Hillarysworld

  BUFFOON ALERT!

MSNBC host Chris Matthews appeared three times on Wednesday’s Today show to lionize Sen. Ted Kennedy, and twice he promoted Barack Obama as the "last brother" of the Kennedy political dynasty. He tried to clarify a little in his appearance in the 10am hour: "I don’t mean that in an ethnic sense or a black sense. I mean a brother of the Kennedy tradition. And I think he’s the new brother, not that last brother."

Rush Limbaugh joked on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be allowed by the media to use the word "brother" to describe Obama. During the 7am half-hour of Today, Matthews suggested Kennedy "took a while to grow up," but portrayed him as the great brother who ran for president not out of power lust, but to bring back the Jack-and-Bobby aura:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Roger Mudd asked him the best journalist question, perhaps of modern times, the hardball down the middle, not the curve ball, not the tricky one. "Why do you want to be president?"It took Ted Kennedy 70 words to get to the answer which was restoration. He just wanted to bring back what Bobby and Jack had given us. He wanted to be his brother's brother. And then he turned that torch over last year to Barack Obama.

And the great thing about the Kennedys is they always grew as a family. They tended to get better as they got older. Some families like the Long family of Louisiana, dissipated. This family got better. The Kennedy commitment to civil rights was almost accidental. It began because of history. '63 and Martin Luther King's march. By Bobby it became passion. By Teddy it became real. And then Teddy turns it over to the first African-American [president] says, "You got the ball." Amazing history. Barack is now the last brother. It's history.

ANN CURRY: That’s a very interesting point to make.

MATTHEWS: It’s history. And he was the great brother.

In the 10am hour, Matthews revised and extended those sappy remarks, to use the legislative parlance:

MATTHEWS: Ted Kennedy, last year, basically designated him [Barack Obama] the new brother and I don’t mean that in an ethnic sense or a black sense. I mean a brother of the Kennedy tradition. And I think he’s the new brother, not that last brother. And I think it’s an interesting, I mean who wouldn’t have liked to have had that torch handed to them? But with that torch comes a big responsibility. You gotta lead. And he’s gonna have to lead the fight now. No more cheerleading from the sidelines. We need a quarterback in the field, if you want health care, eventually.


http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2009/20090826064651.aspx