The Asshole McCain

Thank you to the Boston Globe for reminding me of a classic example of McCain's calamitous intemperance: In 1998, just after Chelsea Clinton's 18th birthday, he said at a Republican fundraiser that the reason she is "so ugly" is because "she's the child of Janet Reno and Hillary Clinton." Later, he said, "I made a very unfortunate and insensitive remark. It was the wrong thing to do, and I have no excuse for it." (Translation: Oops, I got busted, but whatevs—grow up!)

The thing about people who love to make nasty "jokes" like this, as McCain does, is that they inevitably smear people they didn't mean to and offer highly revealing, if unintentional, commentary. In this case, McCain was probably trying to hit Janet Reno, but his grazing shot was buried underneath his leaking contempt for strong women, ugly women, gay women, and trans women (by way of the tired "Reno's a dude in a dress" chestnut), which he couldn't contain even in a feeble attempt to throw a little Reno-hatin' red meat to the partisans. He's like a sniper using buckshot.

And after being mean and careless and rude, he's unapologetic to boot. Like I've said before, as incredible and horrifying a thought as it may be, McCain really and truly has the potential to make George Bush look like a master of considered diplomacy.