The audacity of Chris Matthews

Chris Matthews was in rare form during MSNBC's inauguration coverage on Tuesday. I'm glad that somebody (specifically, Jack Shafer at Slate) captured this particularly incredible interchange:

After noting the many smiling faces in the assembled inauguration crowd, Matthews took a shot at explaining the happiness. Sure, it's the festivities, but it's also the proximity of the crowd to the MSNBC booth, he insisted.

"This is the network that has opened its heart to change, to change and its possibilities. Let's be honest about it. These--these people watch this network out here," Matthews said.

.... Olbermann approached his colleague like a teetotaler trying to talk down a drunk, offering the opinion that people might be smiling about the shared experience of the Obama inauguration. But Matthews wasn't having it.

Matthews: No, this is the network of the 21st century, MSNBC. And I think we're open to it. And that's why this crowd knows us. And I think--

Olbermann: He's Chris Matthews, and he approved that message.

Matthews: We're not crotchety about change, stuffy.

It was soooo weird! And only one of many memorable Matthews moments that day. Was he high? Is he always? I wouldn't rule out powerful stimulants or aggression-promoting steroids, to be honest.