March 17th, 2009
11:55 AM ET
11 years ago

Ingraham to Meghan McCain: You’re a ‘useful idiot’

 Meghan McCain and Laura Ingraham are in a war of words.

Meghan McCain and Laura Ingraham are in a war of words.









(Update: John McCain responds after the jump)

"I laughed it off. If you can't stand the heat...get out of the punditry business," she writes. "Next time, just for fun, Meghan should pretend that she's had a change of heart and is now a pro-life conservative. Then she'll really see how the Mean Girls treatment feels."

Meghan McCain has taken aim at both Ingraham and Coulter over the past week during a media blitz that's included blog posts and appearances on network television.
On The View yesterday, she said she felt like model Tyra Banks, who “went on her show in her bathing suit and said, ‘Kiss my fat ass.’”


Update: In a Tuesday afternoon interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Twitter, Sen. John McCain repeated what seems to be his standard response to his daughter's string of headline-grabbing statements. "I'm proud of my daughter and she has a right to her opinions," he said, adding that "like any family we agree on some things and disagree on others."

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soundoff (257 Responses)
  1. Charlie Cole

    Name calling (e.g., idiot) typically occurs when one has nothing more intelligent to say. It is a junior high school response.

  2. Time for Term Limits

    Megham McCain has shown courage and honesty.
    In contrast, Laura Ingrahm is following the business plan of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh....engage in personal insults and attacks instead of intellectual defenses of your position, all for private gain. Ingrahm should be ashamed to stoop so low. Ingram just wants attention and higher ratings for her radio show. She wants to be the next Rush Limbaugh because he is rich. It is all about pure greed by Ingrahm.
    I have no respect for Ingrahm and her personal insults do not deserve a response. I have nothing but respect for Meghan McCain who has maintained her dignity throughout.

  3. Darlene

    Why is anyone even talking about Meghan McCain? Other than being the daughter of Sen. John McCain, what has she accomplished that would put her in the spotlight. Must be slow news days!

  4. Abby

    To me it appears that Laura Ingraham is the "idiot". Her pot shots and barbs at John McCain's daughter are very catty and immature. Laura needs to move on to more productive discussions.

  5. Larry Denman

    Ms. Ingraham:

    Why so defensive? Why throw Rush into a personal fray with another female conservative? If you speak before you think, 100% of the time, you can probably guarantee you will be rebuffed. The tongue is the most deadly of all weapons. When you speak negativity. You generate and receive negativity

  6. Steve A. , New Braunfels , Texas

    Megan you are fine, don't let these"have the last word" talk shoe types grind you down. As the saying go's"a drowding person will grab at a straw". Right now the GOP is sceared stiff that Obama may actualy succed in his attemp to right the economy,if so,then the GOP wont get credit for it. Desperate people make desperate statements. Hang in there.

  7. kimber grace

    Meghan-WE LOVE YOU!!!!!! Go get 'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. susan stuckey

    I think Megan is a wonderful voice. I think many young people believe in small taxesand small government. It will take the young republicans to turn the party around, to seperate church from state thinking.

  9. HCO, Providence

    Miss McCain speaks her mind out, calls for unity in the United
    States of America ... and she's labeled an idiot.

  10. Chuck

    Don't say anything in a bad manner and you wouldn't be subjected to ridicule. It seems to me that when something is said that is out of line then the person who says it make some point that they were taken out of context. If these people robbed a bank and were caught, then the fisrt thing that would come out of their mouth is my actions were taken out of context.

  11. Laughing

    Meghan McCain is the only republican that has any sense.. least her dad did one thing right.. raised a child not to go against what she believes in.

  12. james

    Ingraham is right, except about the plus-sized model crack. No need for that, but everything else she hits the spot. Meghan McCain will be done as soon as CNN and its liberal media buddies realize that Republicans don't pay attention to her anymore. Or, in true Valley Girl style, Meggie gets tired of not being able to shop and party all the time..

  13. Jason

    You go Laura! Meagan needs to just set down and shut up. Her opinions are not wanted. She is a yuppie that has no back bone to hold her idiotic views up.

    Just go ahead and caller yourself what you are Meagan, a socialistic democratic insider into the world of conservatism.

    March 17, 2009 11:01 am at 11:01 am |
  14. Rebecca

    While I am not fat, I find it deplorable that anyone, should resort to elementary school age bullying. If you have to make it personal, then you aren't very mature. Just because someone else calls you names doesn't give you the right to do the same. I thought we were all adults here. For Ingrahm to be having a two year old's hissy fit because someone called her on the carpet is just ridiculous. GET OVER IT, GROW UP or go back to kindergarten. Because someone had an unhappy home life and they need to start over.

  15. terri sel

    Obama was reading back the headline of the magazine Matt Lauer was holding up – the headline was about Jessica Simpson's weight –Ingraham is a disgrace to women - and to the human race. If the Republican's ever want to be in power again they better start looking at women like Meghan McCain as their future. As these talking heads like Ingraham and Rush continue to preach to their narrow minded choir, intelligent people like Meghan see the Republicans future go down the drain.

  16. Yolanda

    And the Republican party doesn't understand why nobody supports them any longer....fools.

  17. Palin fan...NOT

    I keep being amazed at the ignorance of the Republican Pary. They make Rush the head of the Party and demonize this intelligent lady. Go figure.

    March 17, 2009 11:03 am at 11:03 am |
  18. Brian

    Judging by the way Ms Ingraham is screaming and firing shots at Ms McCain, I d' say that what Meghan McCain is saying must be hitting the mark. What’s the matter Laura, the truth hurt? You, Coulter and Limbaugh are nothing but hot air and out of touch with what is real in this country. The GOP lost because it is out of touch with the majority of voters in this country and because they listen to idiots like you, to say nothing of the complete mess your party has made in the last eight years. I guess it makes you feel powerful to attack Meghan McCain so you can avoid thinking about why your party lost the last two elections. Do us all a favor and crawl back under the rock you slithered out from under.

  19. Debby

    Ingraham and Coulter have done wonders for the Democratic Party. Let them talk.

  20. Tommy

    I think these folks should continue this mud-slinging all the way through the 2010 midterm elections, to the 2012 presidential race! They have so much insightful stuff to say! Keep it up! Really! (Pretty please, lol!)

  21. Thomas Gumm

    It is obvious that Ingrahm has nothing important to talk about if this is what she is commenting on.

  22. A little sad

    I don't understand why Ingraham doesn't realize that once she resorted to calling McCain fat rather than just arguing with what she is saying, she lost.

    Nothing afterward mattered.

    March 17, 2009 11:05 am at 11:05 am |
  23. Shawn

    The far-right wing of American politics is twisted, psychotic and hateful.

    Meghan McCain is just being honest and telling the truth. I believe she really is trying to help the Republican party, which is losing an entire generation of voters because they are too extreme on many issues - especially social issues. Mindlessly demonizing and oppressing gays is no longer going to win elections, for example. The younger generation is over it and support gay rights.

    I know Republicans have honesty issues, but I didn't realize what a serious crime telling the truth really is in their world.

  24. Sylvia

    ditto.....Megan is being used

    and by the way I AM what?

  25. Darrel from Denver

    Ms. Ingraham is simply leveraging this incident to bring folks to her entertainment show. She is as useless as any of the 'pundits'. One could say she was a 'useless idiot'. In that respect, Ms. McCain is one up on her.

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