Anyone who, like me, watched the Hardball interview with Zell Miller in which Senator Miller nearly challenges host Chris Mathews to a duel probably came away with the impression that Senator Miller is nuts or at least a crotchety old crank.

Not true though.  Miller, a veteran of cable TV show interviews, does not like having words put into his mouth.  Mathews wasn't trying to do that (in my opinion) in this particular case. But Miller was wary of Mathews after his recent poor treatment of Michelle Malkin.  In that interview, Mathews put words in her mouth and misrepresented her views to spin the conversation leftward. 

My opinion is that Miller, having seen that interview, was suspicious of Mathews already and so when things appeared (to him) to be going that way he jumped on Mathews.

Read the link below of Malkin's own account of what happened.

(btw, I like Hardball and don't have an opinion one way or the other on Chris Mathews other than noting that he's a bit left of center politically).