>> this is "the chris matthews show." >> ask not what your country can do for you. >> tear down this wall. >> the time for change has come. chris: unemployment is rising like a skyscraper. soon the entire country could be beneath its shadow. with government debt rising even faster, what can president obama do? and even if he wins on health care, will he have the political help to get another job stimulus? the candidate barack obama talked of limiting any new tax burden to the better off. but can he really stanch the bleeding of deficits and debt and still keep his promise not to add taxes to the struggling class? finally,he gift of fear. will the specter of losing their seats in next year's elections for congress keep democrats from sticking their necks out for obama? but could it also give his party the fighting edge to play it smart? i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. trh regan covers wall street for cnbc and nbc news. richard stengel is the editor of "time" magazine. kathleen parker is a "washington post" columnist. and andrew ross sorkin covers wall street. for "the new york

i'm chris matthews in boston. leading off tonight. he is back.acketeering is fresh off his seven-year prison sentence, known for being one of the more colorful characters on capitol hill is coming to "hardball." president obama is considering scaling back american forces in afghanistan which would satisfy democrats but infuriate republicans. the political perils of afghanistan. republicans are hawkish on afghanistan but the party is going to war with its own members. south carolina republicans are on the hunt for what they call rinos, republicans in name only, their current target bob ingles. also, the democrats are getting 60 senators. massachusetts had acted to let the governor pick an interim senate pick to fill ted kennedy's seat. looks like it is going to be long time kennedy ally paul kirk. that is coming up in "the politics fix." moammar qaddafi called president obama a kenyan who he would like to see president for life. qaddafi's words on obama in "the sideshow." let's start with the former u.s. congressman who made these words his tradem

i'm mike barnicle in for chris matthews. caught red-handed. iran admitted to building a second secret underground plant to enrich your rainian. president obama says either open the sites for inspection or be held accountable. >> i have said repeatedly we're going to operate on two tracks, that our preferred method of action is diplomatic. but if that does not work, then other consequences may follow. >>> nbc news white house correspondent chuck todd and former state department spokesman jamie rubin will break down what this means for the president a week before the takes are set to begin. >>> why are democrats seeing a sig any kabtd drop fund-raising. how can they convince big donors to open up their checkbooks ahead of the 2010 mid determine elections. >>> remember if conservative outcry over the back-to-school speech? a student performance is drawing fire from conservative critics. >> conservatives charge that the school is attempting to indoctrinate and brainwash its students in support of the president. are they right? also, "meet the the

up next, "hardball" with chris matthews. a big show in story. "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. >>> council of war. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews. in boston. leading off tonight, in the war room. president obama's top commander in afghanistan has said if we don't send more troops there we risk failure. today the president held his first big strategy session to weigh that request. what the ultimate goal of our afghanistan policy should be. the key people from the military, diplomatic and political corners of this administration were in the room including vice president biden, secretary of state hillary clinton, defense secretary robert gates, cia director panetta and chief of staff emanuel. the most important questions they have to answer is how many troops can we send there how long are they willing to stay there? what can they get done? saxby chambliss of georgia and democratic senator bob casey of pennsylvania will be here to give their answers to those questions. >>> republicans want revenge. they'

the coverage will be ankered by keith olbermann, chris matthews and rachel maddow.e beginning of the debate people thought the playbook would be look at what went wrong with the clintons and try to correct on that. you have a mess of other entanglements this administration had found itself in. >> yeah, i mean, it's so fascinating on so many levels. the lessons they've learned from the clinton administration. here we are, 25, 26 hours before the president is going to hit the final send button on his speech to his advisers. does he hit the republicans over the head or anybody who stands in the way of reform? that's one way. does he reach out a fig leaf and explain to the american people in a calm fashion, here's what's in it for all of you? does he try to go to please the democratic caucus? against this, he has the moving parts in congress today which makes the situation more precarious and dramatic. >> with all the options, from the things we've read over the weekend and from speaker pelosi and reid, the option is not going to be to hit the republicans over the head

