McCain's Not-So-Respectful Comment

John "Respectful Campaign" McCain serves up a little "respect" for Barack Obama:

Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate.

…McCain said he and running mate Sarah Palin would continue campaigning hard in the three weeks left before Election Day, in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. The two planned a joint appearance Monday in Virginia, a Republican stronghold turned battleground this time.

"We're going to spend a lot of time and after I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain said.

…Still, McCain promised to run a "respectful" campaign in the weeks to come.

Anybody else got a problem with threatening to "whip" the "you-know-what" of the first African-American presidential candidate in the nation's history? Sure, sure -- he didn't mean it that way, but that's what owning the context is all about. Just like it doesn't mean quite the same thing when you want to punch Hillary Clinton in the mouth as when you want to punch Bill Clinton, and just like it doesn't mean quite the same thing when you compare Barack Obama to a monkey as when you compare George Bush to one, it doesn't mean the same thing when you threaten to "whip" a white opponent as when you threaten to "whip" a black opponent, at least when you're a white guy yourself.