On Hardball last week, Chris Matthews refereed a balls-to-the-wall debate between “Doc” Marble, the young Mississippi physician who famously told Vice Pres. Cheney to go “cheney” himself while the vice president was on a tour of the region after Katrina struck, and Rockey Vacarella, the GOP pol who drove a FEMA trailer up to Washington from Louisiana to serve as a prop in a White House photo op with Pres. Bush last week:

MATTHEWS: Late today, I spoke with both of these men, Dr. Marble from Long Beach, Mississippi. He is the guy with the commentary about the vice president. And Rocky Vacarelli on the phone. He is going to be on the phone from New Orleans.

MATTHEWS: Dr. Marble, what exactly do you think the president and the vice president failed to do, they should have done as leaders of the country with regard to the clean up in Katrina?

DR. BEN MARBLE, MISSISSIPPI RESIDENT: Well, the initial big problem was they should have done some air and food drops—some air drops of food and water to the people in New Orleans that were dying from lack of food and water.

Subsequently, the number one problem I would say in the New Orleans area is they refused to give the people to rebuild the levees to category five strength. Because nobody wants to rebuild anything in New Orleans until the levees are restored to a level to where the people will not have to worry about their businesses and homes getting destroyed.

So there is no progress being made in the New Orleans area pretty much whatsoever. Now the Mississippi Gulf Coast is entirely different, there is a lot of progress going on here, in Mississippi. But we don‘t have the levee issue to worry about.

MATTHEWS: Mr. Vacarell (sic), what do you think of that? Do you think the president been under sold in what he has done here? Is there something you know that he has done that Dr. Marble doesn‘t know he has done?

VACCARELLA: Well, I tell you, you know, the only thing that I can say about that is I live in St. Bernard Parish, and I was born and raised there. I fished of them levees. And them levees are held up through many hurricanes that came through.

And you know, back in 1965, there was a proven fact that the levees were blown up. And I feel my opinion about the levee is a little bit different than some other opinions, because I was actually on my roof when the levees broke. And I just, you know, have concerns that it might or might not have been a weak levee.

I rode my bike on the levee. To me the levee was like the Great Wall of China. I was inside the levee protection system. I felt safe. We bared the storm. And then the next thing you know, the levees was breached.

And you know what, sometimes the levees were breached to protect other cities, and not have, you know…

MARBLE: The fact is the Hurricane Katrina missed New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and not New Orleans. The levees broke, maybe category two at best. The brunt of Hurricane Katrina destroyed Hancock and Harrison Counties and Jackson Counties of Mississippi.

VACCARELLA: I don‘t agree…

MARBLE: New Orleans was a man-made disaster, because of the Corps of Engineers failed to build the levees to the strength that they needed to be built.

MATTHEWS: All right. Let me ask you both the same question. Dr. Marble did you like Bush before this?

MARBLE: I liked his dad, somewhat.

MATTHEWS: No, him? Did you like…

MARBLE: I think Bush is the worst president in the history of this nation without question. And he should resign as soon as possible.

MATTHEWS: OK. Let me ask you, Mr. Vacarrella, did you like President Bush before this?

VACARRALLA: Well, you know, I will tell you, my mission wasn‘t about if I liked President Bush or not. I was going to the White House whether President Bush was there, Bill Clinton was there, I don‘t care who was there. My mission is to go there, thank the president for sending millions of trailers done there to people (INAUDIBLE) off.

MARBLE: Without showing up for five, seven, eight days, letting people die in the streets of New Orleans? That‘s ridiculous. That‘s an absurd statement.

Sir, Mr. Vacarrelli, I can promise you the overwhelming majority people in the post Katrina area, do not support this president.

VACCARELLA: Well, that‘s their decision. I am not supporting the president. This is not. Listen, this is…

MARBLE: Here is the thing…

VACCARELLA: This is not a political thing on my part. My part is this…

MARBLE: Of course it is, you are a Republican, sir.

VACARRELLA: We are doing a documentary on the people‘s story. We‘re going around…

MARBLE: OK. Well, why did President Bush—you lost your house and belongings. Cindy Sheehan lost her son and the president would not meet with her, but he met with you. And you don‘t think that doesn‘t have anything to do with politics? Give me a break.

VACCARELLA: Sir, he met with her twice to my knowledge.

MARBLE: That‘s ridiculous. Of course it‘s political.

MATTHEWS: Mr. Vacarella, have you run—Mr. Vacarella, have you ran for office as a Republican?

MARBLE: If it wasn‘t political you wouldn‘t be on this show.

MATTHEWS: Dr. Marble, just a second, Mr. Vaccaella, is it true that you are an active Republican? There is nothing wrong with it. I‘m just trying to get your politics straight. You say you‘re not partisan here. But you are backing the president all the way, even saying he should have a third term. And you‘ve also—haven‘t you ran for office as a Republican?

MARBLE: How absurd is that?

VACCARELLA: You know what, I changed my Republican party in 1980 when Ronald Reagan got in, and I ran (INAUDIBLE). And immediately when he was inaugerated, they released the Iran—the hostages on Iran. So I switched to the Republican party. And yes I did.

But you know what, I vote for the best man for the job. And our crew went up there to go up there and help build the—help rebuild the Gulf Coast and send a message out the job is not done yet, and please help out.

Our crew is made up of Repulicans, Democratics and independents. We represent all of the parties and all of the people. So this ain‘t nothing. I‘m not no big proactive…

MARBLE: I commend you on that, because you are drawing attention to rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and that‘s a certainly an admirable thing. But saying that George Bush deserves four more years in office is so absurd.

MATTHEWS: Dr. Marble—thank you very much for coming. Thank you very much Rocky—Rocky Vaccarella for joining us by phone tonight. Thank you both, gentlemen.