Quote of the Day

"Why doesn't Meet the Press make John McCain its host? He can interview himself every week and cut out the middleman."

Bruce Bartlett, on Facebook.

I'm holding out hope for McCain getting his own variety show.

Jon Stewart Vs the Neoconservatives

The Daily Show
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Jon Stewart plays clips of how wrong the neoconservatives were about the Iraq war. Stewart saves his best jokes for John McCain. However, Stewart's Lindsey Graham's impression is the best moment in the video.

Joel Award: John McCain

It is time to give out the Joel Award. The award goes any celebrity, pundit, blogger or politician that purposely contradicts himself or herself.

Sen. John McCain is a classic flip-flopper. Steve Benen made a list on McCain waffling on the issues. The latest flip flop is McCain's change of heart on the exchange of prisoners with the Taliban. February 18, McCain told Anderson Cooper that he would support the exchange of American soldiers in exchange for Taliban fighters, depending on the details. McCain even stressed he may even support the release of "hard-core" Taliban fighters.

Well, at that time the proposal was that they would release -- Taliban, some of them really hard-core, particularly five really hard-core Taliban leaders, as a confidence- building measure. Now this idea is for an exchange of prisoners for our American fighting man. I would be inclined to support such a thing depending on a lot of the details.

McCain changed his tune after the Pentagon negotiated the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Conservatives started bashing President Barack Obama for the prisoner exchange. McCain immediately ran for cover. McCain said this on CNN on June 3.

MCCAIN: Well, we were never told there would be an exchange here of Sergeant Bergdahl for five Taliban. We told they were considering, and we steadfastly, both Republican and Democrats, rejected the notion that they were going to release some of these Taliban in exchange for, "confidence building measures" so that negotiations could continue. What we were briefed on was an entirely different scenario from the one that took place. Look, I'm not one who believes that Congress should bind the hands of the president particularly as commander-in-chief. That's not my problem. My problem is, what we did in exchange, which could put the lives of American servicemen and women in grave danger in the future, unless you believe that this conflict is over and that the Taliban and Al Qaeda have stop wanting to destroy America and repeat of 9/11, then, fine. But they've not, and they're not, and they are growing, despite what the administration says.

Back in February McCain was "inclined to support" the release of "hard-core" Taliban fighters. That was before Fox News went on a rampage over the prisoner swap for Sgt. Bergdahl. You can see the Fox News attacks here and here. Shepard Smith was one voice of reason.

When Fox News roars John McCain trembles.

John McCain's Unwise Endorsement of David Jolly

Sen. John McCain has endorsed David Jolly for the late Bill Young's congressional seat. Jolly has worked in Washington as a lobbyist. I find McCain's endorsement of Jolly interesting. Especially since McCain once negatively called lobbyists "birds of prey."

“Whenever there’s a corrupt system, then you’re going to have these birds of prey descendon ittoget their share ofthe spoils,” McCain saidin a half-hour interview with Politico following a town-hall meeting in the southern part of this swing state.

According to McCain, Jolly and other lobbyists were feasting on a "corrupt system." That makes me wonder what exactly are the "strong convictions" that Jolly has that McCain is referring to in his endorsement. I certainly would like to know. I'm sure the residents of District 13 would like to know what are Jolly's convictions.

Perhaps Jolly's conviction is candor about his past as a lobbyist. Jolly claims he never lobbied for offshore drilling. Unfortunately for Jolly his lobbying disclosure form says otherwise.

Jolly lobbied for Free Enterprise Nation. Jolly even wrote a blog post on Free Enterprise Nation in support of H.R. 909. The legislation would expand offshore drilling.

Rising Gas Prices to Force Congressional Debate. Anytime gas prices rise dramatically, Congress begins anew to examine our nation’s energy policy. FEN members who have read Jim MacDougald’s book UNSUSTAINABLE will remember his call for a long-term energy plan that creates private sector jobs through the building or expansion of new refineries, including expanded drilling for natural gas. FEN will stay closely involved as Congress begins to debate this issue in the coming weeks, including advocating for legislation recently introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (CA), the Roadmap for America’s Energy Future (H.R. 909). As stated in a letter of endorsement from Mr. MacDougald, “The Roadmap for America’s Energy Future promotes an energy policy that is both market-based and is technology neutral. It provides a thoughtful national energy policy that promotes the economic interest of the private sector by reasonably expanding permits and licenses for companies to engage in energy exploration and production, and by encouraging private sector development of new energy sources in an economically sensible way.”

