Bold Truth-Teller

There's video now of George Bush's "farewell song" at last weekend's Gridiron Club dinner. He hits all the high notes, treating tragedy, destruction and the end of any pretense of justice in America as misty water-colored memories, like he was some disinterested observer, like Billy Joel just recounting the history in "We Didn't Start the Fire."



And I can't believe what I'm saying, and it may get me banned from Hullabaloo for life, but... what Chris Matthews said a few minutes ago:

Well, that was quite a hoot. All that joking from the President about Brownie, that guy in charge of the New Orleans disaster, and of course Scooter Libby, the guy involved in the CIA coverup. 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 coverup protected. Otherwise, I'm sure it was an enjoyable get-together between journalists and the people they're charged with covering.

This is of course true. I don't know if Chris Matthews, who met his wife at the White House Correspondent's Dinner 20 years ago and who has attended pretty much every one since, is really the guy to deliver the message. But it seems every so often he has to spout off like this to prove to himself that he has some sort of independence from the Village, that he's some anti-establishment rabble rouser.

What's more, it's fine for Matthews to make this statement, but then following up and asking his cadre of reporters who he has on his show every day whether or not they attended, laughed and cheered at the President's warblings, etc., would be nice.

UPDATE: This is one of the more interesting "Hardball" episodes in a long time. Clarence Page just asked Pat Buchanan if he remembered "The Birth of a Nation", adding "You were there, were you?"