john edwards

I knew that Chris Matthews hadn't been on Hardball for a couple of weeks, but I didn't know the reason: he was hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.

Matthews will be back on the MSNBC show tonight at 7pm, where he will interview former Vice President candidate and probable future Presidential candidate John Edwards at one of those "College Tour" stops, this one at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Various hosts have been filling in for Matthews while he was in the hospital. Andrea Mitchell went in his spot during a panel discussion at the Castle at the Smithsonian at the end of November, and then Campbell Brown filled in on the college tour. For the past several days, columnist Mike Barnicle has filled in for Matthews on Hardball.

"Mess O' Potamia": Call for a new Secretary of Defense... The administration is looking for someone with fresh eyes and open ears (the picture of the perfect candidate was actually really scary... like, scarier than Rummy, heh). Senior White House Correspondent John Oliver briefly talked about all the ways that Congress may or may not be Bush's bitch. Oliver's attempt to be snippy was absolutely hilarious... I loved hearing "Know what I'm saying?" in his crisp, British accent. Okay, um, yeah. I think I may be falling in love with John Oliver. That is all.