. >> chris matthews returns monday night at 5:00 and 7:00 evening with more "hardball." "countdown with keith olbermann" starts right now. >>> which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? going public, the new cbs/"new york times" poll, nearly half of republicans favor the public option. why are 100% of their senators opposed to it? and could their instructionist tactics be helping democrats? democrat ron wyden of the democratic committee is our guest. >> nuclear deception. the iranian secret is out. details of an underground nuclear-fueleded nuclear site revealed this morning. the president responds this is a mistake. they will be sorry. >>> will china impose sanctions on iran? >>> no classification on bill sparkman. >> they knock on doors of saintly people and really horrible people. missing him is real for us. >> joe. heckler is the gop's new joe the plumber. why the republicans continue to embrace and elevate their fringe elements to poster boy status? sarah palin's latest attempt to prove she is up to speed on global politics. also she changed her prof

>> this is "the chris matthews show." >> ask not whatour country can do for you -- >> tear down this wall. >> i can hear you. >> the time for change has come. chris: scared to death. first it was the folks afraid of having their guns taken away. next came fear in the suburbs of medical rationing, of being denied an organ transplant. now we hear fear of government, fear of change, fear the president isn't one of us, fear of losing the country i grew up in. is this something personal? would all this be happening if hillary were in the white house? would she or john kerry be questioned about their americanness? would they have faced the same rage if they had pushed health care for all? finally, is this another vietnam? we've fought for kabul lger than saigon? ve t democrats decided to call it quits? can the president fight a war without his own party? hi, i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. kathleen parker is a "washington post" columnist and rick stengel is editor of "time" magazine and helene cooper covers "the new york times" and david david brooks of the news hour. there is a st

." >>> good evening, i'm mike barnicle in tonight for chris matthews.eading off tonight, caught red handed. iran admitted to building the second undersecret underground nuclear plant to enrich uranium and president obama demanded they either open nuclear sites for inspection or be held accountable. >> we're going to operate on two tracks. our preferred method is diplomatic. if that does not work, other consequences may follow. >> nbc news white house correspondent, chuck todd, former state department spokesman jamie rubin will break down what this disclosure means for the nation. before the six-nation talks with iran are set to begin. plus, why are democrats seeing a significant drop in fundraising and how can they convince big donors to open up their checkbooks ahead of the 2010 midterm elections? >>> and remember the conservative outcry over president obama's back to school speech in a student performance at a new jersey public elementary school is now drawing fire from some conservative critics. check it out. >> barack hussein obama. >> conservatives

i'm mike barnicle, in today for chris matthews. leading off tonight, filibuster proof. governor deval patrick named paul kirk, cheese ally and former chairman of the democratic national committee to temporarily fill ted kennedy's seat until next year's general election. kirk is expected to be a reliable volt for the democrats' health care reform plan, which was ted kennedy's long-fought mission. and the man who appointed him, governor deval patrick, will be here tonight. >>> next, president obama told the united nations general assembly that he is seeking a new era of engagement with the world, but can an extended hand prompt world leaders to solve the name international problems that vex the bush administration, like iran's nuclear ambitions, middle east peace and afghanistan? >>> and playing the victim. new york governor david paterson sure has a strange way of pushing back on president obama's suggestion that he not run. first, his wife said it was, quote, very unfair, unquote, of the white house to discourage the first african-american governor of new york from runn

i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, full-court press.ay where the president races out to meet the enemy, grabs the ball and takes the shot, it works. we've got the latest nbs news/"wall street journal" poll on the president's media play, the big fight over health care, and whether the republican party has gained anything over the last several months. add to that the president's one-man show last night with david letterman. but the big question, is the president's all-out media strategy working? chuck todd and politico's roger simon are here to answer that big question. >>> plus, the war in afghanistan. should president obama give general mcchrystal the troops he wants? what would victory look like in afghanistan? do we even have a strategy? and what would be the consequences of getting out? all tough questions and we'll ask ron reagan jr. and frank gaffney. >>> and let's take a look, let's get a good inside look at the president, there they are, and the first lady, michelle obama. tonight we examine the power marriage of barack and miche

