baseball's opening day and the lost tradition of respecting whoever sits in the office. we begin with tiger woods. donny deutsch is president of deutsche incorporated and michael feldman is a democratic strategist. donny and michael. look now, this is tiger woods at the press conference today. i want your reaction. let's listen. >> won a lot of golf tournaments in the last five years living a secret life. how were you able to do that? and do you feel -- what kind of golfer do you feel you'd be now going forward without having this secret? >> i think it's how i was early in my career. i was at peace and i've had some great years and unfortunately what i've done over the past three years has been -- has been just terrible to my family. >> i heard earlier today someone

recommended he give a little motivation on his m.o. -- how he was able to get away with the secrecy and the love affairs, the meetings with women. he didn't want to answer that question. is that smart? >> i thought the best thing for him -- the press conference got boring after about five minutes. he did mea culpa, it was riveting. you know this parade is past a bit and you watch it, you're going, even if you ask that question, and? we heard it, it ripped it apart. it comes down to the golf course. he was direct, genuine. he's putting on a vibe. i'm moving on, if you will. i'm enforcing it. it's a friendly crowd. he was calling everybody by name. i'm spruzed there weren't more lieu sieves you questions like are there more girls? have you heard from them, blah, blah -- but for them, it was a home run. >> it seems to be a very respectful crowd, almost like fans are in the room.

>> i agree with what donny said -- he feels relaxed, showed humility. this is a much better performance for him than a few months ago. it's a scripted press conference when he read from prepared remarks. it wasn't a human being today. today he showed he's a human being. the salacious nature of this -- in fact, the most dangerous part of today's press conference is the material that he covered about whether or not he used human growth hormones. that potentially could have a real impact on his career because that's how he's measured as an athlete. but this other stuff, i agree to some extent, he's putting that behind him and turning to golf. that's what people are interested in. can he still play golf? >> this is an advantage we have. you can prove yourself in a way. a politician is all reputation. we judge our politicians by their reputations in and of themselves. he's going to be judged by how he does in the masters.

can he beat the best pros in the piz this week? >> i've been outspoken. tiger's brand is dead. tiger's brand is the best in the world. not because he's father or husband of the year. the bottom line is, if he wins, he'll be bigger than ever. this is the interesting side bar in the press conference when he said, you know, how you changed? and he said, you know, i'm going to try not to have too many highs and lows. that's a concerning thing. if he starts to change the demeanor on the golf course, you're messing with the holy grail. that's an interesting telling thought. i'd be concerned if i was his caddie, coach, or sponsor hearing that. >> past the days of babe ruth who could drink a tub of shrimp and have x many girls tonight and a case of beer and nobody cared because those were the good old days and could hit the home run where he pointed. in those days, it was performance from the field. >> in this case -- has the

scandal or facts mind the scandal impacted his ability to do the job. there are brand considerations. >> you're wheaties, would you put him on the package? >> if he wins tournaments, i probably would. he'll get the endorsements back if the scandal becomes part of a smaller part of the profile. >> i think he can get as many dollars as he wants. the kid-oriented stuff, the family oriented -- a dominantly male oriented product that's not purchased by mom. a long time before wheaties but a lot of other sponsors. >> golf clubs and golf balls. >> and soft drinks and stuff like that. >> politicians survived and stay in the business. cross over some of the ability to analyze this. let's listen to the pals explain their business. >> indeed, i did have a relationship with ms. lewinsky

that was inappropriate, in fact, it was wrong. >> my deep and sincere apologies to all those i let down and disappointed with the acts from my past. i am completely responsible and i'm so very, very sorry. >> last year, i had an affair. i violated the vows of my marriage. it's absolutely the worst thing i've ever done in my life. >> i asked you if the rumors were true that you were in an affair with the woman obviously who wasn't your wife at the same time that bill clinton and monica lewinsky were having their escapade? >> well, the fact is that the honest answer is yes. >> the honest answer is yes. that was newt gingrich accepting his career. they all made it. bringing the wife in to it is the saddest part of this number.

