Following Senator John Edwards's (D-NC) speech at the Democratic National Convention, a special edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews featured a post-speech analysis by Howard Fineman (Newsweek chief political correspondent and NBC News analyst) and Andrea Mitchell (NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent) that resembled Republican talking points questioning Edwards's foreign policy experience.

The following exchange took place between Mitchell, Fineman, and MSNBC Scarborough Country host and former U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough (R-FL) on the July 28 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

FINEMAN: The only moment I wondered about [in the speech] was when John Edwards looked in the camera and said to Al Qaeda: “We will destroy you.”

MITCHELL: It did not ring...

FINEMAN: If that's the measure, you want [Vice President] Dick Cheney.

SCARBOROUGH: You sure do!

FINEMAN: If the word is destruction.

MITCHELL: There's a real stature gap there. Exactly.

A reader tip contributed to this report. Thanks and keep them coming!