Beat on the Brat
When I saw the following clip on YouTube, the image that popped to mind – oddly enough – was George W. Bush on a stage, surrounded by old men in dark suits, signing a partial-birth abortion ban into law without a single female face in the bunch.
The video’s getting play on CNN, along with a disclaimer that McCain said that he respects Senator Clinton and that he hopes that that is “enough” for the American people. Which would seem like a decent apology except (1) he’s shown in the past that he doesn’t chuckle and aw-shucks his way through an encounter with a supporter when they say something he finds offensive, and (2) he laughs immediately after saying that he hopes his statement of respect is enough, suggesting how much he genuinely cares about the American voter.
What got me was not the question alone, or even McCain chuckling his way through trying to distance himself from the question. It’s the way that the entire room erupted in laughter at the question, “How do we beat the bitch?”
Over at Althouse’s blog, you’ll find this little tidbit, lest we think McCain was simply trying to avoid ticking off a potential voter. McCain has taken his questioners to task before.
“Do the people in Washington – the politicians and the lobbyists and the rich people writing the checks – do they understand the amount of anger the average European Christian, native-born American feels when they see their country turning into a multicultural chaos Tower of Babel?” he said....
“I believe the greatest strength of America is the lady who holds her lamp behind the golden door that says send me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses,” he said, referring to the Statue of Liberty. “And I am grateful to live in a nation that has been enriched by people coming to our nation from around the world.
“I will do everything in my power to secure the borders, but I love this nation and I love the people who have come from around the world,” he said to loud applause.
But for a “respected” colleague, only a chuckle, an aw-shucks, and a half-hearted statement of respect?
