'Why keep going?': Wolf Blitzer had a brutal interview with a third-tier presidential candidate

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer had a painfully awkward interview with former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a Democrat, Wednesday.

Blitzer repeatedly pressed Chafee on why he's continuing with his presidential campaign, the seemingly quixotic nature of which was highlighted at the CNN debate the night before.

Chafee had relatively few opportunities to speak at the debate and struggled at one point to defend a vote he regretted casting in the US Senate.

At various points in the interview, Blitzer pointed out that Chafee has raised a pittance in campaign funds and is around 0% in the polls, suggested that he would end up making a mockery of his otherwise "distinguished career," and asked him point-blank when he would drop out of the race.

Chafee insisted he wouldn't be going anywhere and accused the media of trying to silence his anti-war voice.

Here are some of Blitzer's brutal back-to-back questions to Chafee:

• "Why are you doing so poorly in all of the polls? You're basically getting closer to 0% than you are even 1%."
• "How much money have you raised for your campaign so far?"
• "Because there's some word that you've raised maybe $30,000. Is that right?"
• "You have no chance with a limited amount of money like that. You're a sophisticated politician. You had a distinguished career in the Senate. You were elected governor of your home state. Why bother right now if you have limited money, limited support? Why keep going?"
• "You're barely campaigning in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina and Nevada. So the question is why bother right now? Aren't there other ways you could get your voice heard?"
• "Here's how two major newspapers reviewed your performance last night. The Washington Post titled their article, 'How to disappear completely, by Lincoln Chafee.' The Boston Globe called it, 'Lincoln Chafee's no good, very bad night.' Here's what worries me, governor: That because of your distinguished career, you're going to wind end up looking silly if you keep going on like this. At what point will you decide, 'You know what? There are other things for me to do instead of a futile effort to try to get the Democratic presidential nomination.'"
• "So at what point will you drop out?"

Watch part of their exchange below: