There was a time when Chris Matthews, host of "Hardball" and "The Chris Matthews Show," walked the halls of the U.S. Capitol as a policeman, carrying a .38 Special. That's right, Chris walked around Washington with a loaded weapon. Can you imagine?
The full story is that in 1971, in order for Chris to get a job working as a legislative assistant for Utah senator Frank Moss, he had to spend the summer working as a Capitol policeman.
He served his summer, went to work for Senator Moss in the fall, and the rest is history -- more than three decades later, he's now one of Washington's most powerful voices.
This morning, he sat down with Matt to talk about his new book, Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success. WATCH VIDEO READ EXCERPT
The book is about Chris's life in politics, but it's also about the lessons that he's learned in his 36 years working in and around Washington -- and how we can apply those lessons to our own lives.
For example, one of the themes of the book is listening, which all good politicians have mastered. He points out that we can all learn from them, since listening is vital to success in all of our lives -- as we work towards a promotion, develop a romantic relationship or make a new friend.
Chris writes, "It may be a surprising thing to hear from me, the notorious on-air interrupter, but not only is it polite to let people say what they wish to, it's also downright seductive. The best gift you can give is your attention. Believe me, I'm trying to get better at this."
And if you heard Matt reference Chris's 2004 interview with former senator Zell Miller and want to watch the clip, you can see it HERE.