McCain Apologizes Again (Really?)

Yesterday at a John McCain town hall, the warm-up guy, conservative talk radio host Bill Cunningham, made repeated references to Barack Obama's middle name. This was, of course, a deliberate and vicious smear, and what we've come to expect from "conservative radio talk show" hosts.

In a derogatory remark aimed not only at Obama, but also toward a number of major news organizations, Cunningham said these media outlets would "At some point in the near future ... peel the bark off Barack Hussein Obama."

Cunningham is noted for his incendiary remarks and he has gone after Obama previously. Media Matters reports that during his "nationally syndicated" show, he repeatedly called Senator Obama, "Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama." "Mohammed" is not part of Senator Obama's name.

Cunningham further said he thought "it would be a shock" if Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama would be elected considering we live in "difficult terrorist times."

Cunningham not only has a potty mouth but he's a liar -- again typical of conservative, talk radio hosts. He claimed Obama "was raised in maddrassas in Indonesia" and said that Obama's church was a "black separatist" and "black racist" organization. Neither charge is true.

So what did John McCain say about his spokesman, Bill Cunningham? He apologized immediately, claiming he wanted to "disassociate [himself] from any disparaging remarks."

Really? McCain knew not what Cunningham was like when it was arranged for him to "warm up" the crowd?

If, indeed, McCain either did not know Cunningham or was unaware of Cunningham's gutter talk, he is still to be held accountable for allowing his campaign to be co-opted by such a creature. The "buck" stops with you, John.

Cunningham, when hearing of McCain's apology, said angrily, "I've had it with McCain. I'm going to throw my support to Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Isn't it interesting how John McCain, over and over again, finds himself in the middle of some scandal or ethically-questionable situation and pleads ignorance or stupidity or gullibility and then apologizes and says it will never happen again.

The problem is, it happens again, and again and again. People are going to catch on pretty soon, John!

A final, troubling question: Is it possible that this was all a bit of political theater, that McCain was very aware of what Cunningham was going to say, but knew he could offer one of his "heartfelt" apologies afterward and all would be well? That way he could have his racists and eat his cake, too.