Hi Chris, In have been watching MSNBC for many years and your show for equally as long. HOWEVER, on todays "HARDBALL", you said to Chuck Todd and another well-known analyist whom name escapes me right now this (I paraphrase): 'I do not FEEL that [President Obama} is in charge!!!'].

Chris, after listening to Chuck Todd deconstruct the President's motive for mentioning his daughter asking him about the oil disaster during a morning shave. And, you had just finished asking to the ng degree Admiral Allen all that you wished. My question is this: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THESE MEN? THEY ARE ONLY MEN LIKE YOU AND I WHO HAVE THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR OFFICE. JUST LIKE YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY OF YOUR OFFICE. YOU DO THE BEST YOU CAN -WHERE, WHEN, HOW, WHEN YOU SEE AN OPENING TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN.

Today, I was so deeply offended by watching the three of you pile on, that I turned my tv completely off, nearly swearing to AVOID HARDBALL from Now on. Please, ease up. This oil situation is truly awful, beyond awful. Yet, you may remember that the rest of the world is behaving awfully too (so many fires to put out). So wait, be patient, and if you need to, go on to a different subject so you do not fixate of oil damage. And, destroy some deliberate people's chances of re-election in the fall for something that hopeful-prayerfully will be over soon.

I almost left you today buddy, and Chuck Todd's morning show too.

Calvin

I read your "Let me finish" along with you today. I will agree with you on your comments. Please be careful of "over-kill" on this oil disaster. We all feel confusion. If YOU panic-so might we.

Calvin, with you to some extent. As a former reporter, I know the questions have to be asked. However, we cannot get around how many tumors in the governmental body were left by Bush and the members of his administration. As President Obama treats many of these tumors at once, more pop up and threaten to take down his credibility with the people. By no means am I saying that Obama is perfect, isn't to blame for some problems, and that I'm a blind fan, but PLEASE do place the blame for this problem, as many before, squarely on the previous administration whose incompetence, if not outright malevolence, caused these cancers (and how many more) to blow up (pardon) now.

You asked about the worlds supertankers. If you listen to MSNBC, your own station, you would have known that those tankers are sitting out in the Ocean full of oil waiting for the prices to increase. What I dislike about you, is that you use half truths and think that you know everything and the only way of doing things is your way. Well, we know that you don't know anymore than we do. How many times does the President have to show you that he knows more than you do. What I don't understand is why you would believe he is just sitting around doing nothing. To quote Frank Schaeffer "The President's critics left and right all had one thing in common:
impatience laced with little-to-no sense of history (let alone reality) thrown in for good measure. Then of course there were the white, snide know-it-all commentators/talking heads who just couldn't imagine that maybe, just maybe they weren't as smart as they thought they were and certainly not as smart as their president. He hadn't consulted them, had he? So he must be wrong!" It took 9 months to stop the last Gulf gusher in 200 ft of water. Why would you think that the President can stop this one in 5,000 ft sooner? I think that you are being very unfair to the President. One other thing, President Obama is not FDR, Johnson, Kennedy, Reagan or any other president. He does things his way, not theirs or yours. I thought you knew that by now. He gets things done he way, He believes in results not half step, treats or name calling!

I'm a very faithful "Hardball" viewer, but I've grown weary of Chris' continued diatribe on supertankers as being the answer to this spill. He indicated he might barf if he heard once again about Chu's Nobel prize. I might barf if I hear about the supertankers one more time. Chris had a guest (professor) who explained how it was not so practical as one might believe to get tankers in to skim the surface of the Gulf, especially if the surface oil is not as thick as it might be if it were on the ground. Find the oil, corral it, and then assess if tankers are possible. Perhaps it would be best if Chris just calmed down. I'm very confident that Obama's priority is not political, but rather human -- out of the mouths of babes (Malia) -- he knows that America is counting on him to lead the way out of this mess in the best way humanly possible.

You asked about the worlds supertankers. If you listen to MSNBC, your own station, you would have known that those tankers are sitting out in the Ocean full of oil waiting for the prices to increase. What I dislike about you, is that you use half truths and think that you know everything and the only way of doing things is your way. Well, we know that you don't know anymore than we do. How many times does the President have to show you that he knows more than you do. What I don't understand is why you would believe he is just sitting around doing nothing. To quote Frank Schaeffer "The President's critics left and right all had one thing in common:
impatience laced with little-to-no sense of history (let alone reality) thrown in for good measure. Then of course there were the white, snide know-it-all commentators/talking heads who just couldn't imagine that maybe, just maybe they weren't as smart as they thought they were and certainly not as smart as their president. He hadn't consulted them, had he? So he must be wrong!" It took 9 months to stop the last Gulf gusher in 200 ft of water. Why would you think that the President can stop this one in 5,000 ft sooner? I think that you are being very unfair to the President. One other thing, President Obama is not FDR, Johnson, Kennedy, Reagan or any other president. He does things his way, not theirs or yours. I thought you knew that by now. He gets things done he way, He believes in results not half step, treats or name calling! You have lost me as a viewer. I am so sick of your tirates.

