Chris Matthews: Off Track

MSNBC's fast-talking newsman, Chris Matthews, who once actually criticized Ralph Nader, because he doesn't drive a car, says the U.S. needs to do something about Iran -- that doesn't have the bomb, to date, according to our intelligence agencies -- but why doesn't Matthews and his colleagues say anything about the three of four countries (Israel, India and Pakistan) that do have the bomb, but are not even within the confines of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We guess because it's not politically correct to name those countries as outside international norms, but North Korea, the 4th non-NPT country that does have the bomb, is another matter, and thus criticism of its program is considered politically correct by the corporate media. So for commentators like Matthews and the powers-that-be, the issue of the sad state of nuclear affairs in this world (and it's sadder than the media lets on), is more about international political gamesmanship than real international control of these most dangerous weapons in the world, and the media hardly ever reminds the public that the 5 NPT-signatory nuclear powers (U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France) have a treaty responsibility to come to an overall disarmament solution. We agree that proliferation should be stopped in its tracks everywhere in the world, so Matthews is half right, but now, as far as his reporting is concerned, he just needs to drive his car all the way around the track.

[revised on 2/10/13 and 2/19/15]