McCain in left field

Liberal icon Jane Fonda has announced that she will be campaigning for John McCain. “Two things made the difference. First is the enormous personal regard I have for this American hero. Second is that he would be the first candidate from my silent generation to win the Presidency - realistically this is our last chance.” Fonda was born in 1937, McCain in 1936. Jane says that she first met McCain during her 1972 trip to Hanoi, where McCain was being held prisoner by the North Vietnamese. McCain credited Jane’s controversial visit with bettering conditions for prisoners. “It was after my friend Jane’s visit that we started calling our improved accommodations the Hanoi Hilton.”

It turns out there is a family connection. Jane’s father, Henry Fonda, served 3 years in the Navy during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star. Fonda served as quartermaster on a destroyer in a carrier group commanded by McCain’s grandfather, Admiral John McCain, Sr. Later Fonda was promoted to Lieutenant J.G. in air combat intelligence and was transported to his new posting on a submarine commanded by McCain’s father, John McCain, Jr.

The media and politicos are having a field day. Here’s a summary of reactions:

Larry King – Says this might in part be a reaction to Reverend Jeremiah Wright. “I interviewed Jane in 2005 for her book My Life So Far. Religion has become an increasingly important part of her life since coming out as a Christian in 2001. She expressed a strong opposition to bigotry, discrimination, and dogma, which she believes are promoted by only a small minority of Christians.”

Keith Olbermann – Cites unnamed source suggesting endorsement has nothing to do with Obama and that Fonda was just trying to get back at ex-husband Ted Turner, founder of CNN, who has said he will support either Democratic candidate.

Anderson Cooper – Noted that Hillary’s father was also a Navy man, while Obama’s grandfather was an Army man.

Bill O’Reilly – “Usually Jane is a pinhead, but today she is a patriot.”

Sean Hannity – “This just goes to prove what I have been saying that John McCain is not a real conservative.”

Rush Limbaugh – “First Jane says the C-word on The Today Show back on Valentine’s Day, we can’t say the word here because we’re on AM radio, and now she says McCain. Well, it's Jane Fonda. Why are you looking for a point? Why are you trying to make sense of this? It's Jane Fonda.”

Ann Coulter – “So J. Sidney McCain has the endorsement of Hanoi Jane. Give me a choice between a pretend woman and a real woman, and I’ll vote for the real woman every time.”

James Carville – “Judas don’t even begin to cover it.”

McCain campaign – “This illustrates our ability to attract democrats as well as independents.”

Clinton campaign – Off-the-record campaign deputy quoted as saying “With Obama as the putative frontrunner, we are afraid we will see more and more defections to McCain.”

Obama campaign – “Just for the record, Jane Fonda had been selected as a super delegate from Georgia and had previously pledged to Hillary Clinton. We won that state and look forward to picking up that vote.”

John Kerry – “You know, they called me a Jane Fonda Democrat, so now I’ll be calling my friend John a Jane Fonda Republican.”

George W. Bush – “Jane Fonda quit the Democrat Party? My father must be rolling over in his grave.”