Baptist Minister Asks McCain: "Did You Call Your Wife A C**t?" (VIDEO)

Update: As reported by Iowa Politics, Marty Parrish signed in to Sen. McCain's health care conference as a HuffPost reporter. Marty Parrish is not a HuffPost reporter or blogger, nor a contributor to HuffPost's OffTheBus. He was not asked to attend the McCain conference on our behalf, nor did he have any contact with HuffPost staff prior to the event.

At a town hall forum in Iowa yesterday, Sen. John McCain was asked about a story from Cliff Schecter's controversial recent book, The Real McCain, which alleges that during a 1992 campaign stop, McCain angrily called his wife a "trollop" and a "c**t" in front of aides and reporters.

Marty Parrish, a business owner in Des Moines, told OffTheBus's Keith Dinsmore that he asked McCain about the incident because he's concerned about how McCain's temper could impact his leadership.

"A guy who would call his wife a trollop and a c--t just because she had ruffled his hair in front of five guys is not only a jerk, but a dangerous hothead if he ever gets his finger on the button."

"And since the mainstream media has decided to give McCain a free pass, I decided to stand up and, if they gave me an open mike, ask the question that the press refuses to touched. Our country is in a serious crisis after nearly eight years of Bush, and America appears to be oblivious to the danger this guy (McCain) poses to our country."

Read the full and extensive interview with Marty Parrish here on OffTheBus, where you can also take a look at the flier Marty passed out at the event.

Here's the exchange from the forum:

Q: This question goes to mental health and mental health care. Previously, I've been married to a woman that was verbally abusive to me. Is it true that you called your wife a (expletive)?

McCain: Now, now. You don't want to... Um, you know that's the great thing about town hall meetings, sir, but we really don't, there's people here who don't respect that kind of language. So I'll move on to the next questioner in the back.

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Schecter himself writes about the exchange at FireDogLake.

UPDATE: It turns out the man who asked the question is a Baptist minister worried about McCain's temper:

Clive businessman Marty Parrish was escorted from Sen. John McCain's town hall meeting by Des Moines police and members of the Secret Service after asking McCain if he had called his wife Cindy an expletive in 1992.

Parrish, an ordained Baptist minister who holds a master's degree in political science, was questioned by Secret Service agents before being released. He was not charged in the incident. Parrish asked whether McCain called his wife Cindy an expletive related to the female anatomy, as has been alleged in the book "The Real McCain," written by Dem strategist Cliff Schecter.

McCain's response got him a round of applause from the crowd: "There's people here who don't respect that kind of language, so I'll move on to the next questioner in the back."

In an interview with IowaPolitics.com, Parrish said his intentions were simple in posing the question to McCain. The former Joe Biden campaign worker stressed he is very concerned about the Republican presidential nominee's temperament.

"We have a man whose temper can get the best of him," Parrish said. "What I am worried about is his temper. Our country is in a serious crisis. This election is the most significant one since 1860. It appears America is asleep -- so I stood up and asked the question."

Comments

[poshman]

His wife needs more make-up!!!

[stephenswain]

Would anybody in his right mind answer this question? It's a total no-win scenario for the person being questioned: if he answers "yes," he’ll be pilloried. Why would anybody in his right mind dignify such a loaded question with an answer, regardless of its truth or falsity.

Senator McCain did the right thing: he moved on, implicitly dismissing the questioner as lacking in a reasonable sense of he appropriate.

There are two puzzling aspects of this story to me:

1. Why would one statement, allegedly uttered 16 years ago in a very particular context, be appropriate in a general-context political question-and-answer format meeting?

2. What would motivate so many readers or viewers to default to such demeaning, judgmental, and speculative language about John McCain, and then spin the nature of their comments off to demean Senator Obama and his wife.

