Sen. John McCain has spent the last two days demanding an investigation into the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Yesterday, at the same time he was at a press conference demanding that the Obama administration release more information about the attack, he was skipping a classified briefing on the matter.
McCain blew his lid today when he was confronted by a CNN reporter:
When CNN approached McCain in a Capitol hallway Thursday morning, the senator refused to comment about why he missed the briefing, which was conducted by top diplomatic, military and counter-terrorism officials. Instead, McCain got testy when pressed to say why he wasn’t there.
“I have no comment about my schedule and I’m not going to comment on how I spend my time to the media,” McCain said.
Asked why he wouldn’t comment, McCain grew agitated: “Because I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me I can or not?”
When CNN noted that McCain had missed a key meeting on a subject the senator has been intensely upset about, McCain said, “I’m upset that you keep badgering me.”
In a good bit of analysis about whether McCain can block Susan Rice’s nomination as Secretary of State, Slate’s Dave Weigel puts McCain’s push for the investigation—which drew an unusually angry response from Obama at yesterday’s presser—into perspective:
Rubio’s comments were interesting because this popular version of the “Rice comments” isn’t true. On those Sunday shows, she said that extremists used a protest as a cover for their planned attack, not that the attack happened off the cuff. The key figure in spreading this lie about Rice was … John McCain, who said that same Sunday that “most people don’t bring rocket-propelled grenades and heavy weapons to demonstrations.”
McCain’s obvious contempt has been noticed by the press and dismissed by Democrats. After McCain’s presser, where he called for a select committee to investigate Benghazi, a reporter asked Sen. Harry Reid whether he could support such an investigation. “No,” snapped Reid. Ironically, McCain’s zealousness and insistence that Democrats have lied and covered up facts about the death of Americans might be an impediment to an anti-Rice campaign. What, exactly, do Democrats gain if they punt Rice? If she’s passed over, it looks like Republicans scared the re-elected president out of a choice he wanted to make. And Republicans will grill her over Benghazi anyway.
Eight years ago, Democrats tried a version of this play with Condoleezza Rice. She’d been the president’s national security adviser during a period of stunning intelligence failures. Liberals blanched at the idea of promoting her and wanted to make George W. Bush suffer for it. But in the end, 30 Democrats voted to confirm the Original Rice. Among them: Joe Biden and Barack Obama. They were spared the scorn of a Republican senator who endorsed Rice and accused her opponents of being sore losers.
“I wonder why we are starting this new Congress with a protracted debate about a foregone conclusion,” McCain said. “I can only conclude that we are doing this for no other reason than because of lingering bitterness over the outcome of the election.”
This article appears in Nov 15-21, 2012.
What a shameful bully.
McCain doesn’t want to be burdened with the facts.
Hey, McCain, I’m a constituent – you better tell me how the hell you are spending your time!
McCain is so concerned about Benghazi that he blew off a briefing so he could attend a faux outrage press conference. Scheduling error, that’s funny. Listen to the entire exchange between him and the CNN producer, I guess he couldn’t recall his scheduling error even when asked repeatedly why he did not attend the briefing. An hour later they float an excuse, pathetic. McCain is still chapped from losing the 2008 election and has become just another Republican tinhorn.
I am so sick of seeing John McCain being interviewed on TV. He is a media whore whose “outrage” panders to the lowest of the low. Other senators are too busy – but reporters can always count on good ole John to come through with anything anti-Obama/Dems/etc. I think his office staff is sick of him too and send him out to work the halls where reporters lurk, just so they can get work done. John, shut up, already! We don’t care about you anymore.
John McCain owes his job to the people who elected him. His comments amd actions are a blatant disregard for those whom he is supposed to represent. We sure as hell have a right to know how and where he spends his time.
As one of YOUR constituents, as you require a demand a investigation of Obama. I demand an answer a (truth, veteran’s answer) as to why the “hell”, MY SENATOR, who you have to answer to. Did you miss such an important briefing that you are supposedly so concerned about. And hot air will not be accepted.
He’s lost it.
Nikia Angel: Wonder if he (McCain) remembers this part: House Republicans cut the administration’s request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012….Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Republicans’ proposed cuts to her department would be “detrimental to America’s national security” — a charge Republicans rejected.
Ryan, Issa and other House Republicans voted for an amendment in 2009 to cut $1.2 billion from State operations, including funds for 300 more diplomatic security positions. Under Ryan’s budget, non-defense discretionary spending, which includes State Department funding, would be slashed nearly 20 percent in 2014, which would translate to more than $400 million in additional cuts to embassy security.
McCane es el Burro!!
McCain is right. The country needs to get on about the business of impeaching Obama.
Again, I’m simply amazed by both our print and broadcast media daily concerning John McCain. The only reason this guy got into the Naval Academy is based on his father and grandfather’s legacy to begin with, then graduated almost dead last in class, crashed two (2) jets while in training and then got a combat assignment in Viet Nam. The only reason he was ever elected Senator was due to his being a POW and he has been living off of that ever since. This guy was wrong on rescue of hostages in Iran, Iran-Contra, the Iraq war (both times), immigration, the bank bailouts, auto industry bail out, Clarence Thomas (Anita Hill), abortion (both sides at least twice), Condolessa Rice and now Susan Rice! What is he good for and what is he supposedly an authority on? Please stop wasting my time with this gutless wonder.
He lost all credibility he had (wasn’t much then) when he ran for president. He should have been taken out of he Senate then. He hasn’t done anything constructive since.
McCain needs to consult a gerontologist and/or neurologist. His mental capacity has alarmingly deteriorated over the past decade–
He has lost all his marbles, never had enough to even play the game.
Just a puppet for large Corporate politics to run our country, just ask his wife.
I can’t wait to see him loss his seat.
Someone should throw a net over this demented, PTSD’d out old fart and get him the help he so desperately needs…
Jim:
How can you misrepresent what Susan Rice said? On “Meet the Press” her very first words…….”This is a response to a hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the Arab and Muslim world.” and “………this is a spontaneous reaction to a video…” and “First of all we had no actionable intelligence to suggest that any attack on our facility in Benghazai was imminent. Put all of her statements in context and any objective person would realize that her intent was to spin the attack as a spontaneously ignited event. Why would you suggest otherwise? Here is a link to her Meet the Press interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHAIl7_ITE0
Dartman, how can you say this is any different than Condi Rice talking about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? And Rice KNEW she was lying. This is just a Republican tantrum to try to discredit Team Obama.
They badger McCain but won’t persue the truth regarding Lybia. Interesting!