On the September 10 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, during a discussion about the recent media attention to Sen. Barack Obama's comment that "[y]ou can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig," co-host Joe Scarborough asked: “Why can't they respond more aggressively, the Obama camp?” Hardball host Chris Matthews responded: “It's very hard to change the subject in this business. You know, we did Chandra Levy for three months. ... [Y]ou know what cable is? You know what it is really, cable television? It's a 500-pound guy looking for a 100-pound burro to get on. And he finds that 100-pound burro and he rides it until it dies. And then it stinks for a couple of weeks, and he's looking around for another 100-pound burro to get on. Another 100-pound burro around here? Now you're riding the lipstick thing today. That's your 100-pound burro." Matthews then said: “I want to ask you, what will we talk about two days from now?” Scarborough replied: “Whatever the McCain campaign wants us to talk about, because the McCain campaign is assertive.”

From the the September 10 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

SCARBOROUGH: Why can't they respond? Why can't they respond more aggressively, the Obama camp?

MATTHEWS: It's very hard to change the subject in this business. You know, we did Chandra Levy for three months. I mean, it's very hard to say -- you know what, you know what cable is? You know what it is really, cable television? It's a 500-pound guy looking for a 100-pound burro to get on. And he finds that 100-pound burro and he rides it until it dies. And then it stinks for a couple of weeks, and he's looking around for another 100-pound burro to get on. Another 100-pound burro around here? Now you're riding the lipstick thing today. That's your 100-pound burro.

SCARBOROUGH: Well, no, I'm not --

MATTHEWS: Now, it'll die, as we said, it'll jump the shark. Two days ago, no, we're all talking about -- you're waving the tabloids around, come on. Two days from now -- I want to ask you, what will we talk about two days from now?

SCARBOROUGH: Whatever the McCain campaign wants us to talk about, because the McCain campaign is assertive. But here's the deal. I don't buy the argument that we're all chasing this because McCain is so evil and Obama is so pure and won't respond, and that we're a 500-pound guy. The -- I have always said --

MATTHEWS: Two-twenty.

SCARBOROUGH: If I'm attacked --

MATTHEWS: Two-twenty.

SCARBOROUGH: -- if I'm attacked, and somebody says I'm sexist, I will go out next day on the campaign trail, I will rip them from limb to limb.

MATTHEWS: But see --

SCARBOROUGH: Hold on, hold on. Let me finish. I will make them, by sundown, beg that I stop talking about it. That's what great candidates do. That's what Bill Clinton did. That's what Ronald Reagan did.