Chris Matthews Holding Long Time Grudge Against Arianna Huffington?

May 30, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

Let’s take a little time off of more serious matters for some juicy gossip. Over at gawker.com there is a somewhat humorous little tale of an MSNBC photo shoot that saw TV yaker Chris Matthews of “thrill going up my leg” fame storming out after being told he might be required to share the camera frame with blog maven and born again lefty arianna Huffington. Apparently Chris is still mad at her for supposedly having hired a private investigator to stalk Tim Russert after an unflattering 1994 article written by Russert’s wife, Maureen Orth.

Matthews is reported as having said, “I will not be in the same f_ _ _ing picture as Arianna Huffington!! Not a chance of that!”

Apparently, Tucker Carlson was also in the shoot and the witness made the following comments about what was said:

“I want you to know that she hired a Private Investigator to spy on one of my colleagues; someone in the media.” Tucker walks in at that point and I’m literally writing down what he just said on a paper towel so I’d remember that quote. Oh yeah, so Tucker walks in and says, “Yup, he’s right, she did hire someone and nobody really talks about it, but I really like her so it doesn’t bother me.”

Well, it’s all rather interesting and certainly based on the claims of only one witness as reported by gawker.com. But, I agree with gawker that it all has a ring of authenticity to it. And the original posting of this little tale had at least one photo that made it seem as if the writer really was at the photo shoot.

But, what makes this story even more interesting to me is that the original blogger pulled down his posting of the photo shoot incident. It looks like John LaCroix pulled his post after gawker got hold of it and in place of the original post left this message:

The original author of this post and the editor of this blog would like to sincerely apologize to Conde Nast, Portfolio, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson and the photographer on set for any problems or inconvenience we might have caused. We had no intention to bring harm to anybody involved.

This little mae culpa almost screams out that LaCroix is covering for Douglas Thompson, the original source of the info (see cached version HERE), who was going to get fired from whatever job he has that placed him at the photo shoot unless he pulled the post. It also amuses me that our pal Johnny seems to be making the lie to his own mission statement as posted on the “about this blog” section of the blog.

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I always love this sort of mindless bravado. Oh we are soooo brave to be unapologetically offending people, we are soooo cool that propriety and an effort at serious content is beneath us. Generally used as cover for slovenly work, this sort of blowhard-like posturing is as childish as it sounds. But, I am amused to point out that their puffed up sense of cool-to-be-cruel, outrageousness seems to have taken an immediate back seat the second someone’s job was threatened!

Suddenly their original false bravado is the last thing on their minds and a groveling apology becomes of great import when real life comes a knocking. So much for their claim that they intend “offending” one and all. Playing at coolness instead of sticking to their guns.

Donthca hate it when lefties are mugged by reality like that?

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston