Back in 1976, WABC-TV weatherman Tex Antoine was fired for joking on air to his New York audience, "'If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it." 32 years later, John McCain abruptly cancelled a fundraiser at the home of Texas oilman Clayton Williams, who it turns out happens to have told the same grotesque quip during his failed 1990 gubernatorial run. As for the $300,000 Williams raised, that the McCain campaign plans to keep.
As the New York Times recounted, Herbert Jon "Tex" Antoine was at the forefront of the "happy news" wave, in which the meteorologist "was supposed to make pleasant chitchat and address the anchors fondly by first name before delving into the weather." On November 24, 1976, that approach went horribly awry for Antoine's unfortunate viewers in New York.
An Eyewitness News fan site detailed the exchange with anchor Roger Grimsby that led to Antoine's immediate suspension and subsequent firing:

The incident occurred when anchorman Roger Grimsby read an item about an attempted rape of an 8-year old Bronx girl.
Grimsby: Now with the weather, here is Tex Antione.
Antione: You know Roger, with all the stories about rape in the news. I can only tell you the words of a great Chinese philosopher. Confucius said. "If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."

As we fast forward to the 2008 election, the ghost of Tex Antoine is being channeled by McCain bagman Clayton Williams. During his failed race against Ann Richards for Texas governor in 1990, Williams in the presence of a reporter compared rape to the weather, "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it." As the New York Times described today, Williams only made matters worse when he said:

He would campaign against Ms. Richards, a Democrat, as he would deal with a cow on his ranch: "head her and hoof her and drag her through the dirt."

For its part, the McCain campaign, desperate to win over supporters of Hillary Clinton, went into damage control mode. Spokesman Brian Rogers claimed "these were obviously incredibly offensive remarks that the campaign was unaware of at the time this event was scheduled." But as the Washington Post noted, a McCain aide in an email insisted that his campaign and the Republican National Committee would keep the cash Williams bundled:

"No, these are contributions from individuals -- not from Mr. Williams -- and it makes no sense to deny them the opportunity to support John McCain."

Of course, the Texans Antoine and Williams weren't the first - and sadly won't be the last - people to so make light of sexual assault. But while his bosses at WABC quickly concluded Tex Antoine had no place on the air, Clayton Williams apparently will always have a place in today's Republican Party.
UPDATE: The Washington Post is now reporting that the Midland, Texas fundraiser is back, sans Williams. It has been rescheduled, but according to a McCain aide, "Mr. Williams will not be attending the Midland event later this summer."