he's still a senator from louisiana and the favorite to get re-elected down there. >> part of it is how much the public wants to forgive you. if richard nixon had done this, i don't think he would have recovered. bill clinton, nobody in the world was shocked. the reason governor spitzer got hit so hard, i'm a big spitzer fan, because it was so off brand for him. where your brand is. we're a given culture. half of the people in the world are unfaithful. it's something a politician can recover from. >> nobody told nixon that. you don't know if he could have made it. >> we didn't want it sliding off. reagan, could have been ten women, it would have been okay. >> all depends -- it all depends, michael, whether you like the guy or not. >> no, well, it goes again to the person's ability to do their job. are the facts contrary? do they undermind themselves?

the reason clinton's case he was able to stay high with the approval rating is he was able to get outside and get up and not let it affect his ability. he said i'm getting up and working for you. >> points on the board -- the economy is so swimming and so great. nobody wanted to change nothing. but nix op and stag flags, terrible unemployment, terrible inflation. people mandated the gas lines, they were ticked. they wanted to blame nixon. it sounds marxist but economics rules. >> we talk about this all day on this network. come november, we can talk about health care and whatnot. it's where the jobs and the money are. we know that. >> take a look at the politics of these two fellows that didn't do so well. one yanked himself after this. one didn't do too good at all. infidelities. spitzer and edwards. let's listen. >> in the past few days, i've

begun to atone for my private failings with my wife, my children, and my entire family. >> in 2006 two years ago, i made a very serious mistake. a mistake i'm responsible for and no one else in 2006, told elizabeth about the mistake, asked her for her forgiveness. >> this is unpleasant. your thoughts -- why do some guys yank themselves and other guys stick to it. one thing about spitzer -- i get along with him. he yanked himself. he didn't stabd up and make us put up with the embarrassment. he took it on the chin. his wife standing there with such dignity in a terrible situation. >> we haven't heard the last of spitzer. he handled it as good. he got hit hard. he had high value moral grounds. he's going to get hit hard.

edwards -- tfgs a sliminess to it. sanford, i came out, you know, i was in love. no hiding behind it. the sordid detail from edwards. the difference between a guy who's an adult to her and a guy that's a decreaseful slime bag. >> my thought is -- a lot of women would say -- >> is that your distinction. >> sometimes there's a bad fact and sometimes you confront it with the person in question doesn't do a good job of handling it. both of those things were the case. bad facts and poorly handled. >> chris, before we go, i want to clarify the last statement. being an adulter is decreaseful. a lot of people do it. it gets uglier than that and i -- >> how much worse it was. you said it was okay to buy sex but don't fall in love. just kidding. this is just terrible circumstance.

i think the economy rules. let's get back to the strength here. if you're delivering masters tournaments and winning, if you're delivering a strong economy, people have a lot in their heart for you. thank you, donny deutsch. thank you, michael feldman. coming up, president obama goes to work with right wing radio and rush limbaugh accuses the president of character assassination and calls the administration a regime. and today he called it a junta -- you know, after a military coup, a junta. president obama versus rush. coming up next, you're watching "hardball." live the life i want to live. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. it's not a big deal to go to your doctor. it is a big deal to have a heart attack. because with national, i roll past the counter... and choose any car in the aisle. choosing your own car? now that's a good call. go national. go like a pro.

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people have made part of their daily conversation about you? >> well, i mean, i think that when you listen to rush limbaugh or glenn beck -- >> it's beyond that. >> it's pretty apparent. but it's troublesome. >> talk about product placement. rush limbaugh responded with the

dick cheney method. he put out an e-mail. quote, i think the president is trying to distract me to get me talking about me on my show instead of talking about him and the regime's agenda. it won't work. i'm wise to their tactics. the majority of americans are angry at the regime and the constant attempts of character assassination of their opposition. they went no part of engaging us in the arena of ideas. but they seek to marginalize us. it's gotten old. a columnist at msnbc political analyst as well. richard wolf is an nbc analyst and author of renegade. seems to me the president -- let's start with who started this, naming the names of somebody in the media no matter how prominent is unusual for the president. he did it. >> he made the calculation that these are good opponents to

