>> this is "e chris matthews show." >> askot what your country can do for you. >> the time r commanchinge has come. >> near the top, that'sight, be politics of the year. bigges surprises andhe she nervof some people. it's t angryward show. and w have the highlight reels all read to show you. is i something i said? ti toit the return cnter wi all of thos things you wish u didn't have to deal wi. those things you wish you said you're sure you shoul't hav but that time of yea to ge it all right. finally, my favorite time of the year. has to b somebody's. who got what the wted?

who will member 2010 as one in a letime? i'm chris matthews. merry christs. welcome to our annual award show. with usoday, huffington post howard fineman bbc's katty ay, nbc's norah o'donnell and "time" magazine's joe kleine. our first award, president obama's best move ts past year, was it theax cut deal or pulling all combat tros out f iraq or putting general petraeus into afghanistan after at embarrassing "rolling stone" piece oneneral stanley mcystal and his team or the wall street reform? howard, you get to pick it. >> i'll say it s theax deal beuse it was a tactical retreat that will allow himnd democrats to fight another day. chris: well said. does abody challenge that for the best of theear? >> yes, with aaveat. i thought theetraeus move was brilliant because hwas going to the good into trouble fm the right and fm conservatives for firing mrystal and putting petraeus in charge really tamped that down and showed he was still serious aut thear and

also peteus has been doing a heck of job. >> i wld agree with joe. i'm attempted to say getti rid of mccrystal and moving petraeus in. it w how he handl it. it w fast. it w smooth. there was no second guessg. it was a nipnd tuck and it was cpetent. chris: i thinkt was more strategic an taxuts, it was done correctly he had to get the troop off the bea like the brits did in world wari. i if he didn't cut tt down, the reblicans would come in, in january and cut the taxes and geall othe credits for it anwoe look like a klutz. >> right. chris: that was the bt of e year for theresident. the nex category, president's worst move this yr, was it moving slowly on the bigil spill down in louisiana or allowingealth re to stay way out front instead of focusing on jobs this year. if you'reettingnto that debate over the mosque being set in nework over groun zero, right near t beginng of the fall eleions owas it the tax cut deal again? because some think twheapt the best or worst deal.

i want to go to katty. >> i will go witthe mosque debate almost tthe flip side of what i said about t petraeus/mccrystal thing. it was oma at his most eequiv m. didn't show him in chae. he said one thing. he didn't say anher. you didn't know what h bieved abt it. that was in a senseffecting his pncsirey. sometimes it's hard to kw what this g really stas for. chris:e said i agree with the principle of the right to set it up. >> right. >> vote for the slow burn on the oil spill becau it consumed this white house for months and ithowed that the whe house had trouble getting its footing, how to respond. t that the president did not look ke a leader who cou command e issue and h kept saying,o down and vacation right in the gulf and spend the day there. mrs. obama went overseas so th white house looked out of uc >> health re. it was at variance wh what the erican people really cared about, which was jobs. it was the worstove of his rst two years. ris: put it all together, howard, you start here putting together bad and good -- i agree with joe on health

care. that's the gift at kee on taking. >> yes. >> yes. >> keepsecoming less and less popula beyond all that one other thing did he that erall is goods made himself more familiar to the american people as a person and as a famil the polls show that whateople liked best about barack oba is his personality, his equab persnality and theact he's a family guy. there lr 10% or 20% of the americaneople who will ntinue to hatend fear him and his wife. but everybody else h kind of accepted him. chris: so e gettable -- >> as a member of th family and that's a key, key thing for guy who came out of nhere with the sange background. >> butfter talking about the ings -- nobody's comnted on it but ihink is a real important thing that the polls show abo him. chris: is tt a foundation? we see inur polling the last couple of wks, is that a foundation for better presency s to come, norah?

