After blasting press for yukking it up with “the people they're charged with covering,” will Matthews challenge Russert on Gridiron dinner?

Written by Ryan Chiachiere

Published

Chris Matthews lambasted journalists for laughing at and applauding President Bush's performance at the March 8 Gridiron Club dinner. Matthews stated, “If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reporters -- the best of them -- laughing at events and political acts that warrant anything -- I mean anything -- but laughter.” Several of Matthews' colleagues reportedly attended the Gridiron Club dinner, including NBC's Tim Russert and Andrea Mitchell.

On the March 11 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews lambasted journalists for laughing at and applauding President Bush's performance at the March 8 Gridiron Club dinner, an annual white-tie event of the Gridiron Club where elected officials and members of the press dine and listen to humorous speeches and skits. Matthews stated, “If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reporters -- the best of them -- laughing at events and political acts that warrant anything -- I mean anything -- but laughter,” later adding, “Otherwise, I'm sure it was an enjoyable get-together between journalists and the people they're charged with covering.” Matthews played a Youtube video of Bush singing a parody of "Green, Green Grass of Home," which Matthews said was taken with a cell phone during the dinner. In the song, Bush referred to “Harriet,” Harriet Miers, former White House counsel and a Bush nominee for the Supreme Court; “Brownie,” former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Michael Brown; and “Scooter,” former vice-presidential chief of staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak investigation -- who, Bush sang, is “finally free of the prosecutor.”

Several of Matthews' colleagues reportedly attended the Gridiron Club dinner, including, according to a March 10 Washington Times article, NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert and NBC News chief foriegn affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell. An April 1, 2007, Washington Post article reported that Russert was admitted as a member of the club in 2006.

After playing the video, during which laughter from the audience was audible, Matthews commented:

MATTHEWS: Well, that was quite a hoot. All that joking by the president about Brownie, the guy in charge of the New Orleans disaster, and, of course, Scooter Libby, the guy involved in a CIA cover-up. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reporters -- the best of them -- laughing at events and political acts that warrant anything -- I mean anything -- but laughter.

There is nothing, nothing funny about Bush's reference to Brownie, that disastrous appointment followed by that catastrophic handling of the Katrina horror in New Orleans. Nothing funny about a war fought for bad intelligence and a top aide, Scooter Libby, who committed perjury and obstruction of justice to cover it up. Nothing funny about a president who commuted that sentence to keep the cover-up protected. Otherwise, I'm sure it was an enjoyable get-together between journalists and the people they're charged with covering.

From the March 11 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: YouTube. Once again, it means you are there. It also means that a moment otherwise lost to time is trapped for relentless viewing. I'm talking about the cell phone that caught President Bush's performance at a closed-door, white-tie dinner here last weekend. Here he is -- leader of the free world, conqueror of Afghanistan and Iraq.

BUSH [singing, video clip]: [L]ike the big fuss you made over Harriet and Brownie. Down the lane I look and here comes Scooter, finally free of the prosecutor. Yes, you're all going to miss me, the way you used to quiz me. But soon I'll touch the brown, brown grass of home.

MATTHEWS: Well, that was quite a hoot. All that joking by the president about Brownie, the guy in charge of the New Orleans disaster, and, of course, Scooter Libby, the guy involved in a CIA cover-up. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reporters -- the best of them -- laughing at events and political acts that warrant anything -- I mean anything -- but laughter.

There is nothing, nothing funny about Bush's reference to Brownie, that disastrous appointment followed by that catastrophic handling of the Katrina horror in New Orleans. Nothing funny about a war fought for bad intelligence and a top aide, Scooter Libby, who committed perjury and obstruction of justice to cover it up. Nothing funny about a president who commuted that sentence to keep the cover-up protected. Otherwise, I'm sure it was an enjoyable get-together between journalists and the people they're charged with covering.