have. it sharpens the contradictions as it were. and you know i think he'd be happy to running against rush limbaugh and glenn beck and sarah palin. >> the ditto heads is a term they used to describe their allegiance -- unusual term for independent-minded americans. they do love this guy. he's a fantastic entertainer, a man to the right. he says a lot of things that people don't agree with -- a lot of people do. he's talking about regime and junta today. >> what do you think? >> what do you think? i have my comment on the shows. >> been great for the ratings. that's true. the white house officials about this. they see this as a matter of self-defense. the president has got to stand up for himself. here he was asked a question so it was prompted. not going out of their way to make it a campaign like rahm emmanuel tried to make it a little bit of an issue before.

it's about self-defense. they have to stand up for themselves because of stuff they're saying. any reasonable person's view is extreme. it seems to me there's a cake they're baking on the right very effectively. and all the ingredients are socialist, the delegitimizing people who are birthers, not really american. the attempted takeovers. all these terms seem foreign. >> i want my country back. >> it seems like they're baking a cake so people get this idea. he's not one of us. >> he's not one of us. he's not legitimate. >> junta. >> junta -- that's the military term. >> here he is. maybe i had a small part in this. a small part. here he is, the president reacting to something on friday night. i'm so small in this debate. here he is. let's listen to rush limbaugh. >> if you don't like regime,

i'll call him a junta, whatever. they're governing against the people. it doesn't matter. that group deals, bribes, unconstitutionality to get legislation passed. legislation that the majority of the american people don't want, it's a regime. >> the word we got used to in this country by the way is the bush team -- i once called it a bush regime. i'll pay for that as long as i live. the idea of foreign regime change that if there was a phrase that got into our head before the last word, there's something to be taken down. saddam hussein is a regime. it's a use of a word with the whole confection they're putting together. the guy is a foreigner. the enemy of the country. >> in the french sense, right? a foreigner, dictator, a tyrant. an ideological element to it. don't let the character assassination come after you.

you have to stick with it. it's more than a confection. it's an organized system on this white house to say they're undemocratic and there's a foreign element to it. and you have to be honest has got to do with the president's color. it' his color, the name, the foreign nature of it and the ideological piece of it, he didn't sign up for a public option. excuse me, what kind of junta would do that? oh. >> i'll talk later. i'm going to give away my commentary. you know where i'm going with this. there are wonderful things about america to institutionalize the fact that he's a leader or chief executive and commander in chief. he's the head of the country. our president is special. he comes to a room, you hold your kids up to see the president. when the baseball season starts, the old american sport of baseball, the president is there to throw it out, the first pitch.

it's institutionalizing him. something better than regime. you're saying he's not in the office officially. he's somehow an interloper, a junta leader, a coup leader. >> the president is the head of state. >> they don't accept that. >> they're different from being just the head of government. >> he's the temporary monarch. we don't like to dump him out of office. but while he's there, he represents it country. >> we play hail to the chief when he comes to the room. this is an attempt to deny that. to say it's not true about this president. >> because -- >> does it have something to do with his color, by the way? >> what other reason -- >> i think so. >> i never get it. i was about to say something that's not true. i don't get the motive. here's the particulars. backroom deals -- is that new in american politics? >> i believe that's part of congress. >> bribes, a crime, ain't new. i don't think he's guilty of

that. unconstitutionality to get the legislation passed. he went through the regular order. they passed the health care bill with 60 senators. they had 60 with ted kennedy. >> the filibuster isn't in the constitution anyway. >> they used it to tweak it a hitle bit. no one is challenged on why they did it. they didn't do this deemed to a pass number that they talked about doing. >> they passed the legislation the way it says in the united states. >> what makes him a forper? backroom deals. way back -- having the capital in washington, that's the big deal. >> i've done deals where they're convinced that the birth certificate is fabricated. >> kenya or indonesia. >> kenya mostly. >> the serial numbers are blacked out. it doesn't matter what it is. they can't accept the result that it wasn't even close, okay? this is a guy who won indiana, north carolina, virginia. he's a democrat and this whole

