What could be so offensive that the Washington Post removed this video from its website, created by two of its key political commentators, Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza, satirizing Beerestroika? The racial references to its key participants, perhaps? The assignment of Satan-themed beers to Congressional Republicans without balancing commentary on Democrats? Not exactly, as my friend Tommy Christopher discovers:

In the clip, Milbank and Chris Cilizza crack wise about their beer choices, congratulating Gates for having the sensitivity not to order a “Big Black Stout,” and extend the premise to pair other politicians with quirkily-named lagers. In keeping with the juvenile tone, Cilizza spends the entire clip sitting in front of a sixpack of Hoegaarden.

Then, Milbank drops this line: “And we won’t tell you who’s getting a bottle of ‘Mad Bitch,’” followed by a picture of Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post has since apologized and taken the video down.

It’s hard to imagine what Milbank was thinking, especially after the heat he took for allegedly calling Nico Pitney a name off-camera last month. That he targeted Secretary Clinton with such a powerful epithet could make this resonate far beyond an off-camera whisper.

Seriously?  That’s why the Post took this down?  Yes, this was juvenile, and yes, it was insulting to Hillary — but no more insulting than just about every other reference in this clip.  This isn’t the Citizen Kane of comedy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was inventive and clever at times, and hardly the end of the world.  It pales in comparison to the treatment that Sarah Palin over the last several months, especially the Trig Trutherism that still continues at supposedly respectable media outlets.

For me, the most offensive part of this clip comes at the end.  Who drinks oatmeal stout from a can?