A Tough Kind of Tolerance

Remember that incident when Sen. McCain called his wife a cunt? I've had a very hard time justifying it to people. Indeed, my attempts to do so usually end with me getting kicked in the grenades so hard I vomit.

Well, last week, I heard something on CNN that should help me explain that incident a little better. It was one of those things where the anchor gives one of their star reporters a few minutes to regurgitate a campaign's latest talking points, raw, unedited, and without the clutter of analysis. In this case the reporter, John King, related a rather heartwarming story about Sen. McCain's relationship with his old Naval Academy roommate, Frank Gamboa.

Gamboa was one of the first Mexican-Americans allowed to attend the Naval Academy. Being the first isn't easy and he became the target of some pretty vicious race-inspired hazing. Sen. McCain was one of his most enthusiastic persecutors, calling him "Mex" and giving him a very hard time. But he did so out of love, later explaining that he was simply preparing Gamboa for the racial discrimination he'd face as an officer in the fleet.

I'd like to think that's the same reasoning he employed when he called his wife a cunt. He was simply toughening her up for the hardship she'd face as a beer heiress and wife of a US Senator.

So you see, calling her a cunt wasn't the the act of uncontrolled misogynistic rage it appeared to be; it was an expression of the kind of love and respect a man should have for his wife.

The same holds true for all the "Obama is after our white women" ads the McCain campaign has been running. He's simply helping Barack Obama prepare for all the racial bigotry he'll face for the rest of his career.

It's just the kind of guy Sen. McCain is.