With so many critically important questions bearing down upon us, is this the best we can do? This is the kind of stupid scenario that you might expect to see on Jerry Springer, or Geraldo, where the most embarrassing, out-of-control, ignorant behavior is staged for the gleeful enjoyment of the audience.
It's time to grow up and behave like reasoning adults; not giggle, titter, cat-call and act like high school sophomores at a food-fight. Get a grip! We are rapidly heading down the tubes, and this kind of foolishness will not lead us to anything but more of the same.

[NURSERATCHET]

I WISH SOMEONE WITH THAT SAME COURAGE WOULD STAND UP AND ASK OBAMA IF LARRY SINCLAIR IS TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT OBAMA'S DRUG USE IN 1999.

[afgail]

Larry Sinclair knows about Obama's drug use in 1999? That is news to me. Going on the internet to check it out.

[marytnurse]

does the fact that he failed two polygraphs and can't get a judge to hear his case mean anything? or that the RNC has paid him to make these claims? i guess not....

[ErikW65]

The questioner prefaces his question by saying that it has to do with mental health. The quetioner's wife had verbally abused him. McCain is alleged to have been verbally abusive with his wife, and others on many other occassions. McCain's mental health is an issue, because of all the thngs he's done and said. McNasty's temperment is going to be an issue, and all these incidents fit into a larger pattern. You did hear McCain's joke about "why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly"? "Her father is Janet Reno," said McCain.

[Candace8383]

i know of only one person who would and has used that word to a woman .....hes nuts ....punches walls etc i wouldnt trust him to park a car let alone run the country ......if you think that any man who would say that, or if you have said it yourself you are scum. got it ? Its just as bad as the n word. would you vote for someone who used the n word? well i wouldnt vote for someone who uses either word....it shows just how low they are

[marytnurse]

if he were a teenager, or even a young man, when he uttered this obscenity IN FRONT OF THE PRESS, i'd be inclined to say it was a long time ago, let's move on. HE WAS 45. how many things do you think a 45 year old is capable of blaming on youthful poor impulse control? and to utter that filth? yeah, Americans need to know what this man is capable of, and NO ONE else is covering it!!!

[Hopefor08]

I read this before that John McCain said these mean and hateful things to his wife in front of several people in 2004 when she said his hair was thinning. That a Baptist Minister asked about this wonderful. More and more people are going to realize and learn that McCain is a hotheaded bully who has been mean and cussed at fellow republicans on many occasions. He even had a fight with a young Arizona republican when the younger man said he didn't appreciate being called boy several times by McCain when they were all together at a republican function.

[omahkohkiaayo]

In my classes in economics, I give as an extra-credit assignment to give me alist of "taboo questions" that any MSM journalist would never dare ask as they all know what types of questions or parameters violated will get their careers destroyed and perhaps even get them killed. They learn quickly that not asking taboo questions or touching taboo subjects gets and keeps ACCESS which brings the SCOOPS which bring EXPOSURE which brings CELEBRITY which brings even more and expanded ACCESS... This is the "Spiral of SUCKcess in MSM "Journalism".

This was priceless. Try this one on Bill Clinton: "Sir, after your work with global HIV/AIDS and its victims, has this given you any new found sensitivity to or appreciation of just how reckless, self-indulgent, dangerous and potentially fatal was you obvious unprotected sex (as evidenced by the infamous "presidue" on the blue dress)--or whatever it was--with Ms. Lewinsky and likely other women? And did you get an HIV test before resuming relations with Hillary? If Chelsea had done a "Lewinsky" on her professor at Stanford to say improve her grade, would THAT be a) sex b) nobody's business; c) not an abuse of power by the professor?

He was ejected from the meeting and questioned by Secret Service for what is supposed to be his Constiutional right?. When we sign on to any lie, or stay quiet when it is uttered, we become a part of it and all the carnage from the lie.

[SaulGoode]

Wow...Parrish and Dinsmore were sent by HuffPo? Check out the interview by John Gibson of Parrish. Parrish come off as a complete douchebag. Listen as Gibson asks if he looked to see if there were any little children around before he used the "c" word. And listen also as Gibson asks if the story an bout McCain using it is actually true.

Oh,,,and listen as Gibson confronts him about his supposed church ministry.

Comedy gold...all of it

[Honza]

John ,the more appropriate word for the female anatomy is--------- Vagina?

[sirgorpster]

But, he didn't loose his temper, if that was the point of the question then he did get his answer.
I am most concerned the SS questioned the guy.
I think that is the only news I don't really blame MCCAIN for ducking the "offensive" question - that
was the correct political move. The same acceptable answer as for "did you stop beating your wife?".
We can complain about MCCAIN and his temper all we want but why whine about his every move?

[rudyinbama]

Ity's disgraceful the way police will allow themselves to be used to deny people the right to free speech.

[ProgressiveThought]

McCain = poor mans Bob Dole!

[landoffools]

Don't ask Johnny any difficult questions or he'll have his SS boys remove and question you !!!

Apparently free speech is not tolerated by the SS, or McCain ?

[hawkeye58]

Once again, just like George Bush... Remember the couple who were arrested for wearing anti-Bush tee shirts?

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3489979

[JackNasty]

Asterisks instead of letters: what is with the ridiculous prudery?

Where did all these pearl clutching blue noses come from?

Nothing is more disgusting and puerile than censorship.

[booker52]

True coward, McCain will call his wife that in public, but when asked in public years later, he cannot admit he called her that. He doesn't respect her and that shows. Bet he didn't say he was sorry either.

[dsegal2007]

If the answer was "no", why didn't McCain simply say that one word and move on? Bravo to Rev. Schecter for having the appropriate anatomical equipment to ask the question! And where did the Secret Service get off questioning him afterwards? The man asked a perfectly legitimate question, which is far different from issuing a threat!

[BeyondTheBull]

Amen!

[triadbubba]

If this guy is a Baptist preacher, I'm Jesus Christ! There is not a Baptist preacher in America that would use the word 'cunt' (does my using the uncensored word excite everyone?????) in any circumstance. The fact the readers of this site get so exorcized and defiant about the right to ask the stupid question demonstrates what a bunch of sophmoric fops they are.

This guy is a deperate Obama/Huffinton Post plant (they are one in the same). And he tried to pin McCain on one of the most childish, pointless questions I've ever heard.

[ohiodem250]

I love how McCain says, "There may be people here who don't like that language." Well duh! That's why the man asked you the question because if you did say it I guess those people would be pretty offended. Pretty good duck and run by the fearless POW.

[bogananda666]

McCain didn't deny calling his wife a c**t.

[VicksieDo]

What's most disturbing in this piece is that the man was taken out and questioned by the SS. What the heck??? He had every right to ask a question. He shouldn't have used the actual word, that gave McCain the opportunity to refuse to answer. But the Gestapo tactics aren't appreciated by this voter!

[loril]

It has become abundently clear that, if you are a conservative, you can duck this kind of question. Now, any and all dirt can be dredged up about a "liberal" candidate...what their preacher said 10 years ago, what their draft status was 40 years ago or whether they smoked a joint in their dorm room once 30 years ago. it is all fair game.

If John Q. Citizen or even, God forbid, a newsman like Dan Rather, should ask a potentially embarassing question about a god-n-country, red blooded 'merican conservative, on the other hand...What do you get? Secret service roughing up, tasers, broken limbs, blackballing, the loss of your job, and the assurance that you or your family will never board an airplane again without tons of hassle just to name a few potential outcomes.

We rail about it here and other places online. But many American citizens appear to be completely unaware, unconcerned or else they patently approve of this. We are in deep shit indeed.

[jakie]

THIS MAN AS NO CLASS ABOUT HIM.. HE IS SENILE AND DON'T REMEMBER THINGS GO HOME MCSAME WHERE YOU BELONG WE DON'T WANT YOU AS PRESIDENT

[CitizenGeek]

That was a good question. If the minister had just not said that word, McCain might have answered.

The more I learn about McCain, the less I like. It's unfortunate that it's just so hard to actually learn these things because the media is so totally biased in his favor.