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

[Turnip]

I hope she DOES have a temper.

A really NASTY one.

That way, if America is attacked on her watch she won't act like a coward and sit in her chair reading childrens books.

[spicegal]

The problem is Rethuglicans don't like smart powerful women. I've certainly never seen or heard anything that leads me to believe Hillary Clinton is a "bitch". George Bush is about as petulant as they come. Guess that makes him a male bitch or worse. Unfortunately, there's a double standard when it comes to women. Tough, assertive women are called bitches, while tough assertive men are considered strong and capable. I would challenge anyone who calls Hillary Clinton a bitch to provide clear verifiable examples, not rumors and innuendos. Besides which, the hate mongering right wingers detest anyone who's not one of them.

[Firaxis]

Hillary and drivers licenses for illegals.
Hilarious

Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.

Rival campaigns made clear they were not letting go of the issue.

"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them," said Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton, referring to the Clinton campaign's admission that aides had staged a question for her at an Iowa event.

Colleen Flanagan, a spokesman for Chris Dodd, called Clinton's position "flip-flopping cubed. She was for it before she was against it, before she was for it, before she was against it."

[cj ett]

Now that this has turned into a street brawl, time to move on to something else.

[milo9]

Personally, who effing cares. I must say though, that it appears from the comments that Hillary just drives Republican'ts crazy!

[bbmjr]

Can someone find out the name and the address of the woman who asked the question to McCain and then post it online? She obviously needs to learn some good southern manners.

[Turnip]

Who cares what this woman said anyway?


The comment came from someone with nothing better to do than attend a McCain for President Rally.


Like THAT'S ever gonna happen!

[sgtjiggs]

http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/20071115ST2AP-Hillary.jpg

[Turnip]

Tomorrow, Rush will announce this woman was planted by a Clinton staffer.

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

Remember back about eight years ago, when McCain was still seen as an honorable man? 45 minutes in a room with Chimpy McFlightsuit did what 6 years ina VietCong prison camp could not accomplish: turning an honorable man into a quivering pile of ass-kissing suckup to a moron who went AWOL.

McCain should have just belted W right in the mouth when Rove started those lies about his adopted daughter. One good punch to a sissy-boy bully and McCain would have been President and W would have been a snivelling little nobody.

[escapee]

I am so sorry to say that I live in SC. Last night I attended a Thompson rally -- I'm not a supporter, just attended out of couriosity. What I saw was a bunch of tense, sour and crumpy people... mad as hell and rude enough to show it. Very negative and grumpy. That woman who called Hillary a bitch, I am sorry to say, sums up that whole crowd here. So long Southern Hospitality! You were sweet! I sure miss America!

[Beelzebul]

"How do we beat the Bitch."


That comment certainly does destroy my image of a Southern belle wrapped in a pouf of flowery femininity and gracious manners.

[mierda]

How do think Chelsea Clinton feels when she hears, "How do we beat the bitch?" being said about her mother?
I bet my right arm that--that Mc Cain supporter would be saying, "How to we beat the nigger?" if Obama was in first place. Wecome to America!

Nice going Mc Cain! AND Huffington Post for
fanning the hysteia around the possibility of a woman president.

[coolkraft]

wonder how he would have reacted if it were Laura Bush or his wife being called a bitch...not that I am a Hillary fan but this is just wrong and not funny....his sense of humor, ie. the song bomb bomb bomb Iran he sang and other supposedly funny comments show exactly what he is and what he stands for

[gotalife]

Planted question.