Even Chris Matthews Has Limits

There is only so much action that can be taken on behalf of Susan Rice.

At some point it becomes ridiculous to waste time defending someone who has almost certainly no idea what she’s doing other than taking talking points by email from someone in the West Wing and regurgitating them on national television without thinking too critically about the ramifications. And that’s fine. She’s the State Department’s ambassador to the UN. 90% of what goes on in the UN is ridiculous and it pays to be happily oblivious of reality if you’re going to have to deal regularly with people who see no problem in putting the despotic leaders of terrorist states on Human Rights Councils that spend most of their time condemning the American treatment of English professors.

Thankfully, Chris Matthews appears to be on a program to avoid striking out on television, and part of this program involves occasionally admitting that things the administration does are stupid.

If Chris Matthews is any indication, liberal opinion may be starting to shift on the Susan Rice nomination. Matthews said this morning on NBC’s Today show that nominating Rice in the near term would provide “an opening act for a second term that’s going to be very messy and hot, and not helpful.”

In other words, Matthews has finally caught on that not nominating Susan Rice to replace Hillary Clinton might be a way for the administration to avoid an unnecessary public fight involving the death of an American ambassador.

Unfortunately, just a few short days ago, sometime before this epiphany, Chris Matthews hosted Richard Wolffe, who accused Rice’s detractors of (what else?being a bunch of rabid racists.

Former top Newsweek journalist and current MSNBC.com editor Richard Wolffeon Monday smeared Senator John McCain as a racist. According to Wolffe, there’s no legitimate reason for the Republican to oppose Susan Rice’s confirmation for Secretary of State.

Appearing on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” the journalist sneered that it was “outrageous” the way McCain was acting, raging against “this witch hunt going on the right about these people of color, let’s face it, around this president. Eric Holder, Valerie Jarrett, now Susan Rice.”

Of course, Rice would only be the latest in a long line of non-white Secretaries of State, the most recent being Gen. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, both of which were routinely accused of lying for the administration by detractors, none of whom were ever noted to be members of the Ku Klux Klan. At least not after Robert Byrd died.

This all begs the question: if Chris Matthews then doubts that Susan Rice should be nominated, is he, too, racist? Does this mean that he has to have a talking to with himself, discussing the whereabouts of his own “dog whistle” as he subtly comforts his outer progressive? What then? Medication?

I feel like this is a major concern for MSNBC. So much so that they have inter-office support groups for those who have personally experienced their own racism toward themselves. They probably don’t even have cupcakes like real support groups.

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Emily Zanotti is a writer, comedian and political communication/public affairs professional. She is a contributor to National Review and she currently blogs at Naked D.C.

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