I love Chris Matthews.  He’s  very smart, quick on his feet, aggressive, non-ideological, and passionate about U.S. politics.  He’s also a fantastic interviewer. Unlike other hosts on both the left and the right, who are just trying to push an agenda, Matthews has a genuine love for the ART of politics.  He covers politics the way an obsessive sports fan would cover baseball.  He just loves the game, and keeping score, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.

 

And to his credit, he was one of the few U.S. talking heads with the judgement and integrity to oppose the Iraq war before it began, and he opposed it right from the VERY moment it became a serious idea, yet unlike most white liberals, he’s not preachy and self-righteous.  He comes from a family of Republicans so he’s open-minded enough to see both sides.

The U.S. media is so completely controlled, and the range of acceptable debate is so narrow, that there are so few cable news shows worth watching at all, but within the narrow confines of that controlled debate, Matthews does an excellent job educating his audience and making politics fun.  If MSNBC were smart they’d give him a better time slot.