Jolly lobbied for offshore drilling and then denies it. That must be the kind of straight talk John McCain appreciates.

It really isn't a good idea for John McCain to be endorsing a lobbyist.McCain came under fire for the former lobbyists on his presidential campaign. There were also questions about McCain's relationship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman. McCain is not the best person to be handing out endorsements to lobbyists.

John McCain Laughable Threat At Democrats

Sen. John McCain has threatened the Democrats to not hand the GOP its asses in the political federal government shutdown. This is how bad it has gotten for the Republicans.

“Democrats better understand something, what goes around comes around! And if they try to humiliate Republicans, things change in American politics, and I know what it’s like to be in the majority and the minority and it won’t be forgotten. Now is the time to be magnanimous!”

President Barack Obama has finally figured out that it is time to stop Republicans to manufacture crisis after crisis with the budget and debt ceiling. Congressional Democrats and progressives have been begging President Obama to play hardball. If this doesn't happen now then Republicans will continue to shutdown the government and threaten the country with default. Democrats should ignore McCain and make the shutdown so politically embarrassing for Republicans that they don't dare try it again.

Quote of the Day: John McCain Edition

"Many of those who are in opposition right now were not here at the time, and did not take part in the debate and I respect that. But I'd like to remind them that the record is very clear of one of the most hard-fought, fair -- in my view -- debates that has taken place on the floor of the Senate in the time that I've been here.

"And then I'd remind my colleagues that in the 2012 election, 'Obamacare,' as it's called -- and I'll be more polite, the ACA --was a subject that was a major issue in the campaign. I campaigned all over America for two months, everywhere I could, and in every single campaign rally I said, 'And we have to repeal and replace Obamacare.'

"Well, the people spoke. They spoke, much to my dismay, but they spoke and they reelected the president of the United States."

Sen. John McCain, on the floor of the Senate.

McCain is telling other Republicans it's over. The GOP has lost the debate on health care reform.

Tea Party Nation 'Whore' Attack on John McCain

Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips sent out a blog post by Cap Black the Hood Conservative titled "John McCain: Hero or Whore." Cap Black disagreed with McCain's attack on Rand Paul's filibuster. I questioned Sen McCain's judgement on the drone program. Cap Black goes over the line bycalling McCain a prostitute.

Another scenario, once accepted by many in the liberty movement; the Tea Party and the GOP, feels McCain cast himself as a political prostitute for Obama for unknown benefits.

Cap Black slut shames McCain with the conspiracy theory of "unknown benefits." Cap Black is also angry that McCain and other Republican senators had dinner with President Obama to discuss the sequester. How dare these Republicans commit the treasonous act of breaking bread with the President of the United States.

The tea party is destroying the Republican establishment. What is worse is Republicans can't compromise with a Democratic president for fear of angering the tea party. The results have been the debt ceiling crisis and the sequester. The madness has to stop for the sake of the country. Unfortunately, it may take a few election cycles to ween the GOP off of the tea party.

Quote of the Day

"Rand Paul gave a perfect display of the sick paranoia that drives Tea Party and NRA: Obama is coming to get them. With drones."

Lawrence O'Donnell, on Twitter.

I am not a Rand Paul supporter but Paul has every right to question the legality of the drone program. Congress is suppose to do oversight of the executive branch. O'Donnell is more interested in being the left-wing version of Sean Hannity than being a journalist. O'Donnell was never a journalist. He spent his career on Capital Hill and then working on the television show The West Wing. Unfortunately, mainly of O'Donnell's viewers believe he is a journalist.

Update: O'Donnell's rather harsh assessment of Paul's filibuster. O'Donnell called Paul's action a "stunt" for campaign fundraising.

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Paul's filibuster is not playing well with the neoconservatives in the Republican establishment. Hawk and drone supporter Lindsey Graham did make this astute observation about Republican senators suddenly loving due process.

“To my Republican colleagues, I don’t remember any of you coming down here suggesting that President Bush was going to kill anybody with a drone, do you?” Graham said. “They had a drone program back then, all of a sudden this drone program has gotten every Republican so spun up. What are we up to here?”

John McCain's Meet the Press Benghazi Hissy Fit

I am no fan of David Gregory. Sen. John McCain has accused the Obama administration of covering-up what happened during the attack on the Benghazi consulate. Gregory asks McCain a fair question about what the Senator thinks the administration is concealing from the public. McCain goes on a tirade and questions whether Gregory cares about the Americans killed at Benghazi. McCain never gets around to answering the question.

