Maddow Grills Hayworth On Man-And-Horse Marriage Comments (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow last night challenged former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), who is running against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in the Republican primary, on his assertion that the Massachusetts Supreme Court defined marriage as an “establishment of intimacy” that could lead to man-and-horse marriage — when the phrase “establishment of intimacy” isn’t in the decision itself.

“Where in Massachusetts law or in the Supreme Court ruling does it say, ‘the establishment of intimacy?'” Maddow asked. “I read, spent the whole afternoon sort of looking for that, and couldn’t find it anywhere.”

Haworth maintained that “the high court in Massachusetts defined marriage in a rather amorphous fashion, simply as, quote, ‘the establishment of intimacy.’ Now, I think we all agree there’s much more to marriage than that.”

“Sir, I’m sorry, it didn’t,” Maddow replied. She laid out all the uses of the word “intimacy” in the court’s decision, showing that Hayworth’s phrase was not in there.

“Well, that’s fine,” said Hayworth. “You and I can have a disagreement about that.”

“Well, it either is true or it isn’t,” said Maddow. “It’s empirical.”