Mary Matalin’s Threshold Editions published Karl Rove’s new book Courage and Consequence, so who better to ask why Rove misquoted the I-Man?

“He lied about me,” said Imus. “So I’m just wondering what else he lied about.”

In his memoir, Rove claims he once heard Imus say that should he be indicted for leaking covert CIA Agent Valerie Plame’s name to the press, Rove would be “raped” in prison. While Imus admitted that he and his posse might have made jokes to that end, he denied ever using that particular word.

“I know what I would say, so does Charles, so does Bernard,” said Imus.

Matalin, a former assistant to both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, clued Imus in to the simple fact that not everybody—like Karl Rove, for instance—finds him amusing.

“Humor is subjective,” Imus retorted. “My point is, don’t suggest I used a word I didn’t use. Most people aren’t sophisticated enough to notice there aren’t quotes around the word.”

This debate went on, and on, and on, with Matalin ultimately taking Rove’s side because, let’s face it, his success stands to make her a few bucks whereas Imus’s nets her nil.

“I have many friends who don’t understand why I love you,” Matalin told Imus, and sighed. She added, “Karl went through that book with a fine-toothed comb.”

It’s just too bad, Imus concluded, that Rove did not wind up in prison, “so he could squeal like a pig.”

Charles tried his best to move both Imus and Matalin off this topic, but to no avail. They went back and forth like high school girls (“Don’t say I said something I didn’t say!”), until finally the subject turned to health care reform. Oh goody!

“Close to 90 percent of the people have health care, and close to 90 percent of those 90 percent like their health care,” said Matalin. She doesn’t give President Obama credit for being “obsessed” with health care reform, as John LeBoutillier suggested yesterday.

“He’s just political,” she said. Obama’s theory, she added, is that it will be bad for him—not bad for the country—if a health care bill is not passed. Matalin went on, “Obama can save himself here. He can say, ‘The people have spoken. This is a democracy. I ran on universal health care. I’ll always be for universal health care. The country isn’t. I’m the President of all the people.’”

To which Imus replied, “I didn’t want to debate the whole health care thing with you.”

And he wonders why people question Matalin’s willingness to appear on this show.  

-Julie Kanfer