up next, ""hardball" with chris matthews. >> command decision.hington. leading off tonight, this is why we have president's. president obama cannot escape the most brutal decision of his presidency. whether to put more troops into the american war in afghanistan, or pull out and let the taliban and al qaeda win. that was the word delivered to the white house, if they hadn't read it already on the front page of today's -- actually, the "washington post." the commander says we have to put in more troops and fight to protect the people of afghanistan, or we will lose. period. that there is no middle way left. so what will president obama do? will he bite the bullet and fight his own democratic party and escalate the war, or will he bite the bullet and pull out, which set of consequences will he find the least horrible? we'll talk to a democrat who says it's time to go, and a republican who wants to give general mcchrystal the troops he wants. plus, different channel, same results. remember those inaugural balls last january when the new president da

"hardball" with chris matthews is next here on msnbc. >>> listen to jimmy. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, the color of politics. it strikes me that race is the san andreas fault of american politics, it's a huge divide right below the surface that always threatens to shake and split this country in the worst way. the fault line began to show itself in the claim richly enjoyed in the american south that president obama wasn't born here, isn't one of us. then came the wide open arena of the health care town meetings. that really opened up the divide. now last night came this from a southerner who was once president. >> i think an overwhelming portion of the intentionally demonstrated animosity toward president barack obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's african-american. >> that statement by president carter has taken the issue out in the open. republican don't like what carter said. some don't like the signs that are being waved at the town meetings. they are not saying m

. >> up next, "hardball" with the every investigatent chris matthews. a lot of important information ahead. that starts right now here on msnbc. >> friday night fight. let play "hardball." >> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington leading off tonight, the old american problem. from the moment joe wilson shouted out you lie at obama, the country has been in an uneasy conversation about race. is it about race or is it not that black and white? our colleague, gene robinson put it this way in his column in the "washington post" today. i look forward to the day when we can look past race burk before we can do so, we need to look at race and see it clearly. we'll look at president obama, at race and america at the top of the show. also president obama's decision to scrap the ant missile system in eastern europe has republicans, you can predict this, cow towing to russia. robert gates played a large role in that decision. who is being smart about this? and who is not? that's our debate tonight. plus, look who is talking. there will be no one missing th

chris matthews is unnext tonight.s play hardball. >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading out tonight, back to the fight. tonight we return. the central question of american political life, what kind of a country do you want to live in? one that applies by international law and treats our enemies by the geneva convent n conventions or is this a country that whatever the public leaders decides is necessary in the defense, anything they decide is necessary. we know with dick cheney stands. he's with the whatever you think is necessary people led by dick cheney. he's defending the bush-cheney use of what a lot of people call torture. he's attacking the obama white house for the unusual use of defenders. an agency he bullied and ridiculed for eight years in his role as vice president. he's getting hit by john mccain with two advantages over cheney. one, he knows what it

i'm mike barnicle, in today for chris matthews. leading off tonight, filibuster proof. the democrats got their 60th senator today. massachusetts governor deval patrick named paul kirk, chief ally and former chairman of the democratic national committee to temporarily fill ted kennedy's seat until next year's special election. kirk is expected to be a reliable vote for the democrats' health care reform plan, which was ted kennedy's long-fought mission. and the man who appointed him, governor deval patrick, will be here tonight. >>> next, president obama told the united nations general assembly that he is seeking a new era of engagement with the world, but can an extended hand prompt world leaders to solve the same international problems that vexed the bush administration, like iran's nuclear ambitions, middle east peace and afghanistan? >>> and playing the victim. new york governor david paterson sure has a strange way of pushing back on president obama's suggestion that he not run. first, his wife said it was, quote, very unfair, unquote, of the white house to discourag