idea of delegitimizing him. >> let me tell you -- >> it speaks to dealing with the election. >> we're about the same. i'm older than you. you talk about your kids today, they don't know what we're talking about. they don't understand the way limbaugh is talking. >> you, i don't think so. >> they think he's one of us. no question about it. if you're out, you're black, you're white, you're in. that's old talk. >> that's -- >> that's your grandparents talking. >> his name and his father and it's all mixed up in some jumble of -- >> you think the limbaugh audience not to knock anyone who listens to radio. he's a great entertainer and he's a smart guy. but could it be that the people listening to him on the radio are mad at their kids because their kids disagree with him? the kids don't think this guy is illegitimate. the kids want the health care bill. the kids voted for them. >> some of them are mad at a lot of things.

>> maybe the kids too. >> their boss, their wiveses. >> i believe rush limbaugh is basically a support group for the traveling salesman. the boss gives a higher quote. the wife doesn't appreciate how hard he works. the only person that root roots for him is rush limbaugh. the feminazis. rush, you're brilliant as a support group. you should be a social worker. up next, b-rod, fired again. this time, donald trump did the honors on his tv show, celebrity apprentice. don't you think trump was planning this for weeks next to "side show." ♪ [ male announcer ] the cadillac laurel sales event. featuring the all-new srx. ♪

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back to "hardball." now for "the sideshow." rod blagojevich fired again. donald trump did the honors on

last night's episode of "celebrity apprentice". >> governor, i have great respect for you. great respect for your tenacity. for the fact that you just don't give up. but rod, you're fired. >> you can catch "b-rod's" next trial, this is true reality, on june 24. he goes to court. straight talk of success crashes. john mccain is facing a tough challenge from j.d. hayward who called him out for being too moderate. this remarkable change-up from senator mccain in "newsweek," quote, i never considered myself a maverick. i consider myself a person who serves the people of arizona to the best of his abilities. catch this 2008 presidential campaign and from john mccain. >> only mccain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, faugtd

corruption in both parties. he'll reform wall street, battle big oil. make america prosper again. he's the original maverick. >> the original maverick. you heard it in his ad. credit talking points memo for that. finally, proof that being president is all work and no play. if you were watching the final four game, you saw the president going one-on-one with the analyst and former player clark kellogg in a shooting exhibition. a game of horse. but in this game they called it potus, white house talk for the president of the united states. the president fell behind and rose to the occasion. here's a look. >> both got to you? >> both got to you. >> this is it. >> money time right here. money time. >> oh -- they warned me about you talking a little bit when you got it going. >> yeah, see what you got.

>> unbelievable. a left-handed stroke. >> let me say everybody, i guarantee you clark missed a couple on purpose. only because he didn't know he was going to end up losing. >> that left-handed struggle. wait until rush gets ahold of that one. basketball seems to be the sport of choice, it didn't stop him from throwing out the first pitch between the phillies and the washington nationals. the canadian press said he's a lefty without a whole lot of experience and one of his recent victories came by the eye-popping score of 219-212, the house health care tally, of course. how's the president do today? the nationals jacket and the chicago white sox cap. here's a look at the big pitch. it was a bit of a lob to the outside of the plate, but an absolutely mandatory move, he got it past the plate -- not a strike by george w. bush did,

but not embarrassing at all. throwing that first pitch is a big deal. it's a true test of greatness. when did it start? 100 years ago. howard taft -- you can see him there. he threw out the first pitch of the game between the philadelphia athletics and the washington senators in 1910. 100 years of baseball tradition. an entire century tonight's big number. up next, looks like president obama will get the chan to nominate another justice to the supreme court. the big question is, how big a fight will republicans make out of this pick? watching "hardball" on msnbc. . they're the future of america, so let's bring them up right and give them our cheese. american cheese. kraft singles. put it in their lunch boxes. heck, put it right in their mouths. it's made with milk, never oil like some other slices. a country is only as good as its cheese. good thing ours doesn't have a bunch of holes in it. kraft singles - the american cheese.

