The co-hosts were discussing the recent "controversy" of an enthusiastic McCain supporter calling Senator Clinton a "bitch." Whoopi Goldberg surprisingly defended McCain, because there is not much else he could do. Behar responded by placing all of the blame on McCain because he did not lecture the woman on the spot.
The discussion led to this exchange with Sherri Shepherd calling out Joy Behar on her many personal attacks against President Bush.
SHEPHERD: What I'm saying is the same could be said, she felt Hillary Clinton was a bitch. And so she said it.
BEHAR: No, that's a personal assault on the woman.
SHEPHERD: You do personal assaults on President Bush.
BEHAR: Yes, I do.
SHEPHERD: So what's the difference? What’s the difference?
BEHAR: The difference is that I don't like him.
[Laughter]
SHEPHERD: What’s the difference? She didn’t like her.
GOLDBERG: And this woman doesn’t like her.
At least Behar, if inconsistent and maybe hypocritical, was honest. The exchange of the whole segment is below.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So now, let's talk about John McCain. Shall we? This has been all over the news. A woman at a John McCain rally said to him, "how do we beat the bitch?"
JOY BEHAR: Some woman.
GOLDBERG: A woman. You know, just like any of us. Not you, of course, sir. But you know, the women. As we would say about whoever we were talking about in wherever we were. It wasn't a broadcast thing. Someone was filming. Okay. He kind of looked a little startled and kind of laughed a little bit, because it took him by surprise. Then a guy said "I didn't know you were talking about my wife" and made all those dumb jokes. Then he said "that's an interesting question" and went on to say "I have a lot of respect for Hillary Clinton" and blah blah. Now everyone is up in arms with him because they feel he should have said to this woman "do not refer to Mrs. Clinton as this way." So I say, the question for me is, having watched him have to deal with yet another woman, his mother, who made a comment about Mitt Romney, my take --
JOY BEHAR: What did she say about Mitt Romney?
GOLDBERG: I don't remember, but it wasn't good and he had to take care of it. And what I thought I saw on his face was, another one. I have to do this again. Now, we say the word all of the time. But people were apparently very up in arms that he didn't pull out his yardstick and say "don't say those words about this woman who’s running." Now, if a man said it, if it wasn't a woman, I'd say -- can you say that? You'll beep me, right?
[...]
BEHAR: But he's a man. It’s different when a man uses it.
GOLDBERG: But he didn't use it. He did not say it. A woman said it, asked him, "how do we beat the bitch?" And everyone’s angry at him for not saying "don't you say that about Hillary Clinton."
SHERRI SHEPHERD: And I think that we are getting so desensitized because look how everybody talks about President Bush. Whether you agree with him or not, the position of the president is a sacred position, I think, and everybody calls this man an idiot. You talk about him. So why you getting mad when somebody goes how do we beat the bitch?
GOLDBERG: You're missing the point. Nobody is getting mad.
SHEPHERD: There were some people were in arms. I’m not saying you.
GOLDBERG: And I don't understand that. They were up in arms for not correcting her.
SHEPHERD: Well, that's what I'm saying. Everyone’s up in arms.
JOY BEHAR: It would have been nice. He is a gentleman, usually, McCain. It would have been nice for him to say "Well, you know, I think you're referring to my opponent and I don't particularly like the way you're refer to her." That’s all. It would have been nice and respectful to say that. That’s all. As far as Bush is concerned, I mean, I respect the office of the presidency. I just don't respect him.
[Applause]
SHEPHERD: What I'm saying is the same could be said, she felt Hillary Clinton was a bitch. And so she said it.
BEHAR: No, that's a personal assault on the woman.
SHEPHERD: You do personal assaults on President Bush.
BEHAR: Yes, I do.
SHEPHERD: So what's the difference? What’s the difference?
BEHAR: The difference is that I don't like him.
[Laughter]
SHEPHERD: What’s the difference? She didn’t like her.
GOLDBERG: And this woman doesn’t like her. But I still don't understand what people wanted him to do. You're saying he should have said "don't say this," but the truth of the matter is we walk around doing it all the time and the only way we get away with it is there's no cameras with us. If no one had seen it on camera, would people have been as mad?
BEHAR: Probably not.
GOLDBERG: I don’t think so either.
SHEPHERD: And also, John McCain is a human being. Sometimes you get caught off guard. Sometimes people say things and you don't come back the way people think you’re supposed.
BEHAR: At the end of the day, it's going to work in favor of Mrs. Clinton because she gets the sympathy vote. Women don't like it. That’s the truth. And so more women will vote for her because of that, I think.
SHEPHERD: Because she got called a bitch?
BEHAR: Yes. They don’t like it. It's very sexist to call a woman a bitch when you're a man. We could say it to eachother.
SHEPHERD: But a man didn't do it.
GOLDBERG: I need to really make this very clear.
BEHAR: All right. It’s mind charging by proxy syndrome, alright? She says bitch and then he agrees and laughs, that means he's calling her ipso facto.
GOLDBERG: No Don’t do that. Joy, you can't do that.
BEHAR: Almost.
GOLDBERG: We don't want to get him all wrapped up in that. What I was trying to say is people say stuff all the time and I don't know if everybody has to always accommodate everybody else’s political correctness. Because John McCain is a good guy. He's a very smart guy. And, you know, we say this word all the time. I don't know how much mail comes in about us saying it. It would be interesting to find out.
BEHAR: I think it's when you're friendly with a person, you can say it. We perceive them as being as being adversaries. And therefore, it did not seem appropriate. I think that’s the bottom line of it.
JESSICA SIMPSON: It brings more attention to it. It brings more attention to it.
SHEPHERD: It was not John McCain's fault that the lady called Hillary Clinton a bitch.
BEHAR: No, but he responded in a way that was joining her.
SHEPHERD: He’s a human being tough.
GOLDBERG: No, I don't agree, no.
BEHAR: Look, I'm the not sending him to the electric chair.