I heard that guest say this too! We listen closely, we do!

Chris,...i agree with the other comments...you are becoming hard to watch, due to your Hardball style. Last week you wanted Obama to send Navy divers a MILE down to do the impossible. Humans die at those depths. The tankers are sitting full of oil waiting for the price to go up. OUR president is dealing with a lot and being criticized, instead of being given the benefit of the doubt is not constructive. All cable "news" so far is inaccurate. This is a GUSHER and never has been a SPILL. Why don't you critcize BP? OH, then they might not come on YOUR SHOW. Criticize the Drill Baby RED STATES before they go under oil tainted water from Climate Change. Criticize the "NEWS" who reports the Mineral Management Scandals, but never report on the cause (Cheney) or follow through on MMS which is our bigge$t agency. EDUCATE the public on how to save fuel... I respect OUR president for taking the thankless job. The USA doesn't have the tools to deal with the Gusher. Criticize Salzar (not Chu who has helped with this) for not cleaning up the agency. If you don't have something nice to say, say it nicer. Contact me to handle your anxiety...anyone with a brain is anxious, don't make your show stressful.

The question of using supertankers was answered by your guest today, who pointed out that almost everything, from the differences in the oil on the surface to the lack of maneuverability of the supertankers, indicates that this is probably not a solution for the Gulf problem.

Almost all agree that the federal government, with all its resources, does not have the capability to stop the leak. Controlling and directing BP and using the input of all the oil experts called in, including the Nobel Prize winning energy secretary, is what the administration can and is doing.

The President was quite clear in stating that BP doesn't have the interests of our country first in their 'heart'.

Chris Matthews -- President Obama knows so much better than you do what the people of this country want; he proved that first when he was elected, and he has proven it many times since then. While you, sir, have been proven wrong over and over again. I've even seen invited guests on your show tell you that your view is wrong, and all you do is talk over them, just like you do so many of your guests.

It is jarring and very frustrating to watch you talk over all of your guests, as though you and only you have all the answers. You look like a real idiot, and I frankly cannot stand your show anymore.

Oh, the most important thing I wanted to say is that President Obama is not going to listen to you; why should he? He's the guy with the integrity and the brains. You can go pound sand.

Chris,

Good questions, but why go after Obama like a rabid dog? You said today that this is a Harry Truman moment. While I can't disagree with that, I have to remind you that it took more than one day for Truman to resolve his issues. So why don't you take some of your "tough guy" comments and go after the knuckleheads running the bureau that allowed this to happen? Why not have some of the idiots from the former administration on your show to ask why they didn't do their jobs? Why not interview some of the whistleblowers who have been reprimanded for trying to do the right thing? Rather than letting off all your steam on the only president who has mattered for the last 30 years, why don't you play "real" hardball with the bums who caused this problem? Then check back in with Obama a week from now to see if the hole has been plugged.

By the way, I agree with pearlx2 - I detest when you talk over your guests. Makes you look like a loudmouth bully rather than a serious journalist (which you can be).

Chris...you could pay attention to the news and get the answers to your questions. OUR president is busy and made the mistake of assuming the citizens are interested, educated and want to understand. They seem to just want pray and expect miracles. Secretary Chu advised, assisted and provided technology to make the Mud Shot safer. (He won the Nobel because he is brilliant. Wish he'd convince us nuclear has been safe in all our ships for decades and technology has progressed since 3 mile island. Americans are too selfish and indulgent to conserve energy. ) Thad Allen has also been great and we're so lucky he is working past his retirement. Oil companies do measure flow, after the well is under control. BP did discourage the govt. measuring flow because they have to pay per barrel that gushes. They said the 12 plus cables to the ROVs would be in the way. If only people respected Mother Earth and the sea from where we came. That is why i moved to Hawaii where, like OUR president said, The Sea is Sacred. Our state motto translated to The life of the land is perpetutated in righteousness..

i'm editing because i pushed Enter and thought i'd lost this first post... not great at PC, but i guess i had some new thoughts. and got a bit more angry at the anger. so i'll leave both posts. aloha all and pray for OUR president...

