MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Wednesday mocked Rush Limbaugh's response to the killing of Osama bin Laden, deriding the conservative as a "walrus underwater." Matthews also made an odd grunting noise to back up this description.
After playing a clip of Limbaugh asserting that the media have played up Barack Obama's role in the action, the Hardball anchor berated, "You know, I don't even know what that is except just bitterness. I mean- [makes noise] Walrus underwater talking and what is he actually saying?"
Matthews introduced the segment by hitting Limbaugh as a "caricature" and a "cartoon."
[Video can be found below. MP3 audio here.]
Former Newsweek editor Jonathan Alter also joined in, scolding, "The guy has no class or graciousness, not a shred of it. Not that that is a big surprise, but this is just more proof of that."
Matthews has quite an obsession with Limbaugh and a tendency to make extreme comments about the radio star. On October 13, 2009, he asserted that "at some point somebody's going to jam a CO2 pellet into his head and he's going to explode like a giant blimp."
On March 04, 2009, Matthews described an Obama/Limbaugh battle as a wrestling a "walrus." On January 13, 2010, he used the term again.
A transcript of the May 4 segment, which aired at 5:34pm EDT, follows:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Gentlemen, just to show the caricature, let me show the caricature, the cartoon version. Here is Rush Limbaugh today. Let's listen to Rushbo.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: I mean, it was gutsy on Sunday, but on Monday, it was really gutsy and yesterday it was profoundly gutsy. And today, it was unbelievably, incomprehensibly gutsy. But isn't that a bit of a stretch, especially in view of the fact- look at it this way, if it ever got out that Obama had passed on the chance at capturing or killing bin Laden, Obama's political career is over.
MATTHEWS: You know, I don't even know what that is except just bitterness. I mean- [makes noise] Walrus underwater talking and what is he actually saying? "I'm ticked off this guy did something great." That's really what Rush is saying, isn't it, John?
JONATHAN ALTER: Yeah, look- He- Even on the first day, he wouldn't give Obama any credit and delivered this satirical rant against him. The guy has no class or graciousness, not a shred of it. Not that that is a big surprise, but this is just more proof of that.