Flip-Flop: Matthews Now Says Discussing National Security Not Petraeus's Job

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

It's a flip-flop that would be the envy of John Kerry on a good windsurfing day off Nantucket. For the last two days, Chris Matthews had been excoriating General David Petraeus for his reluctance to opine on the effect of the Iraq war on America's safety at home. Suddenly this morning, Matthews has decided that -- guess what? -- it's not Petraeus's job to make pronouncements of that sort.

View video here.

As I described here, it began on "Hardball" two nights ago, with this Matthews diatribe against Petraues for his reluctance to answer the question from Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) as to the implications of the Iraq war for Americans' safety at home:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: He couldn't say whether what we're doing in Iraq makes America safer or not. He couldn't say whether the lost lives, the misery, the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent are worth the effort in terms of our national security.
...

This must be a first, an American field commander who can't say whether the sacrifices he's asking of his troops every day and night are worth it to their country. Did General Washington not know the answer in the American Revolution? Did General Eisenhower not know the answer in World War II? What are we doing in Iraq if the very man commanding the war doesn't know if it's doing us any good in terms of our national security? This is the real news of the [pronounced with contempt] so-called Petraeus Report. The general who won't tell how long it will take us to achieve the mission in Iraq can't tell us whether achieving that mission -- should it ever be achieved -- is worth it.

The tirade continued on last evening's "Hardball," Matthews going so far, as I described here, as to belittle Petraeus as a ventiloquist's dummy.

But appearing on today's "Morning Joe" at 7:35 A.M. EDT, Matthews had a sudden change of heart.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: It's President Bush that brought a non-political person, a serving field commander, into politics by asking him to defend the policy, which is in fact the president's policy. It's not the policy of people who have sworn to serve the country, it's the policy of the president, to fight this war. And I think that came to a head when Warner asked him that question, "is this making us safer at home?" And he really didn't want to answer that question. Because that's not a question for a military officer, that's a question for the president.

So what explains Matthews' stunning about-face? I'm guessing he figured out that it wasn't good politics for him to denigrate a dedicated, accomplished member of our military. Chris realized he had to keep his eyes on the prize: bashing President Bush.

Will anyone else in the media call Chris on his flip-flop?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Chris Matthews flip-flopping ping to Today show list.

[vietvet67]

Somebody get that man a drool cup..

[stayathomemom]

It’s like someone over night called him up and said, “Are you kidding me...”.

[Hazcat]

But Crissy still has it wrong. The Pres did not ‘send him (Gen) to defend his policy”. The General was giving an OPS report of conditions in the theater as requested by congress.

[L98Fiero]

The truth shouldn’t get in the way of a good smear.

[Red Badger]

He was for the national security statement before he was against it?...............

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Bingo!

[Old Sarge]

So what explains Matthews' stunning about-face?

The DNC Fax Machine.

[muawiyah]

Someone 'splained to Chris that his usefulness to the coup plotters is rapidly becoming quite limited so he'd better cut it out.

They continue to plot and plan.

"W" would have been well served with Lincoln's policy of sending these pukes to the federal prison at Point Lookout, Maryland for the duration.

[massgopguy]

The report was compiled by Petraeus, but he did not write it alone. And no one without a Ph.D was eligible to help. Gen. Petraeus was assisted by Australian Lt. Col. David Kilcullen who has no equal on CI, British Major Gen. Paul Newton, American Col. Micheal Meese, Col. H.R. McMaster author of Dereliction of Duty and Col. Peter Mansoor author of The GI Offensive in Europe. Chrissy Matthews does not have the brains or the balls to challenge these men. He is a Dickless Accordian Player.

[Bahbah]

In fact, the surge and counter insurgency plan being carried out in Iraq belongs very much to Gen. Petraeus who worked on it with others, including retired General Jack Keane and Fred Kagan of the AEI.

It was presented to the President and he accepted it as a hopeful way forward so in that sense it is his as well. But the President is not a military strategist and did not create the plan.

Petraeus did way too well in his testimony so they are now trying to detach what is going on in Iraq from him and reattach it to the President. Someone finally faxed Chris the memo. Discrediting Petraeus isn’t playing well, go for Bush.

[bassmaner]

"W" would have been well served with Lincoln's policy of sending these pukes to the federal prison at Point Lookout, Maryland for the duration.

Mega-dittos.

[OkiMusashi]

So what explains Matthews’ stunning about-face?

Easy: Damage Control.

Chris stopped talking long enough to watch more than the first line of Petraeus’s entire 100+ word answer to Warner’s question and, also, he finally watched the answer to the same question from Bayh, later, and decided that he (Chris Mathews) was full of s—t.

[Old Sarge]

Totally agree - Chrissy has no chance against that bench.

[chiefqc]

This moron likes the sound of his own voice so much that he can’t hear what other people are saying.

What a POS.

[Neverforget01]

How on earth do you watch this guy?

[Anti-Bubba182]

On Drudge earlier this week Hardball was last in the ratings.
Even allowing for the Democrat tilt of MSNBC how does he keep his job?

[roses of sharon]

Matthews knew what the General really said before he started lying about it, just watch the testimony tape or listen to the General’s presser.

Chrissy was just confronted with too much evidence to keep up the lie.

[cubreporter]

Matthews is nothing but a tv reporter. Nothing more.

General Patraeus is a highly decorated, intelligent man that matthews could only hope to become one day when he grows up if ever. Nuff said!