Say What?! McCain Trying To Raise Money Over Hillary "Bitch" Flap

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain says he respects Hillary Rodham Clinton and that he said as much when a woman used the word "bitch" to describe her.

"How do we beat the bitch?" the woman asked Monday at a McCain event in South Carolina.

Watch the video here.

....On Tuesday, CNN's Rick Sanchez raised the question of whether McCain should have admonished the woman, and McCain's campaign criticized that criticism on Wednesday.

"Most people who have seen it are looking at it as a real mistake on his part in terms of the way he handled it," Sanchez said on the cable network's "Out in the Open."

McCain's South Carolina campaign manager, Buzz Jacobs, said in a statement Wednesday: "It not only reflects poorly on him, but on CNN. If Mr. Sanchez had even the faintest perspective on the race for the White House, he would know that Senator McCain has expressed his utmost respect for Senator Clinton numerous times on the campaign trail, as he did at Monday's event in Hilton Head."

Hours later, the McCain campaign was using the controversy to raise money for his candidacy.

Campaign manager Rick Davis e-mailed supporters, saying, "We are asking you to help us fight Rick Sanchez and CNN and stand with John McCain. Please make your most generous contribution from $25 up to the maximum limit of $2,300 to the only candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton."

Update: Politico's Jonathan Martin notes that McCain's fundraising email is also highly dishonest:

Irony aside, the McCain camp misrepresents the facts of the encounter with the lady in South Carolina who asked, "How do we beat the bitch?" McCain did not first respond by noting his respect for Clinton before talking up his electability, as Davis asserts in the email.

Rather, he laughed along with the rest of the crowd, cracked a joke and then laughed some more at another joke before deeming the inquiry "a good question." Then he cited favorable polling data. After all this, he noted his respect for his colleague.

McCain's campaign didn't respond when asked about the discrepancy.

Comments

[Zentomato]

One more time:
McCain? McCain. The whisper campaign in South Carolina against McCain was immoral. It attacked his family through mendacity and shameful inuendo and yet in the end he gave bush a hug. What the heck is wrong with the conservative mindset?
The 2004 Republican convention they made a mockery of the Purple Heart award by wearing silly purple heart bandaids on their chubby cheeks . As a Nam era vet I will never forget the image of a portly woman at that convention laughing wildly as she sported a purple heart bandaid. It was insulting to all the men who were awarded the purple heart by shedding their blood for their country. What the heck is wrong with the conservative mindset?
When Max Cleland, who left three of his limbs in South Vietnam, was smeared and made a mockery of in Georgia and the Republican challenger ran ads with pictures of Saddam Hussein and Max side by side, questioning Max's patriotism­..What the heck is wrong with this current crop of conservatives?
The list is long, too long for this short venue but what is amazing is the fact that conservatives are able to look past such events like this. What is wrong with the conservative mind set? Are they truly "not right in the head?"

[bluesky49876]

Folks! that pretty much tells you what kind of ugly creatures these republicans are...from the leadership down to rank and file. The are scam artists of the worst kind.

[GomezAdams]

That's ok. The other Republican candidates will take McCain out with another dirty trick. Perhaps a repeat of South Carolina 2000.

Republicans eat their own.

[USMC1980]

First off it's hardly surprising that some dumb hill-billy inbred would be running around SC calling Hillary Clinton a "bitch". "Fat boy" Newt Gingrich (another sad, inbred) did it, so why not some toothless old bag in SC. I would expect a gentleman like McCain to reject that kind og language, but I would also expect a giant sized, no talent, hack like Rick Sanchez to question McCain's actions. Sanchez is a joke in the news industry. The guy famously took a police tazer to his fat ass, and then made the remarkably deep comment that "IT HURTS". This douche has been mocked on every show from John Stewart to Howard Stern to David Letterman.­...and here he is giving them yet more ammo. What a moron.

[donkee]

waterboard

the bitch

heh...

[JaneC]

The ladies sure love John.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IYrI-3ksyk

[donkee]

and...

readem is right

when you say you have

compassion and

you don't really have any

you are a miserable

failure of a human being

heh...

[Purcy]

McCain's response and poor behavior says far more about him than it does Hillary...­Face it, the republicans have no integrity and absolutely no moral compass.

[Bobzmcishl]

McCain should have rebuked the woman who called Clinton a "bi---". And the audience for laughing at the question. McCain had the chance to show some courage and totally bailed. It looks like we are about to reach yet new lows in the art of politicking. That was a disgusting episode.

[donkee]

Republics are failed human beings.

could I use that one

readem

heh...

[donkee]

Americans

like a bitch.... so

hillary's poll numbers

should

go up

heh...

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

god thing McCain is WALNUTS!

b/c your comments are just weak.

[dax49]

message to the woman in south carolina- takes one to know one. yet again mccain shows that he has no integrity. you sure he wasn't that womans son? he fits the profile

[MRb1000]

Yeah John Mcain is afraid of Hillary. What a stupid statement. This guy was tortured during Nam and he is afraid of Hillary. Ran again one of the most nastiest campaign. Carl Rove in crew. He is scared of the Hill machine. Yeah he would not have call her that name if he was. This is going to go on and on and on. Please let turn the page. I am tired of the Clintons!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!

[StillAmused]

Reached later, McCain admitted to some initial confusion. "At first I thought she was talking about me," he explained. "I've been soundly bitch-slapped in this state... probably by some of the same people in that room. It's the toughest part of GOP politics -- keeping track of all the hypocrisy and knowing when to suck up -- but I'm gettin' the hang of it."