Tea partiers take on John McCain at Gilbert town hall meeting

Tea Party 'Hobbits' Confront McCain at Town Hall: 'Are You Going to Apologize?'

(By Dan Zeiger, Ahwatukee Foothills News) - Local tea party activists felt that Sen. John McCain had some explaining to do.

As a result, McCain, R-Ariz., spent some of a town hall meeting at Gilbert Municipal Center on Monday defending his comments last week in the U.S. Senate, where he read from a Wall Street Journal editorial referring to "tea party hobbits."

McCain said he quoted the editorial to make a point about some Republicans' insisting on a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution in exchange for agreeing to raise the nation's debt limit.

"What apology is in order?" McCain responded when asked if he would apologize. "What was wrong that I said?"