Unhinged McCain apologizes for one outburst, starts another
On Friday, during a back-room discussion on the new immigration-reform package, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) started shouting at Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who dared to disagree with him on the legislation. Apparently, McCain accused Cornyn of raising petty objections, and Cornyn accused McCain of having dropped in without taking part in the negotiations. “F**k you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room,” McCain reportedly shouted. Paul Kane added that McCain also “used a curse word associated with chickens.”
I noted over the weekend that McCain has made something of a habit of launching profanity-laced tirades against his colleagues — especially his Republican colleagues — which might explain why his presidential campaign hasn’t exactly racked up endorsements from the Senate GOP caucus.
Today, McCain seems to have settled down a bit.
Tensions run high on immigration, and the bargain reached last week sparked intramural hostility between Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who had a bitter exchange during the last closed-door meeting before a deal was announced.
Cornyn, who opposes the agreement, said that McCain, a supporter, has apologized to him for launching a profanity-laced tirade at the Texan accusing him of holding up the deal.
Fine. It doesn’t explain why McCain felt compelled to take such an abusive attitude in the first place, but he made the effort to apologize, which was clearly the right move.
(Just as an aside, of the nation’s major dailies — NYT, WaPo, LAT, USAT, WSJ, Boston Globe, NY Daily News, Chicago Trib — only one published an item on the McCain incident. If, say, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama had screamed, “F**k you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room,” to a colleague, do you think the major dailies might have mentioned it?)
Of course, it’s not just on the Hill. McCain can be nearly as unhinged on the campaign trail.
Mitt Romney, for example, has been critical of the immigration reform measure. Someone asked McCain today about the former governor’s position on the issue.
Mitt Romney has been trying to make quite a bit of political hay out of the compromise immigration bill — he sees it as one of John McCain’s key weaknesses as relates to the Republican base and a great way to differentiate himself as the One True Conservative in the race (at least until Fred Thompson jumps in).
Well, today, on a conference call with bloggers, Mr. McCain fired back at the former Massachusetts governor, who has (of course) held varying positions on immigration over the years.
“Maybe I should wait a couple weeks and see if it changes,” Mr. McCain said of Mr. Romney’s position on immigration this week. “Maybe he can get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his yard.”
As Ryan Lizza noted, it kind of helps “reinforce the idea that McCain is a little thin-skinned and quick to fly off the handle,” doesn’t it?
Watch for “temperament” to be a bigger campaign issue in ’08 than in any cycle in recent memory.
McCain may not be the Manchurian Candidate, but he’s working really hard to be Tourette’s Candidate.
So now all of the other Rethug campaigns are quickly recruiting a “heckler corps” to attend all McCain rallies with video rolling and bait him until his temper flares. Why is he bothering to run, again?
“Maybe I should wait a couple weeks and see if it changes … Maybe he can get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his yard.”
I don’t know, seems like fair comment. Probably would have helped if he had said it as if richly amused instead of steaming and pissed off. On the other hand, since we haven’t heard the conference call, we don’t know how he said it.
I thought it was Conrad Burns that had the Guatemalans in his yard.
McCain is becoming a charicature of himself. He definitely has the crotchety old white guy vote sewn-up though.
“a curse word associated with chickens.”?
You mean like “chickenshit media”?
You would think that the press would tell us whether a presidential contender was unhinged, wouldn’t you? But maybe they’re waiting until some rightwingers say someone claimed to invent the internet.
The funny thing is that some right-wing voters are more upset by someone who swears than they are by someone who advocates bombing innocent people. Nixon lost support when his swearing became undeniable, even though he’d been supported by the same people for bombing Cambodia.
Give McCain a break. He’s withstood torture, but Sen. John Cornyn and his buddies are major league a**holes.
I imagine I might do the same, if I had to spend much time around those guys.
He should take up gardening, golfing, fishing… His public disintegration does no one any good. His moment has passed. Bush stole it from him in 00.
McCain seems to think that taking the filter out from between his brain and his mouth results in “Straight Talk,” when, in fact, it ends up making him look deranged. We’ve had quite enough of a president who speaks without thinking, and don’t need another one.
What McCain said about Romney is true, but McCain has his own list of inconsistent statements that are going to be trotted out on the campaign trail.
No wonder Republicans are so depressed about their choices…
Paul Kane added that McCain also “used a curse word associated with chickens.”
Chickenfucker? C’mon, don’t leave us guessing!
John McCain—a prime example of what happens when you freebase a Geritol and Viagra. The humane thing to do would be to just “put him down.”
It “is” what they do to mad dogs, you know. And freakish cats. And crippled horses. Is John McCain any different? Methinks not.
Think “Soylent Green,” people….
“used a curse word associated with chickens.”
Think of a slang word for the male genitalia.
I’ve heard this story twice now, and no one has mentioned what on earth a curse word associated with chickens might be.
Am I just hopelessly naive and innocent, or am I missing something very obvious?
Motherplucker?
McCain isn’t chickenshit when it comes to cursing. I wonder why adults can’t quote a curse word someone newsworthy uses? Now that’s chickenshit!
What a bunch of “nervous nellies” the Republican field is. What a flawed bunch of characters.
After Cornyn cited objections to the bill, McCain, a presidential candidate with a reputation for a prickly temper, reportedly snapped, “This is chickens— stuff.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
It’s a pity: Though I have differing political views than Senator John McCain, I once–for a long time–admired McCain for his once-upon-a-lifetime high principles until his bid for the presidency had made him disavow such highly regarded principles. Now, with his unprincipled rants, disrespect, and profanities aimed at his adversaries, he should be deemed unfit for the office of the U.S. president, in which respect toward, and diplomacy with, your adversaries are needed in the conduct of the country’s highest official to benefit the United States and its citizenry.
brian: Give McCain a break. He’s withstood torture…
wikipedia: McCain signed an anti-American propaganda message as a result of rigorous torture methods…
Which just goes to show you can get anybody to say anything if you twist their arm enough.
By the way, this fact lends itself to fascinating emendation of Hume’s question that appeared in the recent Republican debate.
Here is my reworking of it:
Imagine that hundreds of Americans have been killed in three major suicide bombings and a fourth attack has been averted when the attackers were captured … and taken to Guantanamo…. U.S. intelligence believes that another, larger attack is planned…. Given that you are republican and would aggressively interrogate the captured suspects… Suppose you find out in the course of your arm twisting that a chemical viral bomb has been fed to the President and his Cabinet. There is no way to get the chem-viral bombs out of these men. They are set to blow up inside the victims. Do you believe this torture obtained information and immediate cremate the President and his cabinet, or do you question the veracity of the torture obtained information? Note: You cannot re-torture the “suspects” as the preceeding arm twisting has resulted in their death. What do you do? Hurry, the clock is ticking…
I thought it was Conrad Burns that had the Guatemalans in his yard. — petorado, @4
Conrad, Cornyn, Romney, what’s the diff… It’s hard to tell them Rebubs apart.
LOL gg #1
The Bushies definitely played the anger card against McCain.
This proves McCain is human and John from Texas has feeling to
our politicians are all crazy and need to be medicated
Them maybe they would do a better job.
I forget they have to ask the Queen of England if its ok
to do a good job.
Be brave and ask you politicians if the USA is still controled
by the Queen of England and ask why she sign off
on our S/S