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

[BobC46]

"I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch
Oh the bitch is back
Stone cold sober as a matter of fact
I can bitch, I can bitch
`Cause I'm better than you
It's the way that I move
The things that I do"

(Elton John)

[Turnip]

And why shouldn't Hillary be bitchy?

She's gonna be cleaning up the disasters Chimpy and Chinney are leaving behind.

I'd be pissed too.

[Marichu]

It's unbelievable. A politician plans to use the media's coverage of a sexist derogatory remark uttered by his supporter to help finance his bid for the Presidency of the United States.
McCain should have stopped the woman right then and there and corrected her choice of word instead of chuckling.
Are dignity and respect characteristics that are unnecessary for the office of the presidency?

[Southmouth]

The imbecile woman who asked that question illustrates the moral standards of most rightwingers: They hate someone just because they hate. What exactly makes Hillary Clinton a "bitch"? The fact that she tried to provide healthcare for all americans and failed? At least she tried to make this country better. And she failed only because of the massive republican deception machine and money for tv commercials.
On the other hand, her idol, GWB has the blood of untold thousands of inocent people on his hands; he is also well on his way to bankrupt this country both financially and morally.
Obviously this does not bother her. In her pathetic ignorance, she cheers for her corrupt party while her country burns.

[Centauri]

I am suprised at the deafening silence from the democratic candidates. I am assuming they do not have balls. How would they like their wives called bitches and the opposition candidate just laugh.

[Ginzaman]

Hillary's bought and paid for. McCain's an idiot, an asshole and psycotic. Sanchez is a notorious hot dog that will do anything(which is a total waste of time) to get airtime.

So forget actual issues. This is FAR more entertaining to the neocon media CEO's. After all, if it works for them the whole audience will like it too, right?

[zull2]

"Please stand with us against CNN, and in support of the crazy redneck that called one of my best Senate buds a bitch, by giving me money. (Big smile)"

[Fernando]

You see people, our problem is never the problem, the problem is the people who point out the problem.

See? The problem isn't that McCain didn't stand up like a gentleman and defended a fellow senator and candidate who was being insulted with a very ugly word.

The problem is, you guessed it, Rick Sanchez!

[RingMyBell]

This is a non-story. For those that complain about silly headlines that distract from real issues - this is one of those silly headlines. We should all quit acting so wounded by this.

[Moshe]

Whick one's McCain!

[rim-shot]

[osage]

It makes sense. Hate mongers respond to hate mongering.

[OhPlease2007]

Who made the comment? Was it a male, or female?

Apparently Hillary doesn't have a lock on the female demographic?

[Beelzebul]

"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."


What Repub candidate hasn't said that? All about beating Hillary and she's not even close to being the nominee. Premature Ejaculation. And it shows you just how shallow the Repubs are. They have nothing positive to run on, and all of 'em are keeping a 100ft pole between themselves and the chimpanzee. So its all about who can beat the "bitch" the Repubs love to hate.

I don't believe either Hillary or Rudy is going to be the nominee. It may be what the MSM wants, but when the dust settles, Hill' and Rudy will probably be on the outside looking in.

I believe that'll be a good thing.

[Bulbul]

How low and dissapointing can he get ? They call him a Maverick and still they do ! Why ?
This is the man who sold his ethics to the devil (shrub), then this.
That other woman should wash her mouth with soap, for any one, particularly someone mature enough, it is totally inappropriate.
Needless to say Mccain`s response is low but expected.

[PixieThis]

I have to say that I lost all respect for mccain when he let camp bush trash him, his family and his adopted daughter, but if he'd had the smarts, what he should have said to the woman asking the question was...

"Oh! You must be one of my values voters!"