>> this is "the chris matthews show." [captioning made possible by nbc universal] >> rising to the occasion, president obama took back the reins of the splintered health care fight. will it last? is he fears enough to get the sweeping change and we know more about the details now but which details will actually become law? what will change in your own assistance today we lay it out. and finally, why so much hate? that congressman who yelled "liar." the fears that the president wanted to indoctrinate school ds. was all this unavoidable? hi, i'm norah o'donnell sitting in for chris. welcome to the show. ceci connolly, joe klein, helene cooper covers "the new york times" and howard fineman, from "newsweek." president obama stealing the scene in the health care debate. his wednesday night speech to congress showed the president knew he needed to take become control. >> the time for games has pass is! now is the season for action. now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together and show the american people th

chris matthews is up next. >>> command decision. play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, this is why we have presidents. president obama cannot escape the most brutal decision of his presidency. whether to put more troops into the american war in afghanistan, or pull out and let the taliban and al qaeda win. that was the word delivered to the president, if you hadn't read it already, on the front page of today's "washington post." the commander of our forces says we have to either put in more troops and fight to protect the people of afghanistan or we will lose, period. that there is no middle way left. so what will president obama do? will he bite the bullet and fight his own democratic party and escalate the war, or will he bite the bullet and pull out? which set of consequences will he find the least horrible? we'll talk to a democrat who says it's time to go, and a republican who wants to give general mcchrystal the troops he wants. >>> plus, different channel, same results. reme

good evening, i'm mike barnicle in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, the gift.n congressman joe wilson shouted out "you lie" at president obama last night, he gave the democrats a gift they hope just keeps on giving. wilson was forced, and that does seem to be the word, forced to apologize today and his washington office has been mobbed, mostly by right wing supporters. democrats hope to turn wilson into the cindy sheehan of the anti-health care reform movement, a clownish figure of ridicule who hurts his own side more than he helps. partly lost in all of the fuss over wilson was the president's speech itself -- did he regain control of the debate? we will deconstruct the speech and see where the debate is headed next. >>> plus, it seems like a south carolina kind of day. governor mark sanford today defended his decision to stay in office. but can he survive the ground swell of calls for his resignation this week by the state's house republicans? >>> back to health care for a moment. could bill clinton become president obama's secret weapon to keep democrats in

." >> and up next, "hardball" with chris matthews. chuck todd is sitting in tonight. "hardball" starts right now. >>> the president's political health. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chuck todd in washington filling in for chris matthews who will be back on monday. leading off tonight, image problem. the outburst by congressman joe wilson has us asking, are we at the point where we can say the intense opposition to barack obama in some parts of the country is about more than health care reform? stimulus plan? is it also about ideology? regional differences and perhaps even race? what is more, wilson's remark and the support he has received in his south carolina district. is it threatening to harden the republican party's reputation right now inside the beltway? we'll talk to two members of congress in a mole. plus, september 11 is the reason we waged war in afghanistan. but eight years after we went in, what is our mission there today? nbc new chief foreign correspondent richard engel. and they'll give us their take on the present state of afghanistan. t

i'm chris matthews in boston. leading off tonight. he is back.es traficant, the former congressman found guilty of bribery and racketeering is fresh off his seven-year prison snrngs the expelled politician known for being one of the more colorful characters on capitol hill is coming here to "hardball." >>> plus president obama's considering scaling back american forces in afghanistan which could satisfy some democrats but infuriate some republicans who have been in support of his hawkish policy in the region. the political perils of afghanistan. >>> republicans are still hawkish on afghanistan but the party is going to war with some of its own members who don't stick strictly to the conservative message. south carolina republicans are on the hunt for what they call rinos, republicans in name only, their current target bob ingles. is the risk becoming the pure republicans carrying the risk of becoming the small party? >>> also the democrats are getting 60 senators. massachusetts has acted to bet the governor pick an interim senator, pick someone t

hard bicycle with chris matthews is next. >> barack has the ball.>>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, full-court press. so now we know the play where the president races out to meet the enemy, grabs the ball and takes the shot, works. we've got the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll and the president's approval rating is holding steady at 51%. exactly writ was a month ago. s is his media blitz work iing? people are worried about the economy and saying it will improve next year, up from april. and a 3 persons lead over the democrats, the smallest lead since the republicans. and we have something from the president's appearance on david letterman. and the war in afghanistan, should president obama give general mccrystal the troops he wants. what would victory look like in afghanistan? does he even have a strategy and what are the consequence offers getting out? all tough questions. we'll ask ron reagan jr. and ron gaffney. >>> we examine the power marriage of barack obama and michelle obama. >>> and jimmy ca

