Free Republic

He has, Chris; he has . . . Chris Matthews claims that for purposes of the 2012 campaign, Barack Obama needs to offer an alternative to capitalism. Along the way, Matthews, on his MSNBC show this evening, offered a completely crazed notion of what capitalism is about. Chris clearly never cracked 'The Wealth of Nations' back at Holy Cross. Does the Invisible Hand ring a bell, Chris? View video here.

Mike Barnicle has greeted Newt Gingrich's announcement of his presidential candidacy with a sneer, calling the former Speaker of the House "a delusional loser." The former Kennedy-clan retainer and Boston Globe columnist seasoned his attack with some snobbery, disparaging Gingrich's educational background. Barnicle spewed his bile on today's Morning Joe. View video here.

Mika Brzezinski might be horrified by a hand-tossed pizza, but she's completely unfazed by the 2012 Republican presidential field. The Morning Joe co-host today disdainfully dismissed the GOP White House hopefuls, categorically stating "they can't win." Mika made her triumphal declaration during a panel discussion of Republican primary prospects. Pat Buchanan countered with the '92 historical analogy. View video here.

Larry O'Donnell has named Tim Pawlenty as the only "plausible" Republican candidate for president in 2012. Take it for what it's worth. And consider that O'Donnell was almost surely seeking to sow dissension in Republican ranks. Caveats carefully in place, consider the reasons O'Donnell dinged all the other possible nominees. View video here.

Okay, the dust has settled and even rank-and-file democrats know that Sarah Palin and others on the right had nothing to do with the massacre in Tucson on January 8, 2011. Yet we know the attacks on Palin won’t stop. We get that. Thank you media, for detailing for us how irrelevant she is by taking the only meaningful statement on the matter - a 7+ minute video and text message - and reducing it to a record breaking two-word sound bite. Priceless. But some of us also know there only one reason the media and the left can continue...

Saying that a woman engaged in feline fisticuffs might be called sexist. But when that woman actually accuses another of seeking to "claw" critics, illustrating her assertion with a cat-like hand gesture, well . . . It's no secret that Nicolle Wallace is no fan of Sarah Palin. But the former Bush communications director and McCain campaign aide perhaps took things to another level with her attack on Palin on today's Morning Joe. [snip] Wallace unleashed a hail of criticism of her own: * "Mistakes were made [by McCain in choosing Palin]." * "Her troubling deficiencies." * "Her incredible cynicism,...

Joe Scarborough has a decidedly cynical take on Sarah Palin's public musings about the possibility of a 2012 presidential run. The Morning Joe host asserts that Palin knows she can't win and won't run. According to Scarborough, Palin is in it for the money, and is engaging in open speculation about a run for the mercenary purpose of keeping her brand alive. Joe offered his jaded view on today's Morning Joe after the show aired a clip of Palin telling Barbara Walters that she believed she could defeat Pres. Obama. View video after the jump.

Gee, I wonder which network Joe had in mind . . . Joe Scarborough likes Haley Barbour. But he doesn't like the "optics" of the southern governor running for president against Barack Obama. He's worried that "certain networks" would "maul" the man Scarborough referred to as "Boss Hog." [H/t reader Ray R.] Interestingly, both the Politico's Jim VandeHei and Tina Brown of the Daily Beast were able to see more of an upside for Haley. VandeHei saw him as best among Republicans at articulating conservative principles, while Brown described the hands-on governor's potential as the "un-Barack." It was also revealing...

Mika Brzezinski wants to "cut the crap" when it comes to building speculation as to whether Sarah Palin will run for president in 2012. According to Mika, Palin's candidacy is a done deal, and the press is letting itself be sucked into a phony build-up. Mika is so sure that Sarah is running that on today's Morning Joe she was willing to wager a dubious Jonathan Capehart $1,000. Brzezinski's comments came in response to Politico's report, highlighted by Mike Allen, that Palin has raised significant money and built a nascent campaign staff. View video here.

An unexpected prediction, and an even more surprising admission from Chris Matthews this morning . . . Appearing on Morning Joe, the Hardball host predicted that Sarah Palin would seek the Republican presidential nomination, and painted a path to victory for her. In a moment of candor, Matthews admitted that "the media will try to destroy her, of course." Matthews made his comments in the course of a pre-taped Mojo Midterm Exam segment that aired on today's Morning Joe. View video here.

Bob Schieffer predicts that Newt Gingrich will make a run for the presidency and Sara Palin won’t. Appearing on The Early Show today, Schieffer saw Palin’s resignation as Alaska governor as too big of a political obstacle in the primaries. Here’s how the Face The Nation host imagined a GOP primary opponent putting it to Palin in a debate: View video here.