Not everyone can be a comedian, especially in 140 words or less. Senator John McCain tweeted a joke calling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a monkey. The tweet read, “So Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian in space—wasn’t he just there last week?” and linked to a news article about Iran launching a monkey into space. When many Twitter users blasted McCain for the joke’s insinuation, he told them to “lighten up.” Arab American congressman Justin Amash (R-Mich.) then tweeted back at McCain, “Maybe you should wisen up & not make racist jokes.”
Naturally, pointing out that racism exists at all sent Republican tweeters into a frenzy. According to the wingnut tweeters, it's *okay* to be racist if your target is an @sshole, that is, "if" racism existed at all in conservative land. Also it's apparently okay with wingnuts if you're only insulting an individual, and not a group.
