Kathy Griffin Aims Vulgar Name-Calling at ABC's Hasselbeck

On Thursday's Kathy show on Bravo!, host and left-wing comedienne Kathy Griffin called Elisabeth Hasselbeck by two vulgar words after playing a clip of the right-leaning co-host of ABC's The View in which Hasselbeck challenged President Obama to explain the distinction between his own view on how the federal government should treat same-sex marriage as opposed to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's position.

Griffin used the "B" word early on, and toward the end appeared to use the "C" word which was bleeped out by censors while attacking Hasselbeck.

The Bravo! host, an outspoken advocate for the gay rights movement, omitted Hasselbeck setting up her question by noting that "you (Obama) and I (Hasselbeck) share the view, in terms of rights for gay couples and gay marriage."

(Video of Griffin's tirade, and a longer clip of Hasselbeck's question in context are below)

Even though Hasselbeck may have intended her question as a challenge from a pro-gay rights point of view, instead of acknowledging that the normally right-leaning Hasselbeck seems to agree with Griffin on gay rights, the left-wing comedienne perceived the question as hostile to the President and went on a rant. Griffin set up the video:

He (President Obama) was on The View this week, and, of course, Elisabeth Hasselbeck said something really stupid. Let's take a look.

After a brief clip, Griffin interrupted to jump in and start using vulgar language about Hasselbeck. Griffin:

Freeze. All right, I shouldn't be freezing here, but, right away, with her attitude to the President, who was a Harvard Law professor. I'm, like, take it down a notch, b****. (AUDIENCE CHEERS)

Don't be like, like that body language. I don't like that. I don't like Jan Brewer in Arizona going like this to the President on the tarmac. I don't like that. When I was on The View, Barbara Walters said you respect the office. Okay, that's the side tirade. Let's continue to look at the clip.

After playing Hasselbeck's question and Obama's assertion that Romney, unlike he, would support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Griffin gloated about the President correcting the ABC co-host:

I mean, I just love the first sentence, which is, "Actually, Elisabeth, that's not true." So, I like, he's so patient with her, and, you know, you have to know when you're outclassed, and there's a million things I don't know, so I'm not going to act like - no, don't show that nice pretty picture of her. Do not, after all that-

An image of Hasselbeck appeared in the background which at first was a normal attractive photo, but it is then switched to one with a strange facial expression. Griffin continued:

After all the names she's called me, show the f [BLEEP] crazy face, okay? But, anyway, so what do you think that moment was like?  I mean, what do you think it was like for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a runnerup from Survivor, to be, like, stepping up like that to the President, and then, by the way, not being completely accurate.

After one of her guests asserted that President Obama had praised Hasselbeck as his "favorite Republican," Griffin tagged the ABC co-host with more lewd vulgarity:

I mean, look, he's a gentlemanly guy, and he probably said it, but, you know, I'll say she's a [BLEEP] because- [GRIFFIN APPEARS TO USE THE "C" WORD THAT IS CENSORED]

But Hasselbeck has a history of criticizing conservatives for opposing same-sex marriage, and, in the part of her question to Obama that Griffin did not show her viewers on Bravo!, Hasselbeck voiced agreement with Obama's view of gay rights: