Another brawl over the Afghanistan war got strikingly personal on MSNBC's Hardball, Thursday. It began when Host Chris Matthews pitted right wing pundit Frank Gaffney against Ron Reagan, the liberal son of former President Ronald Reagan. Gaffney, sensing Reagan's dovishness, asked him if he wanted the Taliban "to be victorious in Afghanistan?" Regan responded indignantly:

What does that even mean, Frank? What you are saying is utterly meaningless. It is a red herring, it is a red herring because you have no argument.

Amid the cacophony of spluttering and interruptions, Gaffney slipped in a caustic swipe: "Your father would be ashamed of you." Chris Matthews muttered, "That's not fair" before trying to change subject, while in the background Reagan darkly intoned, "Oh Frank, you better watch your mouth about that."

Already a few commentators are saying Gaffney's remark hit below the belt.

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John Hudson