>> the's no doubt and getng out there and showcasing his faly will have to involve the warming up of michelle obama, who is sti extremelyift trustful othe president. >> i disagree completely. >> why? >> i haven't seen itut there. thinkeople real like michelle obama. >> s's distrustful of the press and doing lot of fferent things >> knowing her, and the t youngids, people are still -- whatever they think aheut tbo policies there ati sll sotimes the's pride, people say please, whatever, with these very nice choices to vo. chris: en gender wise, i now have a good sample to ask, do the ameran people like having airst lady who's basically a spouse, stays back,oes a few uses like childhood obesity but basically doesn't com out front? >> she is very cfortable taking a stepn that role. she hasn't done what others have did which is say i had a

antastic career. w i'm going to be in the white house and sll be involved in polits. michelle obama sd i h a fantastic caree now i will be first lad and look after the kids. an i think it's her eas with that role. chri she hasn't chosen to be a partner in policy. >> she is very much behind the scenes. she'a powerful adviser behin the scenes but she wants to mom i chief. she wasery ptective of her ildren in making sure not only she speppeds too wit him but ese thiden 6:30 must leave the ova office and at the dinnetable. >> thecrazy right had the whole angry black woman thing just teed up and she hasn' giv thm a chance to run away with . chris: politics this year, generally tre were plent but here are four to kk aund, the rich candidatespending millions to get nominated for big jo to lose in november? meghitman, $140, tons of moy, linda mcmahon up in connectut the tea par

backer, senator jim demint, put all kindf membe, tea partiers, who were beaten in november. could have taken over the senate and didn't. rhode island democrat frankapo running for governor uphere who had this to say to predent obama whepresident obama paed him over in favor of lynn shafey to pay off an old debt. here he is. >> i never asked for preside obama's endorsement. he can tak his endorsement and really shove i as far as i'm concerned. chri well, there's a class t. and nancy pelosi for staying on as house democrati leader even after the party lost b. norah, worst move of the year? >> worstove was probably the millionaire thing but i lov that so manyomen have soany millions to spend. the silver lining. we have knownnd history is reete with self-nders, cdidates who don't end up winning. meg whitman tes the cakwith $150 mlion of her own money. i thinkt says something, look,

when y're running f off and you have tosk people for money to ctributeo you, they didn't invest in your campaign in other 0 ways and i think that's onef the funding your own campaign. chris: very mhiavellian, by the way. very smart. pelosi, pelosi, pelosi. chris: shod not have syed. >> the democrats do st with the core cstituenc working peop of this coury. they nee someone whoeflects working people in the middle of the country to lead them. you know, for reaso, younow, itoesn't make a difference whether it's tru or n but people see pelosis sophisticated, san francis, out of the mainstream, she was who the republicans ran ainst all year. not rack obama. and i think that her stayi on was aact of hubris. i think the democrats loss the house forther reasons tn just nan pelosi. crs what did you thinkbout what joe justaid? >> i think joe absoluty rit. but i would say tt the biggest miake of the year washaron engle, who was running against

harry reid in nevada, putting o a frankly ract ad about immigratn against hisnics. what planet is shen,f the republicans ar going to hav anchance of being a true majority party, they're going to need a huge percente of the hispanic vote. geor w. bush in 2004 got 40% of it. sh got less than 30% of itut there,ay down below. and hry reid won tha race gog away because of what sharon engle did. that is the exac huge mistake that all republicns in e futureave to somehow figure out how to come to grips with and avoid if they want t go foard chris: a disease that party is suffering from. >>hosepposing the dream act which would enabl latino kids college o go t into t military have tizenship. those people are going sufr. chris: let's go to the next category. the annu foot and in mouth pze. maybe i should bep forhis pimesm te. joe biden a fend of big oil. at ha ouse hearing, he he is,

when bp was on the cpet, he apolized for putting them on the carpet. >> andhis shakedown, i apologize. chris: it wasritish prime nister gordon graham mpaigng in the hinterlands and count iring a woman upset about immigration and fgetting he was wearing a m. >> all of tse eastern europeanwelcome them in. should never have put m with him. ridiculous. chs: the truth sometimes is spoken. get troub for it. robert gibbsicked up a storm with democrats when he said this on "meet the press" back in july. >> i thirehenk's no dot the are ough seats in play tha could cause republicans to gain control. there's nooubt about that. chris: ain, telling the truth. finally, was it nevada publican candidate sue loudon, who many think lost her primary fight out the when she advoced this old-fhioned health care solution. >> you know, before w all