McCain: Do you care....do you care, David....do you care, David....do you care....I'm asking you, do you care....I'm asking you, do you care whether four Americans died?

Gregory: You said there's a cover-up. A cover-up of what? A cover-up of what?

There are actually legitimate questions about why Christopher Stevens requests for extra security were ignored. Unfortunately, we have a Republican Congress that is incapable of governing and congressional Democrats that do not want to make President Obama look bad. It appears we will never get those answers. John McCain doesn't even know what the questions are.

Quote of the Day

"But to be honest with you, Neil, it goes back to there’s a lot of ill will towards Senator Hagel because when he was a Republican, he attacked President Bush mercilessly and say he was the worst President since Herbert Hoover and said the surge was the worst blunder since the Vietnam War, which was nonsense. He was anti-his own party and people — people don’t forget that. You can disagree but if you’re disagreeable, then people don’t forget that."

Sen. John McCain

There you have it. John McCain and his fellow Republican filibustered the first Defense Secretary nomination in history for merely payback. Republicans have gave up pretending they have serious policy differences with the Obama administration.

Harry Reid Calls For End on Susan Rice Attacks

Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham are going off into conspiracy land with their attacks on Susan Rice. Sen. Harry Reid has had enough. Reid sent out this press release.

The personal attacks against Ambassador Rice by certain Republican senators have been outrageous and utterly unmoored from facts and reality. I am shocked that senators would continue these attacks even when the evidence—including disclosures from the intelligence community about the information she presented —have made it clear that the allegations against Ambassador Rice are baseless, and that she has done absolutely nothing wrong.

Ambassador Rice’s service as United States Ambassador to the United Nations has been impeccable. She has answered all questions raised in relation to the Benghazi attacks completely and repeatedly. The Senate committees of jurisdiction are in the midst of examining the events leading up to the Benghazi attacks, and I agree with those— including the ranking Republican members of both the Intelligence and Homeland Security committees—who have said we should let the committees do their work. There should be no place for such blatant partisanship in oversight of our nation’s intelligence community.

The election is over. It is time to drop these partisan political games, and focus our attention on the real challenges facing us as a nation.

I'm a progressive that would have no problem if President Obama showed Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner or Attorney General Eric Holder the door. Rice was not in charge of security of the Benghazi consulate. The CIA approved the talking points Rice used that McCain and Graham ha e taken issue with. The consulate of under Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's duties. NcCain a.d Graham do not want to pick a fight with Obama's most popular cabinet member. The fact that they targeted a black woman says much about their true motives.

Blast From the Blast: John McCain Goes Off

John McCain goes nuclear when asked by New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller about his conversations about being John Kerry's 2004 Democratic presidential running mate. I can't imagine why McCain wouldn't want to answer this question when he was running as a Republican in the 2008 presidential election? Perhaps it could be McCain's own party would realize his less than 100 percent loyalty. Remember that McCain also toyed with the idea of caucusing with the Democrats.

John McCain Blows Off Benghazi Briefing

President Barack Obama called out Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John McCain for their politically motivated attacks on Benghazi. CNN asked McCain why he missed a briefing on Benghazi, McCain had a public meltdown.

“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.”

We saw this in the 2008 campaign. When McCain goes toe to toe politically with Obama he chokes in a very big way. If the Republicans want a national security attack dog then it needs to be someone else but McCain. Personally, I see McCain blowing off the briefing as proof Ochoa lack of seriousness of national security issues. This is old news to me.

The Second Term Obama

We may finally be seeing the tougher President Obama that progressives have demanded. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John McCain made it clear that they intend to go after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice over the Benghazi attacks. Obama had these words directed at Graham and McCain.

But when they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she’s an easy target, then they’ve got a problem with me. And should I choose — if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity — the State Department, then I will nominate her. That’s not a determination that I’ve made yet.

Damn. Where has this Obama been the past four years.

Why anyone takes McCain and Graham seriously on national security is beyond me. The truth is they are clueless on national security issues. Think Progress is very friendly with the Obama administration and is going after McCain and Graham for defending Condoleezza Rice's intelligence failures on the 9-11 attacks and Iraq WMD intelligence.

Rice was pressed after stonewalling to releal the title of the August 6, 2001 CIA PDB. The title of the PDB is "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US." The PDB warned of future al-Qaida was planning future attacks and hijackings. Rice's testimony to the 9-11 Commission was untruthful and embarrassing.

Rice went on CNN with the unfounded claim that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program in development. Rice made this famous comment to Wolf Blitzer.