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i'm lin berry with breaking news. a massive rescue effort is under way tonight after an underground explosion in a coal mine in southern west virginia.

12 miners are confirmed dead. two more seriously injured and ten are believed to be trapped underground, still missing at this hour. the mine has airtight refuge chambers. stocked with emergency food, water, and air supplies designed to last for four days. wireless communications and underground tracking systems but those appear to have been knocked out by the explosion. so far, no contact with any miners trapped underground. we're told president obama has spoke within the state's governor, expressed condolences, and provided any assistance he could provide. stay tuned for this developing situation in west virginia. in other news, president obama unveil add retooled nuclear strategy to limit the scenarios under which the u.s. could use nuclear weapons. now back to "hardball."

welcome back to "hardball," nearing the 90th birthday, john paul stevens gave interviews this weekend to put him on the cover of both the new york time and "the washington post" on sunday. a not-so-subtle indication he's planning to retire and give president obama another chance to fill a vacancy on the supreme court. stevens told t"the washington pos post", quote, i can tell you that i love the job and deciding whether to leave it is a very difficult decision. i want to make it in a way that's best for the court. justice stevens wants what's best for the court. how tough a fight will president obama have this time around with the president in congress. former advisor to vice president cheney and former speaker of the california state assembly. you're both attorneys. let's start in that light. justice stevenson what he said about president obama in "the washington post." obama is a competent president to make choices for the supreme court.

stevens said he paid jerald ford. let me go to ron on this. ron, it seems to me that we've not had a tradition of using the filibuster. court appointments where it's involved in people in the low 50s. no one said they had the right to veto by denying it through filibuster. what is your thinking on that state of play in terms of picking a court nominee and getting him or her confirmed. >> there have been only two judicial no, ma'am neighs in the history of the united states blocked by the filibuster and both i point out have been done by the democrats. first was in 1968 that was president job sop's nominee to become the chief justice of the united states supreme court. the second was back in 2003 when the democrats filibustered the nomination of miguel estrada to become a member of the d.c. court of appeals. only two instances where it's taken place. i don't think it's good for the country. i'm confident that the president

will send a qualified nomination. he had a nominee, a vacancy to appeal. the best justice for the united states and its citizens. >> the question is, is this president smart to grab up this nomination opportunity and hope that the guy quits? in other words, go for it when you the most democrats in the senate? 59, at least on paper he won't have that many senators next year. is it smart to make that decision this year? >> i think he wishes to make that decision this year. i think justice stevens had made the decision to retire when last december instead of taking on four clerks as he normally would do, he only took on one. in the history of the supreme court, when you take on one, that's clearly a sign of retirement or a judge who has, in fact, retired. justice stevens wishes to give president obama the best opportunity to repeat what he's already done on the court.

that is come forward with a very talented person to fill his position. >> sotomayor won with 68 votes in the senate. she got nine gop votes as well as the democratic votes. who's up for the job this time. this is all coming out of the smokestack in the white house. a white house person familiar with the deliberations said the white house is focused on three people. the solicitor general, who was on the list before and diane wood and eric guardland. but arlen specter saying we have enough appellate court judges. here he is on fox on sunday. arlen specter has gotten loud on this issue for some reason -- i have my own theories, but let's listen. >> oh we need someone with strong academic and professional credentials. someone appointed to the supreme court with a little broader background. we have enough excircuit justices on the supreme court. >> oh you have a nominee,

senator specter? >> i do. i hope to see the president that the opening of the baseball season tomorrow and i intend to tell him my thoughts on that. >> i'm sure he did. willie brown -- mayor brown, arlen focuses on judgeships. he likes this role he has on judiciary. is the president smart to pick somebody who's a political person. the most significant decision was warren who turned out to be a liberal. brown case -- a wonderful appointment that ike regretted as long as he lived but now they seem to know more about that guy and what he's thinking. >> the whole process is rooted in whether or not that person can first get the vote else. it becomes more difficult if you're trying to make sure it does not become a phil buster. that immediately says you better get somebody that's already been

