Matthews To McCain: ‘The President Gave Your Speech Tonight.’

Crooks and Liars:

“You know you’re in my heart,” said MSNBC’s Chris Matthews last night as he opened the network’s post-State of the Union coverage with an interview with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

“The president gave your speech tonight,” remarked Matthews before listing the similarities between Bush and McCain in several policies areas.

“It was your speech, Senator,” exclaimed Matthews:

I have to tell you, the president gave your speech tonight. He talked about we’ve got to cut the number of earmarks in half or I’m going to veto the bill. He talked about the war against terrorism. He talked about reform.

It was — he didn’t talk much about the global economic challenge right now. In fact, he said, basically, we’ll get through this, like you do. It was your speech, Senator.

Also, McCain’s secret plan to get Bin Laden:

John McCain says in almost every stump speech that he knows how to capture Osama bin Laden and that he’d follow the al Qaeda leader to the “Gates of Hell.”

So Washington Wire was wondering, what does McCain know that President Bush and the Pentagon don’t about how to sweep up America’s most elusive enemy.

“One thing I will not do is telegraph my punches. Osama bin Laden will be the last to know,” he said today while riding on the back of his bus between Florida events. In other words: he’s not telling. Why not share his strategy with the current occupant of the White House? “Because I have my own ideas and it would require implementation of certain policies and procedures that only as the president of the United States can be taken.”