let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington.ng off tonight, this is why we have presidents. president obama cannot escape the most brutal decision of his presidency. whether to put more troops into the american war in afghanistan, or pull out and let the taliban and al qaeda win. that was the word delivered to the president, if you hadn't read it already, on the front page of today's "washington post." the commander of our forces says we have to either put in more troops and fight to protect the people of afghanistan or we will lose, period. that there is no middle way left. so what will president obama do? will he bite the bullet and fight his own democratic party and escalate the war, or will he bite the bullet and pull out? which set of consequences will he find the least horrible? we'll talk to a democrat who says it's time to go, and a republican who wants to give general mcchrystal the troops he wants. >>> plus, different channel, same results. remember those inaugural balls last january when the new president danced exact

as always, chris matthews is up next. >>> will israel attack iran? let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, will israel attack iran? that's the question. yesterday iran fired long-range missiles capable of reaching israel in a show of strength and will that raises the prospect that israel will strike first. will they? can they do it without our help, without our okay? would they? what are the consequences if israel does strike in iran's nuclear facilities? to israel? to the united states? what will the consequences be if iran gets nuclear weapons? would that mean the end of israel as a safe haven? >>> next, do you remember when hillary clinton said the monica lewinsky story was a frame-up? conspiracy by the right to make her husband look like he had a sexual entanglement with the staffer? bill clinton says that conspiracy of the right continues. is he trying to spin away his scandal by identifying himself with president obama? if so, is he a good obama attack dog? >>> what's behind the arrest of

let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm mike barnicle in tonight for chris matthews. leading off tonight, obama's big moment. president obama is facing, perhaps, the most important and consequential week yet of his presidency. it all begins with health care in his speech to a joint session of congress tomorrow night. then there's afghanistan. the september 11th anniversary. stubbornly high unemployment and growing unease about the deficit. add to that the fence that the president is being shaped by events more than he is shaping them. whether he can turn that around may say a lot about how successful a president he will be. virtually every republican has decided to just say no to anything the president proposes. plus he's faced with this inconvenient truth. liberal democrats won't vote for a health care plan without a public option. moderate democrats won't vote for one with it. two congressional democrats who fall on either side of this issue will be here in just a moment. >>> also, was the white house asleep at the switch when the right wing attack machine went afte

i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. trish regan covers wall street for cnbc and nbc news. richard stengel is the editor of "time" magazine. kathleen parker is a "washington post" columnist. and andrew ross sorkin covers wall street. for "the new york times." first up, right now, maybe all about getting health care passed but what happens next? number one, unemployment will stay very high for quite a while. number two, that means there may be a move for a second stimulus. and more federal spending to fund jobs. number three, taxes may go up to pay for all of this. but can president obama get more, especially after he's pushed health care through? he may have exhausted his political capital at a crucial time when he needs the second wind. a "washington post," abc news poll, obama has lost huge ground. in february obama was trusted to handle the economy by a big margin over republicans. 61-26. but now that number is much closer. 48-37. trish, i look at the high unemployment rate and it's coming out next week with more bad news probably. now is he going to deal with that big f

"hardball" with chris matthews starts now. >> will israel attack iran? let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, will israel attack iran? that's the question. yesterday iran fired long-range missiles capable of reaching israel in a show of strength and will that raises the prospect that israel will strike first. will they? can they do without our help, without our okay? would they? and what ais the consequence if israel does strike at facilities to israel, to the united states? and what will the consequences be if iran gets nuclear weapons? would that mean the end of israel as a safe haven? next. do you remember what mill re clinton said the monkey lewinski story was a frame-up to make her husband look like he had a sexual entanglement with the white house staffer? now bill:ton says that conspiracy continues. he is trying to spin away his scandal by identifying with president obama? and if so, is he a good attack dog? >>> and famed director roman polanski in switzerland, more than 20 years after he wa

i'm mike barnicle in for chris matthews. caught red handed.t to enrich uranium and president obama demanded they open nuclear sites for inspect or be held accountable. we are awaiting president obama's press conference at the g-20 sum in pittsburgh. nbc news white house correspondent chuck todd will break down what this disclosure mean for the president a week before the six-nation talks with iran are set to begin. plus, why are democrats seeing a significant drop in fundraising and how can they convince big donors to open up their checkbooks ahead of the 2010 mid-term elections? >>> and remember the conservative outcia. over president obama's back to school speech a couple weeks ago? a student performance at a new jersey public elementary school is now drawing fire from some conservative critics. check it out. >> the concern is that they were attempting to indoctrinate the students. also, "meet the press" moderator david gregly will review his interview with bill clinton. and finally, rod blagojevich just can't help himself on his never-endin

good evening, i'm chris matthews. tonight in new york. leading off tonight playing the race card, so who wants the country talking race? not the white house which quickly distanced itself from former president jimmy carter's comments, not most elected democrats who are quoted today as saying, anti-obama protests have nothing to do with race. no, it's the two extremes. the left, which understandably wants to demonize its opponents and the far right, which sees opportunity in the fear people have of losing what is theirs to the other guy. race and politics at the top of the show tonight. this debate about race comes as we're seeing a new public nastiness exemplified by the crude and, yes, sometimes racist signs at anti-obama events. today in an extraordinary moment house speaker nancy pelosi linked today's mean national rhetoric with the heat and anger in the air when san francisco mayor richard moscone and supervisor harvey milk were murdered. >> i have concerns about some of the language that is being used because i saw -- i saw this myse

good evening, i'm chuck todd in washington filling in for chris matthews who will be back on monday. image problem, the outburst by joe wilson has us asking, are we at the point to say the intense opposition is about more than health care reform, stimulus plans, is it also about ideology, regional differences and race? the support he's received in the south carolina district. is it threatened to harden the republican party reputation now? we'll talk to two members of congress. plus, september 11 is the reason we waged war in afghanistan. what is our mission there today. richard engel has been in the region recently and will give their take on the present state of afghanistan. it's the latest dwolment in an important week for president obama which included health care and his back to school speech. press secretary robert gibbs will do a briefing here. plus, with an interview sunday, we'll ask, are we seeing too much of president obama? it's all in the politics fix. it wouldn't be a political scandal without david letterman. that e's in the "hardball" side show. we begin with press hou

i was on chris matthews a few weeks ago, the idea that conservatives do not want a black president to succeed, that is insulting. jimmy carter was a bigger dingbat and the people in the white house now, and he was white. how can this be racial issue? guest: i think that there is something well beyond race going on here. something more disturbing, the refusal of the right in this country to accept the legitimacy of any elected democratic president. that is a very disturbing thing. constant, well funded attempts, well documented by industry and various lobbying groups. attempts to take away the legitimacy of this president by insisting he was not born in this country, etc., etc. guest: because a democrat would never claim that a republican president was not legally voted in. you made my point. [laughter] guest: let's identify some of that mob in miami and talk about grassroots, 2001, people that broke up the ballot recount. it was decided by the republican dominated supreme court, democrats went ahead and accepted that george w. bush was the president. there were no disputes as to who w

keith, rachel and chris matthews at the helm for this evening's coverage.fter steven farrell entered his interpreter. he was captured on sunday. he was interviewing villagers but killed dozens including civilians in the raid to rescue him and his interpreter and british commando were killed. the british times took the kidnapping quiet out of concern for the men's safety. >>> banned international troops from drinking booze in that country. u.s. troops aren't allowed to drink alcohol any time or anywhere in a war zone but many allied forces are permitted to drink a moderate amount if off duty but this issue blew up when contracted security guards were seen in kabul in naked booze fests so now anyone working in the kabul headquarters have to stick with soft drinks. >>> iran this hour, the country's foreign minister handed over a package of proposals to representatives of world power to help resolve the standoff over its nuclear program. no word what is in the proposals but according to iran's english language tv it contains various global be issues so we'll se