preapproved. appellate court justices are preapproved. they've gotten approval at one time. they also have somewhat of a track record that you are not allowed to debate what they said in college, what speech they made some place. you can see what the quality of their stewardship, their intellect and the decisions that they've made. and so that's why you end up always on the list of appellate court justices. >> why not pick somebody, someone with a broader background than appellate court judge. you're a thoughtful political person. why not a member like janet napolitano. a governor -- dealt with real law, real law enforcement, executive responsibilities in a bipartisan manner. you have to be bipartisan to be governor. a woman, a single woman. wouldn't that be a smart move? a southwestern choice that would be a smart move and potentially a leader.

they tell me that napolitano is looked up to as one of the most impressive cabinet members. >> napolitano hasn't done a strong enough job to secure the border. but senator specter raised an interesting point. i watched that and i thought, gee, i wonder if the senator will put himself forward to become a candidate. we need an individual who can interpret the constitution, look at the issue fairly. not going to come in with preconceived notions thachl's the individual that president obama should he be given the opportunity to make a selection to choose, not someone to appease his base for political purposes. >> like mitch rendell? an excellent appointment but he wouldn't be thinking smart. >> oh mayor brown, what would be a smart move at this point?

oh. >> he has to take into consideration geography. you need to have a balance on the court reflective of the views of the people of this nation, reflective of all of what exists in our system. obviously that means maybe you should take a look at an asian, for a change. we have currently a latino. we have an african-american. but there's not an asian. you may need to look in that direction. >> mayor, with all due respect, we need somebody who can best interpret the constitution rather than looking at the color of their skin for qualifications. >> thank you willie brown. willie brown -- thank you, up next, the latest gaffe of the rx nc, michael steele now says as an african-american, he has a slimmer margin of error. not all republicans agree. this is "hardball" on msnbc. national car rental knows i'm picky.

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welcome back to "hardball." today republican national committee chairman michael steele addressed the recent criticism of the handling at the rnc. let's listen. >> do you feel that as an african-american you have a slimmer mar yin for error than another chairman would? >> the honest answer is, yes. >> why is that? >> it just is. it's barack obama has a slimmer margin. a lot of folks do. i mean, it is a different role for, you know, for me to play and others to play. and that's just the reality of it. i mean, but you take that as part of -- part of the nature of it. >> well can he weather the storm? joining it seems to me jonathan allen and lynn sweet.

lynn, you first. was he smart to admit that that was a factor? >> he didn't bring it up. he was candid and therefore he didn't want to run away from it. >> yeah. >> he's not going to be replaced right now. >> why not? >> he is not going to be replaced because there's an election and there's turmoil in the rnc and too much to replace him. welcome back to "hardball." today michael steele addressed the recent criticism of his handling at the rnc. so most didn't want him in the first place. >> they didn't think he had the fighting weight or what? >> i think that's true. a lot of people didn't think he had the substance, good on tv

but wouldn't bring what they needed to to the job as a manager and fundraiser. >> at this point, it's not a presidential year. a lot of big money would go anyone to the snarl and house committees. other places for the republican money to go. he's the chairman and he's not going to be replaced. >> what about senator kyl coming out against him, people like that. what does that mean? >> senator kyl and mccarthy, the congressman from california came out against them and said the changes had to be made with the results of the scandal with the charges at a strip club wasn't his charge but a lower level person. i think it is something that demonstrates how republicans are feeling right now. they don't like the direction they're going. a lot of the money that would be going elsewhere anyway. a lot of people who donated to the republican national committee is giving to the

republican governor's association to hayley barber. >> plenty of other tubs to put this money in. the question is is it going to begin for who will be the next chairman. >> this old curfuffle that goes on every day, will this stop the republicans from picking the house back up? >> distraction, yes. a long time, by the way, since november. loss of candidate recruitment for better or worse is there. may is the next big round of primaries if you have candidates locked in. if he had not been doing a lot of improvement anyway, so this curfuffle won't impact it. >> mentioning his race. he had an answer one way or the other. either it's a factor or not and he had to give a candid answer, i believe. is that something good or bad for him right now to admit that i do think these candidates get elected the first time and the heat is on them more than any other people. that seems to be.

