Television host Rachel Maddow and Kansas Congressman Tim Huelskamp exchanged barbs Tuesday night on MSNBC about the lawmaker’s tweets in response to the State of the Union speech.

Huelskamp accused Maddow of being a cheerleader for President Barack Obama, and she accused the 1st District representative of being "spectacularly disingenuous."

Maddow set up the segment with a reference to the president’s comments at the end of the speech about Cory Remsburg, an Army Ranger who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

"Remsburg never gives up, and he does not quit," the president said, drawing a lengthy standing ovation that Maddow called "the emotional high point of the address."

Huelskamp tweeted: "Obama politicizes the military to end his speech. Totally expected, Mr. President."

When Maddow asked if his tweet was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, Huelskamp explained "we actually invited our own veteran" and after putting out a news release was told by the administration that "perhaps we were politicizing the fact."

"It’s very interesting because the president very clearly ran against the military," Huelskamp said.

Maddow asked him to explain how the president ran against the military, and Huelskamp said: "Well, it’s pretty clear. He wanted to bring the troops home. He wants to close Gitmo. He wants to do all kinds of things."

"Is bringing the troops home your definition of being against the military?" Maddow asked

"He’s all for the military now during his speech, but at the end of the day, his policies are failing," Huelskamp said.

She also asked Huelskamp about a tweet that questioned whether a diplomat died in Benghazi, as well as comments that accused the president of dictating and acting like a king.

"This administration," Huelskamp said, "promised to be the most transparent in history, Rachel. And I think if you would stop being a cheerleader and be a journalist, you would recognize we’re not getting those answers."

"Did you just call me a cheerleader?" Maddow said.

"I don’t know," he said. "Maybe you have that history."

Later, Maddow said the stream of tweets (over Huelskamp’s shouts to "enjoy them") and "your arguments here are from two totally different universes."

"It’s the universe of reality, Rachel," he said. "The universe of outside this beltway. The president’s speech fell flat out in the real world. In Washington, they’re still atwitter. But recognize Americans want some answers, they want some solutions. The economy is flat-lined. 6.5 million more Americans are in poverty since this president took office, and he wants to preach about income equality that he created. That’s a failure. And that’s all we’re asking, Mr. President, is be truthful that your solutions haven’t worked."

Maddow closed by saying she had always enjoyed seeing the congressman on TV with other people.

"I found you spectacularly disingenuous in explaining your own words tonight, but I hope you’d come on my show, and we could have this conversation one-on-one sometime soon," she said.