>> i think one of the examples is, i'm a big fan of chris matthews. i like chris matthews. one particular day i was watching and he mentioned word immigrant and obama in the same sentence. this is the story aut an immigrant. i think person on the panel said, no, obama was born in hawaii. no this is a story about an immigrant. he is not an immigrant. the casual viewer may take that information, say, not going to vote for obama, he is an immigrant. that is lazy journalism. i was a broadcast journalism major. i think the question, i think the idea, concept of immigrant just floated out there is not responsible. now granted, most of us you into he wasn't but i don't think it was story about an immigrant. hawaii i a state. where did the word immigrant come from? if i'm correct his father was not even an immigrant. he was an exchange student. he wasn't an immigrant. so it is words that are used can form to be the assault. it is not in your face like "fox news". obviously that is an assault. i mean that is and in your face, barack obama is this, this, and this. well, it isasual su

. >>> we youay s the say the >>> "chris matthews show" follows us this morning. for a preview of what they are working on, let's go to norah o'donnell. >> coming up, i will be sitting in for chris today. we look at how much traction the president got from his big speech. he seemed to lose control of the spotlight, so did he get it back? joe wilson's outburst that night stole the show. none of the republicans seem ready to deal on health care. what will the president get? today we will let you know what insurance change to expect in the final package. plus in addition to the outburst from joe wilson, there was an outcry against the president's speech to school kids. what is all this hatred about? that's coming up here at 10:00. for a look at what is coming up on "meet the press," here is david gregory. >> thank you, norah. good morning, keith. and republicans are not backing down from the health care debate. a debate this morning with senator durbin, and howard dean, and former house speaker, newt gingrich. and then the round table weighs in on the politics debate

>> i think one of the examples is, i am a big fan of chris matthews. i like chris matthews.one particular day i was watcng and he mentioned the word immigrant and obama in the same sentence. i think the person on theanel said no obama was bor in hawaii he said this is a story about an immigrant. he is not an immigrant. the casual viewer may take that information and say i'm not going to vote for obama, he is an immrant. at is just lazy journalism. i was a broadcast journalism major. i think the idea and the concept of immigrant just floated out there is not responsible. granted mosof us kw he wasn'tut i don't think a was a story about an immigrant. hawaii is the state. where did the word immigrant come from? if i am correct his father was an even in immigrant. he was an exchange student. he was not an immigrant so it was the use the words that form the media assault recruit is not in your face like fox news. obvisly that is an assault. that is an in-ur-face, barack obama is this, this and this but it is t casual, subtle stuff like showing a republican ad that shows oba with

i was on chris matthews a few weeks ago, the idea that conservatives do not want a black president to succeed, that is insulting. jimmy carter was a bigger dingbat and the people in the white house now, and he was white. how can this be racial issue? guest: i think that there is something well beyond race going on here. something more disturbing, the refusal of the right in this country to accept the legitimacy of any elected democratic president. that is a very disturbing thing. constant, well funded attempts, well documented by industry and various lobbying groups. attempts to take away the legitimacy of this president by insisting he was not born in this country, etc., etc. guest: because a democrat would never claim that a republican president was not legally voted in. you made my point. [laughter] guest: let's identify some of that mob in miami and talk about grassroots, 2001, people that broke up the ballot recount. it was decided by the republican dominated supreme court, democrats went ahead and accepted that george w. bush was the president. there were no disputes as to who w

interesting, many people predicted, watching "hardball" last night with chris matthews, exactly what chris predicted would happen in this, it would be paul kirk selected there? >> i think kelly makes an important point, too, he is, in many ways, going to keep some of the staff on board, provide this transition, of course, what the democrats want, another solid democratic vote that may bring them to 60 if they finally get this health care stuff done and ready to vote on. >> up next, how school officials are explaining, norah, this tape that shows children in a classroom behind that blur you see there. can't see the kids but you can hear the song and it's about president obama. >> yes, important to look at the words about what they are singing. you are watching "the big picture" right here on msnbc. ♪ bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as

