Speaking on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" Chris Matthews called Mike Huckabee's comments about President Barak Obama's childhood "racist".

The Irish American host of the current events show 'Hardball' discussed the 2012 presidential field with Leno. Matthew said the candidates were "the weakest list of candidates that I've ever seen".

Leno then asked him about, former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. Matthews responded by speaking about the comments Huckabee had made on a New York radio station earlier this month.

Huckabee had said Obama "grew up" in Kenya and that Obama's view of the British was different from most Americans because of their role in fighting the Mau Mau revolution in Kenya.

Although Huckabee later said that he had misspoken, meaning to refer to Indonesia and not Kenya, Matthews has said, repeatedly, that he does not believe him.

On "The Tonight Show" Matthews said Obama "never spent one day of his life in Kenya...I think it's racist. I'm sorry. I think that's the game they're playing."