Did You Know...

**Written by Doug Powers

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews — Cap’n Legthrill himself — appeared on Jeopardy yesterday. His fellow contestants were former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs and CNN’s Lizzie O’Leary.

First it might be fun to set up the clip with a bit of the intellectually superior Matthews’ mocking Sarah Palin by predicting how horribly she would perform if she were to ever appear on Jeopardy. Transcripts by way of Noel Sheppard at Newsbusters:

This from a man who on October 2, 2008, shortly before that evening’s Vice Presidential debate, said of Palin:

“Is this [vice presidential debate] about her brain power?… Do you think cute will beat brains?…Do you think she’d do better on the questions on Jeopardy! or the interview they do during a half-time?…My suspicion is that she has the same lack of intellectual curiosity that the President of the United States has right now and that is scary!”

Then on January 12, 2010:

They find these empty vessels who know nothing about the world! Nothing about foreign policy! Who immediately begin to spout the neo-con line. I read her book — it’s full of that crap….It’s unbelievable how little this woman knows!…Don’t put her on Jeopardy!”

And again on November 2, 2010:

“Senator, do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to be President of the United States?…If she were on Jeopardy! right now and the topic was national government, American government generally defined, would she look like an imbecile, or would she look okay? Does she know anything?”

And finally on January 19, 2011:

“I’d like to see her on just a couple of episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy! or It’s Academic Mac McGarry to just see if she knows anything.”

As it turns out, Tingles had been engaging in a bit of soothsaying projection. Matthews’ performance wasn’t quite Blitzer-worthy, but he came close.

My personal favorite: In the category “6-Letter World Capitals” (keep that in mind — six letter world capitals), the clue was “St. Basil’s Cathedral is there.” Matthews buzzed in. “What is Istanbul?”

Other lowlights here.

But anyway, back to how poorly Sarah Palin would perform on Jeopardy.

Weird Al, take it away.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe