MSNBC host Chris Matthews has a seeming compulsion to tell viewers, guests and panelists that he served as an aide to former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill.
Whether it's covering the Boston bombings or needing to relay a platitude the late Democrat would reel off to Matthews and his fellow staffers, he can always be counted on to segue to his glory days at O'Neill's side.
Matthews has a book coming out about O'Neill and his relationship with President Ronald Reagan called Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked, and signed copies will be available.