Political Wire

Is McCain Finally Ready to Work with Obama?

January 13, 2015 at 9:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

New York Times: “Now, six years after losing the presidential election to Barack Obama, Mr. McCain finally has the only job in Washington, other than being president, that he ever wanted: chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, overseer of the American military and the nation’s defense policy. The question is whether he will use his new clout (and ability to subpoena) to make war or some accommodation with the White House.”

“For now, despite hints that he is trying to reinvent himself from cantankerous Obama critic to elder statesman, Mr. McCain still seems to be in clobber mode.”

Romney Lobbies for McCain’s Support

January 13, 2015 at 4:38 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

Mitt Romney placed a phone call to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), “a sign he is attempting to recapture his support before launching another bid,” National Journal reports.

Said Romney: “He told me he is seriously considering it, and we discussed issues and friendships and things like that. We had a long conversation. We are very good friends.”

McCain’s Tea Party Purge

December 30, 2014 at 9:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

“Nearly a year ago, tea party agitators in Arizona managed to get John McCain censured by his own state party. Now, he’s getting his revenge,” Politico reports.

“As the longtime Republican senator lays the groundwork for a likely 2016 reelection bid, his political team is engaging in an aggressive and systematic campaign to reshape the state GOP apparatus by ridding it of conservative firebrands and replacing them with steadfast allies.”

GOP Split on Return of Filibuster

December 9, 2014 at 8:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

“Republicans are split over whether to change the Senate’s rules to allow filibusters on executive and judicial nominations,” The Hill reports.

Said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “I think it’s rank hypocrisy if we don’t. If we don’t, then disregard every bit of complaint that we made, not only after they did it but also during the campaign. I’m stunned that some people want to keep it.”

13 Soldiers

December 2, 2014 at 8:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Just published: Thirteen Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War by Sen. John McCain and Mark Salter.

The personal accounts of thirteen remarkable soldiers who fought in major military conflicts, from the Revolutionary War of 1776 to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCain Recommended Lieberman for Defense Secretary

December 1, 2014 at 6:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough that former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) should be the next defense secretary, the Washington Post reports.

McCain added that he did “not think his close pal, the former senator from Connecticut, a Democrat turned Independent, would be considered for the job. (After all, he did endorse McCain over Obama in ’08.)”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

November 21, 2014 at 12:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

“That’s the trouble with having some of these new, young punks around here. They ought to listen to us old geezers.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by the Washington Post, noting “it only takes a couple” of comments for an unflattering narrative to build about the Republican response to President Obama’s executive actions.

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Get off my lawn! [/speech_bubble]

The Issue to Decide the Presidential Election

November 20, 2014 at 12:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 39 Comments

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Yahoo News that hopes of a Republican president will be almost entirely determined by the next legislative session.

Said McCain: “I think that the 2016 election will largely be decided by whether Republicans in the majority know how to govern or not. If we are just obstructionists and viewed that way by the American people then I don’t think we will succeed.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

November 11, 2014 at 12:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

“This is a very outstanding young woman from everything that I can tell.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by BuzzFeed, voicing support for 55-year old Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch.

McCain Gets Platform to Question Obama

November 8, 2014 at 3:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

“Of all the areas where Barack Obama and John McCain clashed during the 2008 presidential campaign, none was more combustible than defense, with their starkly different views on the deployment of American men and women to wage war overseas,” the New York Times reports.

“Now, Senator McCain is expected to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with its congressional purview over all things national security, including the Pentagon budget and President Obama’s prosecution of the war on the Islamic State.”