If Chris Matthews had run for senate he would have become a pandering "toady" like Arlen Specter, so he would like to obsequiously thank former nemesis Keith Olbermann for welcoming him back to MSNBC.

Matthews took the opportunity to do so not on his own Hardball but on Olbermann's Countdown tonight. Matthews was an ideal guest to talk about Specter: He recently considered returning to politics to run for senate from Pennsylvania, against the 29-year Pennsylvania senator. Had he gone through with that plan, he'd have ended up taking on Specter not in the general election but in the primary, since Specter just switched to the Democratic primary.

Plus, as he told Olbermann, he'd have had to engage in filthy politics, swallowing his ego and true feelings to be part of a larger team effort. Good thing he doesn't have to do that at MSNBC. Ahem.