In commenting on the situation in Syria , Chris Matthews apparently needs to brush up on his knowledge of history.
The increasingly erratic MSNBC host claimed on Morning Joe this week that unlike the Assad regime in Syria, Adolph Hitler didn’t use chemical weapons.
Among many outrageous statements, Matthews is perhaps best known for admitting in 2008 that he felt a thrill go up his leg when Barack Obama gave a speech. Reportedly Matthews earns $5 million a year for his show on the low-rated network.
Appearing on Joe Scarborough’s program on Tuesday, Matthews seemed to be supportive of an air strike on Syria as a result of the unleashing of poison gas in that country’s ongoing civil war.
According to the political pundit, “The problem is, I don’t like it, first of all I’m rather dovish, I don’t like what I’m going to say but it’s true. If you basically put down a red line and say don’t use chemical weapons, and it’s been enforced in the Western community, around the world — international community for decades. Don’t use chemical weapons. We didn’t use them in World War II, Hitler didn’t use them , we don’t use chemical weapons, that’s no deal. Although we do know that Assad’s father did. Then he goes ahead and does it. It makes you wonder what the mullahs will do if they have a couple of nuclear weapons, just a couple. Are they capable of not using them? That, of course, you know, I think that everybody talking this morning is projecting toward that, which is if you can’t use deterrents the normal way — mutually-assured destruction — if you do this, we’re blowing you up. If that doesn’t work, what does work? And that’s the problem.”
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency corrected Matthews on his delusional Hitler reference : “For the record, the U.S. used nuclear weapons in World War II, which arguably are worse than chemical weapons. And, of course, Hitler used chemical weapons — gassing defenseless Jews in the concentration camps.”