started having heth care in the olden days, our granarents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. >> gdon graha lost the ectionecause of that comment. it was truth butt revealed what t brits thought gordon brown was, whi was this pompous, cold, heartless guy. but i would have t addnother on which w hamid karzai bragging about the fact h got bags of cash from the iranians and was an t of patriotism. only in afghanistan. >> the worst gaffes are the ones that show you something abo the person that you suspect all alo but you -- they had been trying to hide in public. and that's exactly wha gdon brown- gordon brown would lose the election anyway but heried to show heas a ne guy and clearly he wasn't that nice guy. the oer foot in mouth is not exactly but y have it rice, the ad i am not a witch with the backdrop. if ever you have to declare

yourself not a witch -- dis:ron't look like one. when we come back, who wl get the annual prize, wikilea guy, sarah palin, glenn beck? and look for incredible voicemail messages.

chris: welcome bk to our annual awards. the nominee for the hesa ward, the head of wikileaks said his organization has a duty to get the truthut to the wod. our resident sarah palin who's often nervey butet a lot of nervesn edge with this one -- >> how is th healthy change stuff working out for you? chris: wow. or was it fox tv's glenn beck who had the nerve to hold h rallat theincoln memorial on e very an rersry of martin luher ki's 1963 "i have eam" speech? or was it thearmy colonel who

refused an ord to deploy to afghantan because he wanted to seehe commander i chief's birth certificate. howard? >> i don't think it's y of those things. i think it's all of the reblicans in congres who were for earmarks until a couple weeks ago, and then they decided we hate earmarksnd we e totally againsthem. we wish the democrats would allow them to go throu but wee against themow. >> in the end they loved them. >> andhey have so much hutzpa. >> and for defic reduction. is it a tax cut and they're chomping at it. chris: i know, snding. >> but alsobama is wanted for the psical seum. chris: the republican says ey're such big conservativ. >> there has to be a word for glenn beck, who is a charlatan really he retires theup not

st for that rally but the phony fro fessel air he has when he's broadcasting in wch he promos the ridiculous conspiracy theories by john birch society nut cak. it's outrageous >> i will also add wikeaks ough. even though you can debat the merits and otherwise putting this material out there, wther ey are right o wrong to do it or right or wrongo have reactions, and i think there's a very solid debate to be hver hat. but i do think he has changed our access to infoation rever. i'm not sure wther there are elements -- there were elements of both but there's certainly hu change. >> the hutzpa part of it is he views himself as a huge figure. there's nothi modest about his ow claims for himself. >> you call him leaderf wileaks and thenorrected it to head of wikileaks. leaders how he sees himself. chris: i always said i never men an australian i didn't like. i'm still out on h.

and caught on tape, the wost of the, charlie crist the losing dependent candate in the flora senate race who left a ssage for democratic opponent kendra meek sgestinge quit the ce so he canry and win? or california's jerry brown w did end up winning dpitehe fl over this insult to a part of meg ribbon, who tught his call h been disconnected. ris: or jimmy thomas, like supreme court justic harry thomas, who had the bright ia to leave aoice message for anita hill, suggesting she apologize to thomas ove the stimony she ge way back when? or aor mel gibson, who had this to s to h girlfriend and the mother of his childre

chris: thawas a calvaca of hate. what dyou think of tt one? >> it's the mel gibson. it just appalling. and it reveals, it's another instance iteveals something abouthis guy you had suspected but wow, this is for wse and he ha been hounded out of hollywood beuse of that case. >> this has not bn a gd year for ausalians >> i have- chris: i stillikehem generall >> wouldn't mel gibson play julianna -- >> i have to give the trophy to jeannie thomas for really ripping the sb on an old wound out of nowhe. chs: motivated for loyalty to your spouse but leaving a voicemail for someone -- >> and then cam back and said sheished she hadt done it. >> and the had to step down from herssociation fm the tea party group, which is he said wasot related to that. clearly, it brought up a lot of -- a lot about the old clarence

thomasnita hill heang. chris: i still likeiving dgerously. i'm sorry, mel gibn, gat vie. "opereheart" was good, too. when we come back,ho will get comeba of the year award? because of one word, imagination and reality haveerged. because of o word, a new generation-- a fifth genetion-- of fighter acraft has been born.

