In an interesting AP article out yesterday, David Bauder writes about how MSNBC host Chris Matthews' "heavily caffeinated style" could end up saving the sparsly watched cable news network. Bauder writes:

Matthews is hot right now, and not just under the collar.

"Hardball" and parts of Matthews' Republican convention coverage gave his network some surprising ratings victories over CNN. The former print reporter whose volume and energy switches never seem off may just be the man to lead MSNBC out of the wilderness.

"Politics is certainly on the top of the minds of people and Chris is the best person on cable doing it," said his boss, NBC News President Neal Shapiro.

Bauder then proceeds to look at two recent instances in which Matthews tussled with guests in highly entertaining ways perfect for television. Most recently, during the Republican National Convention Matthews was nearly challenged to a duel by Senator Zell Miller. Bauder continues:

Matthews' much-replayed interview with Miller came less than two hours after the Democratic senator spoke to the convention in favor of President Bush, torching Bush's Democratic opponent, John Kerry.

Displeased with the line of questioning, Miller told Matthews to "get out of my face."

"I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel," Miller said.

Said Matthews, in retrospect: "I was as fascinated by the experience as the viewer was."

In another recent show, Matthews took right wing pundit Michelle Malkin to task for making baseless accusations about John Kerry. Bauder writes:

During a discussion of the Swift boat controversy, Malkin said there were "legitimate questions" about whether one of Kerry's war wounds in Vietnam were self-inflicted.

"What do you mean by self-inflicted?" Matthews shot back. "Are you saying he shot himself on purpose? Is that what you're saying?"

Malkin dodged the question. So Matthews asked it again. And again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

Eleven times. Matthews grew increasingly angry, and Malkin exasperated. It was gripping television.

He eventually cut her off.

"We are going to keep things clean on this show," Matthews said. "No irresponsible comments are going to be made on this show."

[...]

Political professionals aren't naive in how they plant seeds of doubt with little factual basis, he said. If they're not challenged, many viewers will simply believe what they heard, he said.

Bauder then sums up the possible benefits MSNBC may derive from selecting Matthews to host their campaign coverage.

Having Matthews as host on big political nights has proven wise for MSNBC. It allows his love of politics to shine through yet corrals his heavily caffeinated style, simply because he's forced to involve and interact with other panelists. The same is true for Matthews' successful Sunday chat show.

Coupled with the smart production choice of outdoor studios like Herald Square, MSNBC's coverage made CNN seem sleepy by comparison.

MSNBC will take Matthews on the road to outdoor studios this fall surrounding the debates. His daily show will turn into "Hardball Horserace" on Fridays, offering a week's review of what happened on the campaign trail.

I personally think that Matthews--and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann--provide some of the best coverage on cable TV, and I definitely prefer their programs to anything available on either Fox News or CNN. With the exception of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I think Matthews and Olbermann have the best political programs on cable, and for that reason I try to watch as much of them as I can.