Zell Miller wants duel with Chris Matthews

NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., got so angry at Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball" current affairs show, that he challenged him to a duel.

The on-air collision came Thursday during an eight-minute appearance by Miller, who gave a fiery speech ripping fellow Democrat John Kerry, on "Hardball."

Matthews questioned Miller closely on charges he'd leveled against Kerry on defense -- among them, if elected president, Kerry would defend the U.S. with "spitballs."

"I just wanted to know what he meant by that," Matthews told The Post. "I thought I was giving him a chance to nail it down and say something about Kerry leaving (the United States) defenseless with no weapons."

After several heated exchanges with Matthews, Miller said the spitball remark was "a metaphor" but that he was serious about believing Kerry's record on defense was dangerously weak.

The senator then suggested he wanted "cancel this interview," saying, "I wish we lived in the day when you could challenge a person to a duel," said Miller.

No word on Matthews' response to the challenge.