McCain Refuses To Condemn Ingraham’s Attacks On His Daughter

Last week, ThinkProgress reported that hate radio host Laura Ingraham responded to Meghan McCain’s criticism of right-wingers like Ann Coulter by calling her “plus-sized.” Meghan shot back, telling Ingraham, “stop talking about my body.” Yesterday, Meghan ripped Ingraham on The View, saying, “Kiss my fat ass!”

Today, in his “Twitterview” with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) shied away from condemning Ingraham’s gratuitous attacks on his daughter. Stephanopoulos asked McCain, “What do you think of Meghan’s feud with Coulter and Ingraham?” McCain first said, “I’m proud of my daughter and she has a right to her opinions.” When asked if he agrees with his daughter, McCain did not say, simply stating, “like any family we agree on some things and disagree on others”:

Stephanopoulos, seeing that McCain didn’t want to go any further on the matter, tweeted to McCain, “I know I’m not getting anymore on Coulter and Ingraham.”

It’s unclear why McCain wouldn’t directly admonish Ingraham, who has mocked his daughter’s voice, weight, and just yesterday, called Meghan a “useful idiot.” But in the past, McCain has courted the extreme right of the GOP, granting an interview to Ingraham as late as October 2008. Throughout the presidential election, McCain, long considered too liberal by the extreme right, frequently appeared on hate radio shows, and he has a history of defending the bigoted remarks of right wingers.

Is McCain placing right-wing politicking before his own family?