Chris Matthews Kevin James

On the May 15, 2008 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, political pundit Chris Matthews had a heated exchange with conservative radio talk show host Kevin James.

The discussion was whether President Bush was correct to criticize Senator Barack Obama as an appeaser to terrorists.

In a speech given in Israel, Bush seemed to imply that Obama's foreign policy was comparable to that of Neville Chamberlain during World War II.

Matthews asked James if he knew what Chamberlain had done in the late 1930s that drew criticism. James continued to discuss Obama, Iraq and terrorism, but did not answer Matthews' question.

The discussion soon turned hostile as Matthews told James that he didn't know what he was talking about.

The exchange has generated passionate responses of both support and derision for Kevin James.

Fast Facts

1. Confrontation came during a May 15 interview on Hardball
2. James works for KRLA radio in Los Angeles
3. Other guest on the program: Mark Green of Air America Radio

Heated Exchange

• Matthews: "You don’t know what you’re talking about, Kevin. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Tell me what Chamberlain did wrong."
• James: "Neville Chamberlain was an appeaser, Chris. Neville Chamberlain was an appeaser, all right? […]"
• Matthews: "I’ve been sitting here five minutes asking you to say what the president was referring to in 1938 at Munich."
• James: "I don’t know."
• Matthews: "You don’t know, thank you."

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