from time to time. If I was on TV every day I'd utter a few lulus, I'm sure. But this isn't just silly--it's borderline nuts.

Tags: Chris Matthews, Bush, ports, Atticus Finch