Barney Frank Counters Claim Gays Are Girlie: 'I Left My Purse At Home'

Chris Matthews called it "the quote of the night," so let's see how our NewsBusters readers respond.  Here was Barney Frank, reacting to the assertion by a young Marine that they are a macho bunch whereas gays are "girlie":

"I will confess that I left my purse at home."

Later, MSNBC political analyst Michelle Bernard, in a stunning non sequitur, was incapable of understanding how John McCain could oppose DADT repeal while having some years ago apologized for initially opposing the creation of Martin Luther King Day. Huh?  For good measure, Bernard called McCain "the male Palin" and accused the entire state of Arizona of being "anti-immigrant."

View video after the jump.

BARNEY FRANK: I was reading the comments, a young Marine, an 18-year old, who said well, I'm against this [DADT repeal] because, you know, we're macho, we're Marines, and gay men are girlie. Now I will confess that I left my purse at home, and I'm sorry that I didn't live up to his prediction.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well there's the quote of the night!

Later came Michelle Bernard, in a segment devoted to analyzing "What's Happened To John McCain?"

MICHELLE BERNARD: All of this is very confusing, because when you talk about gays in the military and a lot of the things that McCain has come out against, I keep thinking to myself, is this the same man that we saw speak just two years ago before the National Urban League where he tried to explain his policies on affirmative action and he apologized and he said I was wrong when I initially voted against making Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday.

So Bernard can't understand how one could support MLK Day while thinking that letting openly gay people serve could undermine military effectiveness?  Very confusing, indeed, but Bernard's befuddlement wasn't done . . .

BERNARD: He has gone so far right, if you look at him, he has become his former vice-presidential nominee. He has become the male version of Sarah Palin, he has gone so far right.  Maybe this is what he feels he needs to do to survive in Arizona. They've got that new Arizona immigration law.  That entire state is completely anti-immigrant right now.
 

So enforcing that federal law on illegal immigration--which is what the Arizona statute does--renders the entire state "completely anti-immigrant."  The confusion continues!