Matthews: 'Rajiv, Tell Me What a Loser Paul Bremer Was'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Talk about leading the witness . . .

Rajiv Chandrasekaran was the Baghdad bureau chief for the Washington Post during the tenure of Paul Bremer as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in the period succeeding the removal of Saddam Hussein. Chandrasekaran is the author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a book generally critical of Bremer's administration -- but apparently not critical enough for Chris Matthews. Chandrasekaran was Matthews' guest on today's Hardball.

At one point, Matthews launched this vulgar leading question:

"Did this guy blow it? Was he a joke? Was he an arse on a golden horse?"

View video here.

Chandrasekaran gave an answer that was critical in substance but respectful in tone: "I think Bremer will go down as a guy who made an awful lot of controversial decisions that perhaps set us on a path towards some of the mess we find ourselves in today."That wasn't good enough for Matthews. As Chandrasekaran continued to make his case, a frustrated Chris eventually interrupted:

"You act like you didn't tell me all this. I'm reading your damn book. Rajiv, tell me what a loser, a loser, Paul Bremer was over there."

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Matthews ping to Today show list.

[clintonh8r]

Chris-the-Spitter should know a loser when he sees one....IN THE MIRROR.

(By the way, are Chrissy and Fineman engaged yet?)

[Mo1]

Someone needs to adjust Chrissy's meds ... he's really losing it

[Darkwolf377]

I happened to hear a moment of Matthews on Imus (blech), in which he said "MSNBC is becoming a real political network." They have no ratings, so he's decided to jump on the "give 'em red meat" bandwagon, abandoning all pretense of objectivity, since their ratings suck.

[Plains Drifter]

Look at Drudge right now, Chrissy didn't even place in the cable ratings. He and the Breck Boy would make a cute couple.

[Brad from Tennessee]

[Chris-the-Spitter should know a loser when he sees one....IN THE MIRROR.]

With Hardball's abysmal viewer ratings, the guy in the mirror may be the only one listening.

[expatpat]

Hey, I'm a supporter of the Iraq war, and I think Bremer (State Dept. clown) blew it. We should have had a Military Occupation for a while, to root out the bad guys under martial law. We handed control over Iraqi clowns too soon.

[EQAndyBuzz]

If MSNBC gave me a show and 20 thousand for advertising, I would have better ratings then Chrissy within three months.

[expatpat]

Hey, I'm a supporter of the Iraq war, and I think Bremer (State Dept. clown) blew it. We should have had a Military Occupation for a while, to root out the bad guys under martial law. It worked in Germany and Japan. We handed control over to Iraqi clowns too soon.

[finnman69]

Hey Chris. Who's the loser?

Keith Olbermann has better ratings than you.

[Bahbah]

We should have had a Military Occupation for a while, to root out the bad guys under martial law.

Yes. Do not be "sensitive" or politically correct about fighting wars. Check in with the Ethiopians. Brutal, decisive and short is the most humane way to do these hard things.

[NickatNite2003]

It's Crap Matthews stock and trade, to
set up guests with questions tthat are
full of slimy innuendo, and false
assertions, to slander whoever he is
supposedly elicting an uncoached
opinion from.

*Most* of Crap Matthews "questions"
are full of several lies to begin
with.

[MikeA]

The amazing thing is, if you go back and look at what the media pundits were saying at the time they praised Bremer to the skies, being as he was a State Department guy and all and free of the whole "neo con" taint. I bet if you look it up, Chris Matthews was one of those same media elites telling us no one was more qualified than Bremer. I remember most of them saying that at the time as well as many of the op ed writers. Funny how now they've all turned on the guy. But whatever it takes to bash the war!

[expatpat]

Yes, kind of like taking a Band-aid off a hairy limb.

[Godwin1]

Why does anyone watch this guy? He's just another America--hating, disloyal, liberal democrat. He can't WAIT to proclaim an American defeat in Iraq. He worked for a guy--Tip O'Neill-- who did ALL he could to bring about communist victories in El Salvador and Nicaragua. This was at the height of the Cold War, when communist victories in these Third World backwaters would have put additional Soviet military assets into position of strategic advantage. Just as the swollen, corrupt O'Neil would have put us within striking distance of Soviet bombers, his acolyte Matthews would leave us naked before Islamic terror.The impulse to treason dies hard.

[maggief]

Tell me what a loser Hardbowel is in the ratings.

[Nathan _in_Arkansas]

Chris Matthews needs to cease to exist. The guy just talks like he knows everything about how the Iraq war went down. I don't think he's even been to Iraq (I HAVE). Why does he always seem to ask questions that lead people to answer unfavorably about President Bush and the war in Iraq? Why can't a conservative have a valid point of view on his show while liberals get a free pass? Because the guy has an obvious left-wing agenda...and apparently super low ratings.

Anybody have any info on how I can join the vast right-wing conspiracy?

[SwatTeam]

I agree with you. I think we should have left Gen Garner in there and let him do what he did for the Kurds. With the military set up in Baghdad and with Gen Garner's experience I think we would be in an entirely different place right now.I also think the appointment of Paul Bremer was a give in to Colin Powell.

[expatpat]

Yes, it was Powell's consolation prize, I agree. And that gift was one of GW's biggest mistakes.