that's a judgment by me. others can disagree with it. he thinks it's the case. what do you think is the fact and what he would say. >> i can't speak to his experience. candor is something that gets people in the political realm a long way. that answer will be taken as candor by a lot of folks wlchlt he's in the microscope or not, sure he is. a lot of people believe president obama was when will first ran. there are few high-ranking african officials in the republican party. that adds a dimension to anyone looking at -- >> what a wonderful thing you said, john. candor gets you a long way. saying what you believe is what got you in trouble. thank you. when we return, we're going to have final thoughts about this tradition of the president's throwing out the first pitch and the tradition to recognize the guy in office is our president -- all of our president. if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, you may also have very high triglycerides --

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let me finish tonight by telling you that 100 years ago william howard taft throughout the opening pitch in the major league baseball season. today barack obama did the same. the difference was about 50 feet. in the old days, they threw the ball from the stands. it was a ceremonial deal, a toss, really, requiring no athletic ability whatsoever. today you've got to stand on the mound and get it over the plate. jack kennedy was caught practicing before his opening

day in the early '60s, when they still tossed it from the stands. today barack obama threw it from the mound. the whole 60'6". i know how hard it is. i once tried throwing a fastball from the mound at a aa game in connecticut. it was a duster. so i was ready to get it over the plate at a nationals game. it went up just a little, outside. the great thing about the opening day pitch, we honor the president as chief of state. as head of the country. not as chief executive, the person who runs the executive branch, as head of the administration. not as the person heading up the government or leading one of the political parties but as the representative of the american people. and the republic itself. it's not a regime or a junta, as rush limbaugh says it is, even as the electrical college majority was awarded to george w. bush in the year 2000, it was president bush, the chief of state. this use of the word regime by limbaugh is causing trouble, to provoke. other people have used it on occasion. byron york discovered i used it

myself in 2002 in a conversation with al sharpton. it's just not the right word. whatever the motive, whatever the circumstance to describe the government of our country. in the current environment, it plays to those who believe that the president is somehow illegitimate. that his philosophy is less american than those of his critics, and rush limbaugh is using that word regime with a vengeance. he's using it to deny this administration's political legitimacy. i can't stop limbaugh from using the word regime. but i can say it plays to something bad in this country. no matter who's using the word, right or left, no matter why he's using it. why? because it's not an affirmation to disagree about politics, it's the rejection of that right. it rejects our right to debate politics, which is what we do in

this country. like play baseball. that's "hardball" for how. catch us again tomorrow night at 5:00 and 7:00 eastern. "countdown" with keith olbermann starts right now. which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? here goes the judge? as supreme court justice stevens mulls retirement, the republicans might filibuster even stevens. >> i think the president will nominate a qualified person, i hope, however, he does not nominate an overly ideological person. that will be the test. >> meaning what? no liberals or moderates? the sometimes rumored nominee says to justice stevens wait until next year, after the elections. >> after a year passes there's a much better chance we could come to a consensus. >> like you came to a consensus on the expiration of unemployment benefits? bunning and coburn passed it, today they blame the democrats? bondage club gate. today michael steele says he's

under pressure because he's african-american. the same guy who that says -- >> a lot of folks have a different margin. it's a different role for me to play and others to play. and that's just the reality of it. >> line of the day, robert gibbs, quote, i think michael steele's problem isn't the race card, it's the credit card. the florida urologist who puts politics ahead of patients. who says if you voted for obama you should go see a different doctor. >> it was just fun for me. it's like a provocative billboard. >> not fun for a would-be patient who complains to the authorities. congressman alan grayson facilitates. he's our special guest. beck compares what he's doing to what rosa parks did. seriously. and the tiger woods apology tour, stop number two.