Screwball

You hate to see a great talk show host go bad. Few political hosts combine the raw love of politics, evenhanded skepticism, impatience with canned answers, and sheer capacity for spoken-words-per-minute of Chris Matthews. He can be a delight. However, viewers are getting something extra with their Hardball these days: bizarre flights of fancy.

Matthews, a Carter speechwriter and chief of staff to Tip O’Neill, is far from a down-the-line lefty (see, for instance, his charming piece on Ronald Reagan in NR’s June 28 issue). He ripped Clinton during impeachment, mocked Al Gore’s campaigning style, and praised George W. Bush’s post-9/11 leadership. But in the last two years, Matthews has theorized more and more about a sinister “neoconservative” cabal pulling the strings of Bush. While there’s little doubt that conservatives, neo and otherwise, have a strong voice in Oval Office discussions, the Hardball host tends to see the fingerprints of the shadowy neocons near every administration decision and misstep.

About the Author

Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty is the senior political correspondent of National Review.

You hate to see a great talk show host go bad. Few political hosts combine the raw love of politics, evenhanded skepticism, impatience with canned answers, and sheer capacity for spoken-words-per-minute of Chris Matthews. He can be a delight. However, viewers are getting something extra with their Hardball these days: bizarre flights of fancy.

Matthews, a Carter speechwriter and chief of staff to Tip O’Neill, is far from a down-the-line lefty (see, for instance, his charming piece on Ronald Reagan in NR’s June 28 issue). He ripped Clinton during impeachment, mocked Al Gore’s campaigning style, and praised George W. Bush’s post-9/11 leadership. But in the last two years, Matthews has theorized more and more about a sinister “neoconservative” cabal pulling the strings of Bush. While there’s little doubt that conservatives, neo and otherwise, have a strong voice in Oval Office discussions, the Hardball host tends to see the fingerprints of the shadowy neocons near every administration decision and misstep.