"Racist" to compare Ahmadinejad to a monkey?

I can see a definite resemblance, myself

Arizona Sen. John McCain is under fire as social media users are accusing him of racism after comparing the president of Iran to a monkey on Twitter.

'So Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian in space – wasn’t he just there last week?' wrote the one-time Republican presidential candidate before linking to a story about Iran launching a monkey into orbit.

McCain immediately went on the defensive when users accused him of being racially insensitive, posting: 'Re: Iran space tweet – lighten up folks, can’t everyone take a joke?'

It wasn't only liberals that were upset. Even Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican from Michigan, thought McCain had crossed the line.
'Maybe you should wisen up & not make racist jokes,' Amash tweeted at McCain.

The word 'monkey' could trigger readers to see the comment as racists because of its historical use to degrade people of color.

Source

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).