Ha!

I'm not a Chris Matthews fan. The obnoxious, overbearing manner, constantly interrupting; the rambling, stream-of-consciousness commentary spewing out like effluvium in that screechy, nasal voice ... His personality is summed up for me by his trademark cackle: "Ha!" The only reason I record "Hardball" is to fast-forward through it for glimpses of my boyfriend David Shuster.

A friend who's quick to defend Matthews suggested I read the profile in last week's New York Times Magazine. It's a revealing glimpse into his self-perception -- interesting to critics and fans alike, I think.

It can be amusing if slightly painful to watch Matthews's facial expressions and body language on the set of ''Hardball'' when others are talking; he will, at times, bounce in his seat like a Ritalin-deprived second-grader who is dying to give an answer but has been admonished too many times for interrupting.