. >>> on "hardball" with chris matthews, a look at today's critical white house meeting on the war inhanistan. "hardball" will have the latest reporting. "hardball" starts in nine minutes. it doesn't cover everything. and what it doesn't cover can cost you some money. that's why you should consider... an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company. it can help cover some of what medicare doesn't... so you could save up to thousands of dollars... in out-of-pocket expenses. call now for this free information kit... and medicare guide. if you're turning 65 or you're already on medicare, you should know about this card; it's the only one of its kind... that carries the aarp name -- see if it's right for you. you choose your doctor. you choose your hospital. there are no networks and no referrals needed. help protect yourself from some of what medicare doesn't cover. save up to thousands of dollars... on potential out-of-pocket expenses... with an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company. call no

>>ue: i think one of the examples is, i am a big fan of chris matthews. i like chris matthews. one particular day i was watching ande mentioned the word emigrant and obama in the same sentence, a story about an immigrant. i think the person on the panel said no obama was born in hawaii. he sai no this is a story about an immigrant. he is not an immigrant. the casual viewer may take that information and say, i am not going to vote for obama, he is an immigrant. i was a brocast maj journalism. think the idea of the, the concept of emigrant floated out there is not responsible. granted most of us knew he sn't but i just don't think it was a story about an immigrant. why is this day. where did the word emigrant come from? if i'm correct his father was an exchange stude. he was not an immigrant. so it is the words thatre used that conform to be the assault. does not in your face like fox news. obviously that is an assault. that is an in-your-face barack obama is this, this and this. it is the subtle stuff like may be showing aepublican ad that shows obama with a photo of children be

. >>> on "hardball with chris matthews," senator ron widen talks about the health care plan from maxfor menopausal skin. it rebuilds skin substance to treat sagging and boost luminosity. age perfect serum by l'oreal. proclaims "gq" magazine. did you see that? the interior "positively oozes class," raves "car magazine." "slick and sensuous," boasts "the washington times." "the most striking vw in recent memory," declares-- okay, i get it already. i think we were in a car commercial. ♪ yeah ♪ yeah. it's what doctors recommend most for headaches. for arthritis pain... in your hands... knees... and back. for little bodies with fevers.. and big bodies on high blood pressure medicine. tylenol works with your body... in a way other pain relievers don't... so you feel better... knowing doctors recommend tylenol... more than any other brand of pain reliever. >>> a rare look at a u.s. supreme court justice doing the mambo. that's right. sonia sotomayor is dangsing here with actor asai morales. the occasion, the national hispanic arts gala held at the corcoran in washington. >>> here are a few

i'm lawrence o'donnell in for chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, president obama's big night. yes, it is going too far to say president barack obama's presidency rides on tonight's speech, but after a frenzied summer of raucous town halls and slipping numbers and general agreement the president has lost control of the health care debate tonight is the president's chance to set the reset button. what should we look for tonight? how will we know the speech is a success? we will give you a smart viewer's guide to the speech coming up. what will the president say about a public option? former dnc chairman howard dean will be here to tell us if the democrats will draw a line in the sand and insist no public option, no bill. getting to 60. what does president obama have to do to win over a republican or two to get to the magic filibuster vote 60 votes. we hear that. david axelrod will preview what we can expect from the president tonight. and we will check what last-minute negotiations on capitol hill ahead of the president's address

and then at the top of the hour, white house press secretary robert gibbs plays "hardball" with chris matthews think all batteries are the same, consider this: when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and powering those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. trusted everywhere. look for new duracell ultra advanced now with even more power to protect. i'm just a skeptic so i don't necessarily believe that anything is going to work but i was like, hey, this actually works. (announcer) only rogaine foam is shown to regrow hair in 85% of guys. i'll check it out and i'm like, nice. (announcer) rogain foam. stop losing. start gaining. 's progressive.ouncer) call or click today. >>> here are a few more thing we thought you should know. >> michelle obama will travel to denmark in support of the 2016 olympic bid. she will join the leaders of spain, tokyo and brazil who have already committed to being there on october 2 to make their case. mrs. obama said there is no d