During the 5 p.m. February 26 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, discussing a rally earlier that day for Sen. John McCain in which radio host Bill Cunningham repeatedly referred to Sen. Barack Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama,” host Chris Matthews lauded McCain's “impressive” response to Cunningham's comments, while Bloomberg columnist Margaret Carlson stated that you have to give McCain “a lot of credit” for his condemnation of Cunningham, and that it showed “the kind of guy that McCain is.” Later, during the 7 p.m. edition of Hardball, while comparing Cunningham's support for McCain to Louis Farrakhan's positive statements about Obama (Obama has repeatedly denounced Farrakhan), Matthews asserted, “It's not his fault -- it's not our fault who people like these days.” During that segment, Newsweek senior White House correspondent Richard Wolffe asserted that "[McCain] took the high road" by criticizing Cunningham's remarks. But while each applauded McCain's condemnation of Cunningham, Matthews, Carlson, and Wolffe did not note that McCain apparently has yet to distance himself from the assertion by Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH), who followed Cunningham at the February 26 rally, that Cunningham's “lending his voice to this campaign is extremely important.” Nor did they mention that McCain did not denounce a question asked by a voter in South Carolina in November, in which she referred to Sen. Hillary Clinton as a “bitch”; rather, McCain called her question -- “How do we beat the bitch?” -- an “excellent” one. In addition, at an October event, McCain referred to a nursing school training mannequin as “Hillary.”

The Associated Press reported that "[a]s Cunningham finished" his remarks at the February 26 McCain rally, Portman, who is listed on McCain's website among "notable endorsements," “took the microphone” and said:

“Willie, you're out of control again. So, what else is new? But we love him,” Portman said. “But I've got to tell you, Bill Cunningham lending his voice to this campaign is extremely important. He did it in 2000, he did it in 2004. It was crucial to victory then and it's even more important this year with his bigger radio audience. So, Bill Cunningham, thank you for lending your voice.”

The AP report also noted that after the conclusion of the event, Portman claimed he “didn't hear everything” that Cunningham had said:

Speaking to reporters later alongside McCain, Portman said: “I was backstage so I didn't hear everything he said. Bill Cunningham is a radio talk show host who is often controversial so it does not surprise me that he was controversial.” He added: “That's, I guess, how he makes his living.”

On the 5 p.m. edition of Hardball, Matthews asked, “Wasn't it impressive, Margaret, that McCain did stand up today and take down this warm-up character that had made these comments?” Carlson responded, “That is the kind of guy that McCain is. He ... is a straight talker. You have to give him a lot of credit for that.” Earlier Carlson had said, “McCain apologized profusely, said this is not what he's about. He has a lot of respect for Senator Barack Obama. But, of course, the damage is done.”

Later, during the 7 p.m. edition of Hardball, Matthews asked Wolffe, “He looks pretty good in this, right, McCain? He lost himself a wacky supporter, but he gained a little more respect, perhaps.” Wolffe responded, “He took the high road. He showed that he was willing to buck important voices in the party.” During the same segment, Cleveland Plain Dealer Washington reporter Sabrina Eaton asserted, “They need to vet these people a little more carefully before they have them on stage embarrassing them.” Indeed, as Media Matters has noted, Cunningham has previously referred to Obama's middle name, and called him, falsely, “Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama.” Matthews responded, “Well, everybody has supporters they don't like.” He then said, “Mr. Farrakhan the other day, endorsed, said very good -- he didn't endorse, but said very nice things about Barack Obama.” Eaton asked, "[B]ut was Barack Obama on stage with him?" When Matthews said “no,” Eaton agreed, “No. there's a difference.” But Matthews insisted, “not his fault -- it's not our fault who people like these days.”

From the 5 p.m. ET February 26 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

CARLSON: With someone like him [Cunningham], you know what he's about. It couldn't have been a surprise to the McCain campaign that he went a little bit wild. He is wild. That's his stock in trade. McCain apologized profusely, said this is not what he's about. He has a lot of respect for Senator Barack Obama. But, of course, the damage is done.

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, Dan, this interesting sort of marginal creeping into the national discussion of -- well, it even happened in a neutral way on the Academy Awards the other night. Jon Stewart mentioned his middle name is Hussein. He made a joke about somebody with a name that sounded like Hitler having a hard time in the '44 election, in 1944. Tried to talk about is “Osama” sounding like “Obama.” And then, of course, this thing where the -- somebody put out a picture of Obama wearing this east African, Kenyan costume, and now this character putting out this sort of stuff. Is this now going to creep into the debate, the discussion? Is it ethnic stuff and whatever?

[...]

MATTHEWS: Wasn't it impressive, Margaret, that McCain did stand up today and take down this warm-up character that had made these comments?

CARLSON: Yeah. That is the kind of guy that McCain is. He -- he does -- you know, he -- he is a straight talker. You have to give him a lot of credit for that. These surrogates, though -- remember, there are a couple of surrogates for Senator Clinton, John -- Robert Johnson, the head of BET, her co-chair in New Hampshire, who brought up things about Obama that were derogatory and then they, you know -- Johnson apologized and [Clinton campaign New Hampshire co-chairman Billy] Shaheen resigned.

These things happen, and the question is whether people decide you had a hand in it, you tacitly approved it, you want it out there, you're using these people to get it out or not. And I think in the McCain case, you think he didn't want to do that.

From the 7 p.m. ET February 26 edition of Hardball:

MATTHEWS: We talked about Cunningham, we talked about McCain. He looks pretty good in this, right, McCain? He lost himself a wacky supporter, but he gained a little more respect, perhaps.

WOLFFE: He took the high road. He showed that he was willing to buck important voices in the party, although Cunningham, who is he but, you know, conservative talk radio. I think that's an important mark in the sand for him. But, you know, these are the people, this is the echo chamber, this is the Republican attack machine that Hillary Clinton keeps talking about. Are they going to go out and fight for him?

EATON: They need to vet these people a little more carefully before they have them on stage embarrassing them.

MATTHEWS: Well, everybody has supporters they don't like.

EATON: But they don't all have them on stage introducing them, do they?

MATTHEWS: I mean, Mr. Farrakhan the other day, endorsed, said very good -- he didn't endorse, but said very nice things about Barack Obama.

EATON: But did -- but did he --

MATTHEWS: I'm sure that wasn't wired.

EATON: -- but did -- did Barack -- but was Barack Obama on stage with him?

MATTHEWS: No.

EATON: No. There's a difference.

MATTHEWS: It's not his fault -- it's not our fault who people like these days.