Chris, your questions have already been answered. Secretary Chu contributed his expertise and tech equipment to test the BOP so it wouldn't blow from the Mud Shot. OUR president's error is assuming citizens are educated and care. Most put their head in the tv sand and pray for a miracle. If wishes were horses, beggers wouldn't need a plastic petroleum based lifestyle that causes cancer, autism, etc. The govt. has contacted experts from industry and science. This is a science experiment that is jeaportiing the nursery of the sea... our aquatic breadbasket. But... due to petroleum based fertilizers we are destroying the topsoil of the breadbasket, so ... I moved to Hawaii where the state motto TRANSLATES TO: THE LIFE OF THE LAND IS PERPETUATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Mother Nature gives life to all, but this is another wake up call. Obama is trying to save Mother Nature, he has given up something he probably enjoys more than basketball....bodysurfing. (He wasn't allowed to go in the ocean last vacation.) He and his family have sacraficed their privacy forever.... to try to cure this country of the Cheney Cancer Catastrophy inflicted throughout the nation by greedy, materialistic idiots. Can you appreciate how OUR president felt when he had to answer his daughter and now take responsibility for this uncontrollable Gusher of Greed. You want him to be a better actor/politician. Grow up, Chris and have some empathy = feeling for your fellow man. Rerun Rachel and I'll watch her twice. She does her homework.

Matthews, what do you expect Obama to do on this Oil spill? You're almost as bad as Carville who would apparently feel ever so much better if only Obama would come down to the gulf, stick his hands in the oily water and then give him an "I-Feel-Your-Pain" hug. For you and Fineman, what seems to be most important is some kind of demonstration that the President is "in charge." Political theater won't make this any better. What is becoming evident, and what I think the President knows but really can't say out loud, is that there's nothing to be done, other than these silly-sounding techniques (top hat, top kill, junk shot) being tried at the moment.

Meanwhile, you're in some fantasy world where the American Government can do anything - even "dragoon the other oil companies" into coming to the rescue. First, I'm pretty sure that's not at all legal. Second, if I were Exxon, Shell or the others, I sure as hell wouldn't come to the rescue of my competitor. Your belief in American Exceptionalism is getting the better of you. The government can't do anything to right this wrong except make sure that the engineers plug the pipe and then, that BP is held financially and hopefully criminally liable.

However, the government can prevent such disasters from happening again in the future. I could be convinced of the American Exceptionalism you espouse if the government could implement a radical energy policy that gets us off of oil within say, 10 years. I can't see that happening though. Maybe we could have gotten a decent energy policy had Obama not had to spend his first year cleaning up the Bush financial mess. Looks like Obama's Year Two will be spent cleaning up Bush & Cheney's attempts at deregulation and energy policy.

I totally agree with you guys! I think Chris, and most all the talking heads are trying to sensationalize an already horrible event. Perhaps Donna Brazile's comments regarding the media etc., is correct. I am sick of all these people trying to feed the 24/7 beast Ms. Brazile feels we should "fire the pundits."' What do these guys know? Why should I listen to them (and trust me I am a loyal liberal)? I want experts in their respective fields dispensing information. Not these Yahoos!!

I

Chris - I have watched Hardball almost since it inception! I admired your reporting skills, sense of humor, awareness and intellect. However, your dumping on President Obama in recent days as a result of an oil spill over which he had no control goes beyond the pale. You sound like a back-woods, red-neck hillbilly boy like James Carvale. I see this same thing in the so-called "tea party" movement which is really just a bunch of racist whites who dislike the fact that a Black man is president that they will resort to this type of silliness. I saw none of this when Bush was president, and that man had problems!

What is really disgusting is that I didn't hear a peep out of you regarding the Katrina incident where thousands of poor African American people were left without food or water is 100 degree weather... nor did any of the media jump on Bush in the same way people are jumping on Obama. I have always gotten the feeling that Chis Todd didn't care for Obama from the way he makes little shady remarks and comments - but you caught me completely by surprise.

No one has expressed concern about what is happening in Arizona; 75% of whites see nothing wrong with that - I think you need to get your act together. As for me, I am no longer a fan and you are a racist.

I am thrilled to see you asking substantive questions about the efforts to clean up the oil.

All I have seen from the media so far is criticism of the President for not doing the necessary amount of self-serving PR on the issue, or analysis of "did he come off as too cool or even cold?". The media reports too much on "how things look in the media" and not nearly enough on the facts.

Thank you again for doing your job.

Please continue to report on how other people are doing their job and not how it looks.

Chris, like many of the other contributors to this blog, I am sickened by your piling on of President Obama during the current oil spill disaster. I had to go back and read the transcript of the press conference today after watching your show to see if i misheard the President. I hadn't. He took responsibility for overseeing the response to this disaster and explained the process in a calm measured manner.

You've been railing about this super tanker idea for days now. You finally obtained an assessment of this idea and found it lacking by the expert you interviewed. I heard this same question asked of an environmentalist on a little radio show on the Sirius POTUS station by a guy whose real job is comedian three days ago. I learned it was not going to be possible for supertankers in the golf to suck up the oil for the reasons your guest gave today.

