Speaking Southern

I've just listened to a bit of Bill Bennett's radio program, "Morning in America" (which I highly recommend). He joked that it was "Southern accent" day, following on Zell Miller's speech to the GOP convention last night, as his guests included Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. As a Southerner living in the lower North, I'm always gratified to hear familiar accents on the national airwaves.

But I was even happier to learn, via Wizbang, that Zell's straight talking yesterday wasn't confined to his speech. During an appearance on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Miller refused to let the host "Malkinize" him as he did Michelle Malkin last week, when he screamed innanities at her that only confirmed his own lack of show prep (in that case, reading either her book or the book by Swift Vet John O'Neil).

Here are some of Miller's retorts to Matthews's failed attempt at bullying:

"That was a metaphor, do you know what a metaphor is?"

"Get out of may face. If you're going to ask a question you let me answer."

"I wish we lived in the day that I could challenge you to a duel."

"You are not going to do to me what you did to that young lady the other day, browbeating her to death

"Are you going to shut up after you ask the question?"

Kevin at Wizbang reports that Matthews's reply to that last question was a meek, "Yes sir."

Makes me home sick.