McCain compares Iran’s Ahmadinejad to monkey in tweet (VIDEO)

Sen. John McCain is in hot water after comparing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a monkey in a tweet.

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On Monday, the Republican and former-presidential candidate sent out this tweet:

When he got some criticism for what he thought was an innocent joke, he tweeted back to followers:

But that response didn't seem to appease fellow Republican Justin Amash of Michigan, who fired back:

As the Twitter battle ensued, a third conservative joined the discussion. John Podhoretz tweeted a slew of responses to McCain's initial joke, including these:

This isn't the first time McCain has put his foot in his mouth when it comes to Iran. According to NBC News, in 2007, the 76-year-old veteran cracked a joke about the country by changing the words to the Beach Boys' song "Barbara Ann" to "Bomb Iran."