SHOCKER: John McCain Curses

Washington can be a very uncivil place. That's not news.

It's becoming pretty common to hear about the foul-mouthed rantings of politicians.

I don't think it's a big deal that John McCain dropped the F-bomb in an exchange with John Cornyn.

Is that supposed to be a shock?

It doesn't shock me.

That's the state of our coarsened culture and the explosive personality of John McCain.

From The Washington Post:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hasn't spent much time in the Capitol this year as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination. But one of his rare appearances this week provided a pretty salty exchange with a fellow Republican.

During a meeting Thursday on immigration legislation, McCain and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) got into a shouting match when Cornyn started voicing concerns about the number of judicial appeals that illegal immigrants could receive, according to multiple sources -- both Democrats and Republicans -- who heard firsthand accounts of the exchange from lawmakers who were in the room.

At a bipartisan gathering in an ornate meeting room just off the Senate floor, McCain complained that Cornyn was raising petty objections to a compromise plan being worked out between Senate Republicans and Democrats and the White House. He used a curse word associated with chickens and accused Cornyn of raising the issue just to torpedo a deal.

Things got really heated when Cornyn accused McCain of being too busy campaigning for president to take part in the negotiations, which have gone on for months behind closed doors. "Wait a second here," Cornyn said to McCain. "I've been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line."

McCain, a former Navy pilot, then used language more accustomed to sailors (not to mention the current vice president, who made news a few years back after a verbal encounter with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

"[Expletive] you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room," shouted McCain at Cornyn. McCain helped craft a bill in 2006 that passed the Senate but couldn't be compromised with a House bill that was much tougher on illegal immigrants.

While Cornyn's office declined to comment, McCain's spokesman Brian Jones acknowledged that the two had a "spirited exchange."

Is that what they call such vulgarity? "Spirited"?

Whatever.

John McCain has a temper. We know that.

Using profanity is not a new development in Washington.

Still, the lib media seem to relish reporting when Republicans use strong language.

Why?

I get the feeling that libs seem to think conservatives will turn against a Republican candidate if he curses.

That's really rather silly.

It's been three years since Dick Cheney's verbal outburst at Pat Leahy and it's still considered relevant by the libs. That's weird.

At the time, LA Weekly noted that while the Cheney/ Leahy moment was widely reported, the Washington Post was the only major American paper to literally spell out Cheney's remark.

A search of the Nexis newspaper database showed only one U.S. daily newspaper — the Washington Post — quoted the vice president’s wish for Leahy’s self-sufficiency: “Fuck yourself.” Here’s how other newspapers and wire services handled the vice president’s words:

L.A. Times: “Go . . . yourself.”

L.A. Daily News: The headline said Cheney cursed.

The story, by the Associated Press, said Cheney said, “F— off” or “F— you.”

The Boston Globe: Referred to the expletive as a “vulgar directive” and provided no other clues.

Calgary Sun: “(Bleep) off” or “Go (bleep) yourself.”

Daily News (New York): “Go f— yourself.”

Greenwire: “Go (expletive) yourself.”

The Weekend Australian: “F . . k off” or “Go f . . k yourself.”

Miami Herald: “F— off” or “F— you.”

The New York Times: “obscene phrase.”

The New York Post: “F— yourself.”

Newsday: “ — yourself” or “Go — yourself.”

CNN: the “F” word.

What an odd story! In the grand scheme of things, it's much ado about nothing.

It does seem that The Washington Post finds a particular thrill in reporting on Republicans dropping F-bombs. Really strange.

I'm no fan of John McCain and I don't want him to be the Republican nominee for president.

But his use of the F-word is the least of his negatives as far as I'm concerned.

If he does win the nomination, I'll vote for him.

ANY Republican, even an F-bombing McCain, would be a dramatically better choice for the country than any of the liberal Dems running for president.

Well, almost any Republican -- not Ron Paul or Chuck Hagel.
__________________________

This story reminds me of another F-bomb.

This one came courtesy of MSNBC's Chris Matthews during a February 2007 appearance on Don Imus' defunct morning show. It was on the air, not during a private meeting.

Watch and listen here.

Did this make The Washington Post?