because of one word, america'sir dominance for the next forty years is assured. that onword... is ho

chris: welcome back. there areere a lot of mebacks in the midterm election and one makes ourop ur comebks of the year and that's the incoming governor in california who lastas governor three decades ago. andhen george w. bush,hose meir did betr than anyone predicted and helped aise his approvalumber jay lenoho retook his late-night spot and got his grve back andhere is the returnf the man in gray flannel suit, don drar in the cast of hug hit "ma men," big coback for madison avee of the '50's a early '60's. norah? i have to gi it to george w. bush who, of course, w a

controversiapresidt and left with pretty low appval ratings but his book ldso 15 million copies and it's the bt-selling book this holiday season. chris: yr thoughts? >> i'm a connoisur of weird politicians. and jerry brown's first debat ainst meg whian was just a classy creive incisive weariness hndis service of candidacy. grea performance. >> we're missing the most one. chris: comeback of the year. >> obviouslyersonified, bill clton. >> yeah. >>hen he came into the -- i spent a lot of time into the press room tse ds. fortunately i wasn't there when he came back. bill clton walks in andasy as pie for the next hf hour explain what's real lifen shington, in pitics is all about. chris: which is? >> take the deal. >> otherwise you go down the drain. ta the deal.

the gestures, whole thing. so happy. >> you can never gorong with bill clinton. joing howard, why not. chris: we'll be right back wi our big question thi week, who had the very best year of everybod you y hav heard his name alady. be right back.

chris: welcome back to our annu award show. who had the very best 2016 c13 chris: welcome back to our annual award show. who had the ve best 10? we have four nominees o our own but you may have had others. our four, tea party movement itself, changed wal the flip side, replican leadership in theongress like mitch mcconll and john boemiter. big year for them b they also now have to deal with the coming challenge of handling the tea party. or was it the royals overn britain, wh the engagement of the fute king and queen. goodear for the queen,kiing aen elizabeth d monarchy. or was it hillary and bill clinton, already mentioned she posted another idea cretary of ste and he was pital helping docrats around the coury asell as 4e7ing president obama sell his big t cut deal. howa, you started this. who's the all-time winr of the zeer >> ientioned the clintons personly but i'm actually ing to s the tea party. some peoplsay it's oversold o ounterjournalism saying it wasn't that g of a deal.

it's a hugeeal. and they will the driving rce in the coress overtime ne two years. not the liberal democrad h. th tea party. >>'m agreeing with howard this morning. he's very wise and debonair. chris anarchy? >> will go with the tea party because of what if you think about it this has bn the most phenomenal fast rise of an moment i american politics. r yeaa and a half yalo -- chris: do you think it wl decend this yea >> it may but a year and a half yalo we donjou know anythoug abn it. >> i will ve for mn btcmiter, whoroved real men can do it multiple times. chris: in aecret hat. >>ly go wh the t party with the caveat, eve though they were the bgest winners this year becausehey set the bate, they will be the bge lbilers of nt year bmuause they will have to vote and you wl see another tea party movement, restined. chris: that said, tea forhree, please.

thank you, round table a ward givers, howard fineman, kat o norah o'donnell and jtcyear?lei that's the group. thank you for watching. merry chstmas and hap new thank you for watching. merry chstmas and hap new year and see you he next week. imagination and reality have merged. because of one word, a new generation a fifth generation-- of fighter aircraft has beenorn.

cause of oneord, america's air dominance for t next forty yes is sured. that one word... is how. for the holiday sweepstakes, whn i gothis toy from my colleague in japan. turnout robosan was the hottest toy of the year. [ ne tv ] robosan 4000 is sold out acrosthe country. [ steve ] i was gointo selit online and make a fortune. buthen, i won a $1,000 prepaid card just because i used my ti card. so i made a decision, if citi could surprisee, why not do the same for someone else? [ male announcer ] register and use yourard for a chance to win a prepaid car worth up to $10,000. what your story? citi can help you write it.