So the Hardball host is still playing coy with the public over whether or not he is planning to run for Senate in Pennsylvania against Arlen Specter. And that's fine and all: Matthews' MSNBC contract runs out in June, giving the frat-boy plenty of time to start campaigning.

But as we mentioned yesterday, it's becoming more and more of a conflict of interests to have Matthews stay on at MSNBC while putting his feelers out for a possible Senate bid. And not just because MSNBC is thought by some (okay, everyone) to be in bed with the Democratic party. If Matthew's is looking for a re-up on his contract, it could be that he's using the Senate as a bidding chip to get producers to negotiate a higher price for him, lest he leaves and they are out one more person for Keith Olbermann to yell at.
The problem is, neither MSNBC CEO Phil Griffin nor Matthews will confirm or deny anything, and with all the blood in the water over General Barry McCaffery scandal at parent company NBC (where Matthews also reports), the network should be trying to minimize gossip right now, not exasperate it.

And gossip there is! Look at some of the recent blogger criticism against Matthew just today:

From liberal watchdog group Media Matters:

“Should Chris Matthews use his air time to fawn over the voters and governor of Pennsylvania while also weighing a run for Senate in Pennsylvania? Of course not, and these are issues [NBC News President] Steve Capus should address.”

From conservative watchdog group Media Research Center:

“MSNBC has tarnished NBC’s reputation so badly, that the last thing NBC needs is a new controversy caused by MSNBC.”

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman:

I feel safe in saying that journalists would love to cover your campaign, Chris, because you’re unpredictable and glib and you’re liable to say anything. Eve though you would run as a Democrat, you’re the same guy who has stumbled over “Obama” and “Osama” and is known to lapse into Yiddishisms.

Washington Post's Howard Kurtz:

By ratcheting up his efforts — Matthews is considering buying a house in the state — the onetime Democratic operative has created an awkward situation for MSNBC, where his $5 million-a-year contract expires in June. While some analysts say his electronic trail of controversial sound bites could hamper a 2010 campaign, a Rasmussen poll released yesterday has Matthews trailing the Republican incumbent, Sen. Arlen Specter, by 46 percent to 43 percent. Earlier polls showed Matthews with a double-digit deficit.

Former Democratic strategist David Sirota on Huffington Post:
The sense of entitlement that this blowhard personifies is truly stunning…It's a cynical insult to Pennsylvania voters - as if none of the state's 12 million residents are qualified for the Senate, as if those 12 million poor souls need the Great Chris Matthews to swoop in from his mansion in Washington, D.C. to save them. What a joke. Let's hope Matthews does run and the Democratic primary makes him the punchline.