I've always had a lot of respect for you Chris. I always thought you were well informed and credible. You have let me down. I think your producers have let you down. I like having a president who is calm, thoughtful, smart, and caring. I'd like to see some of those same characteristics from you. I don't know if what we have been seeing from you recently is about ignorance or a chase for ratings. I don't know which is worse.

chris, you sounded like you were the center of the gulf catastrophe rather than an on-loooker as we all are to someone else's tragedy.  Our government is doing an outstanding job of responding to an ongoing tragic event.  Reading your blog today has been helpful because I discovered that I am not alone is my deep disappointment that you are behaving like a little kid who is trying to become the center of attention.  I turned you off, too - and this hasn't been the first time, but it could be the last.

Hey Chris - Yes, I too have been a faithful viewer of your show, however, sometimes you definitely leave the reservation! What is up with you? You are not an expert. I wish the 24/7 beast would die, or at least have experts speaking about different situations. Donna Brazile recently stated that she wished all the pundits would be fired (including her) and replaced with actual, informed guests. Wouldn't that be novel? I don't care what everyone's opinion is - I want facts.

Your behavior is really not very different that Rush's behavior. You are being bombastic and provocative just for tv. Think twice - we are, or were your audience!

Thanks

I say it's time that Americans realize the untapped power that we still have. BOYCOTT BP

I'm getting bored with this. I know it is a tragedy... a disaster of epic proportions...

But what I don't need or want is a play by play of what's happening. What I don't need or want is to see President Obama being berated 24/7 by people who have no idea what all he's doing, what he's saying behind the scenes, who he has delegated, etc. Imagine the mess we'd have if Bush/Cheney were still at the helm...  No doubt, Cheney would find a way to suck up all that oil and make a profit!

What would you have the President do - don a wetsuit and climb beneath a diving bell and descend a mile into undiveable depths just to prove he's on top of things? Move to Louisiana for the duration of the cleanup? Should he put the BP execs in pillarage in the middle of Washington, D.C., (or better yet, New Orleans)?

Lay off the man. Give him your support and give him a chance to get through this before you ask or his head.

And Dino Joe (Sestak) can go to hell for breaking the news about being offered a job. What's HIS goal? To bring down this administration??? Geez... why doesn't he just get it over with and turn Republican?

The media is only interested in "dog and pony shows." I'm disappointed in you. I'm an Alabama resident.

We've had the visuals ( remember the mission accomplished sideshow that you praised). That went well.

Now is the time for calm leadership and going about mitigating the damage in the best way we can devise.

This a catastrophe for my State in the coastal areas and everbody needs to skip the "political" and

concentrate on bringing the best minds of our nation and the world to fix it as much as we can.

We don't need panic and the superficial "gotcha" comments of cable TV.

Chris,

Usually I like your show,but recently your attacks on the government and president are showing me that you have little idea of what you are talking about re oil spills.

Please check out the National Hurricane center's website and see what they say about 1.) the surface slick(very thin and not likely to influence the evaporation rate in the gulf: and 2) the under surface oil,except near the leak, is measured in parts per million or less.

The oil coming ashore is a tragedy but once the leak is plugged the cleanup will be over in less than a year and- yes BP will pay through the nose. Half the lawyers in the country are camping out in the gulf spending a lot more money.

Why can,t you put a realistic spin on this spill. There have been worse; BP is doing their best, maybe far from perfect but hey- who is perfect -except the Media?

colbathe

Just wondering.Is there ever a time when Cris Mathews brain is working at the same time his mouth is?Seems like it is a rare occasion.

w.whitt

I believe the president is limited in his capacity to do anything to alleviate the oil spill in the Gulf. What the people of that region wanted to see and hear was, from Day 1, their president out there acknowledging the disaster, sympathizing with their suffering, and vowing to investigate how this could have happened all the while keeping us informed of exactly what methods were being taken to resolve this. No one heard from him for 9 days and it took 11 days for him to acknowledge that this was a disaster. Total disconnect with the people of that region.

As for all of this petty, childish blame game that's been going around for a year and a half, eventually the president is going to have to own the problems on his watch. The previous administration wasn't without their charm as well, but you never heard any of them constantly blaming the Clinton administration on an almost daily basis. When the problems arose on their watch, they owned it, and I think it's high time this administration grew up. And let me just say this to everyone who wants to keep blaming Bush for everything...following your line of logic, Clinton should have been blamed for 9/11 because he totally dismissed Osama bin Laden on his watch AND Clinton should have been blamed for Katrina because he failed to shore up the levees in Louisiana. See how stupid that sounds? So knock it off already. Bush has been a private citizen for 1 1/2 years...this is Obama's mess now.