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."

As we now know, there were no nuclear weapons in Iraq. Rice commits two of the biggest intelligence failures in U.S. history and is rewarded with a featured speaking role at the RNC.

Just for fun: watch the Youtube video of Sen. McCain telling Wolf Blitzer that Americans can walk freely in Baghdad during the height of the surge. CNN's Michael Ware's informs Blitzer that an American "would barely last twenty minutes out there." No one should take the man that advocated staying in Iraq 100 years seriously.

Quote of the Day II

"I thought she was the best qualified person. I thought she had the ability to excite our party, and the kind of person that I wanted to see succeed in the political arena. She was a very effective and successful governor [of Alaska]. Again, I look forward and not back."

John McCain, on why he chose Sarah Palin.

This is What Bipartisanship Looks Like

Sen. John McCain McCain and Sen. Dick Durbin have an actual debate on the Senate floor. McCain and Dubin disagree on several points. McCain and Durbin do agree that the United States cannot default and that elected members of Congress must govern. McCain takes House Republicans to task for their insistence on a balanced budget amendment in the Constitution.

Quote of the Day

"And so this idea that we didn’t ask that question while Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was being waterboarded, (John McCain) doesn’t understand how enhanced interrogation works. I mean, you break somebody, and after they’re broken, they become cooperative."

Rick Santorum

McCain understands more about enhanced interrogation. McCain was tortured by the North Vietnamese military during his time as a POW. Santorum proclaims himself to be a Christian. I wonder if Santorum believes Pontius Pilate was using enhanced interrogation techniques to make Jesus admit he is the King of Jews.

Update: Santorum attempts to backpedal.

"I disagree with Senator McCain's view that the enhanced interrogation techniques used on a select few high-value terrorist detainees were unsuccessful nor do I believe they amounted to torture," Santorum said in a statement Wednesday. "For anyone to infer my disagreement with Senator McCain's policy position lessens my respect for his service to our country and all he had to endure is outrageous and unfortunate."

Perhaps Santorum would like to try waterboarding and find find if it amounts to torture. I somehow doubt Santorum has the courage. McCain's aide Mark Salter fired off this hysterical tweet that best sums up Santorum.

Ron Paul may be the wackiest candidate in the GOP field. But for pure, blind stupidity nobody beats Santorum. In my 20 years in the Senate, I never met a dumber member, which he reminded me of today.

Torture Still Doesn't Work

This is part of the letter that CIA director Leon Panetta sent to Sen. John McCain. Panetta told McCain that torture was not the deciding factor in the gathering of intelligence of Osama bin Laden's location. Panetta told McCain that some detainees tortured did give intelligence relating to bin Laden's whereabouts. Other detainees that were tortured repeatedly lied to interogators. Panetta concluded that torture did not play a role in providing Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

"Nearly 10 years of intensive intelligence work led the CIA to conclude that Bin Ladin was likely hiding at the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There was no one 'essential and indispensible' [sic] key piece of information that led us to this conclusion. Rather, the intelligence picture was developed via painstaking collection and analysis. Multiple streams of intelligence — including from detainees, but also from multiple other sources — led CIA analysts to conclude that Bin Ladin was at this compound. Some of the detainees who provided useful information about the facilitator/courier's role had been subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques. Whether those techniques were the 'only timely and effective way' to obtain such information is a matter of debate and cannot be established definitively. What is definitive is that that information was only a part of multiple streams of intelligence that led us to Bin Ladin.

"Let me further point out that we first learned about the facilitator/courier's nom de guerre from a detainee not in CIA custody in 2002. It is also important to note that some detainees who were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques attempted to provide false or misleading information about the facilitator/courier. These attempts to falsify the facilitator/courier's role were alerting.

"In the end, no detainee in CIA custody revealed the facilitator/courier's full true name or specific whereabouts. This information was discovered through other intelligence means."

Blast From the Past: Sen Obama On Going After OBL

Remember when John McCain and Hillary Clinton said Barack Obama was foolish for saying he would order action against Osama bin Laden. Regardless of whether or not he had the permission of the Pakistan government. McCain attempted to portray Obama as experience since McCain was so right about Iraq.

Triangulation Man: Libya

In 2007, Boston Globe reporter Charlie Savage asked candidate Triangulation Man when the president has the authority to call for military action against Iran. Our fearless hero made it clear any military action must be approved by Congress.

SAVAGE: In what circumstances, if any, would the president have constitutional authority to bomb Iran without seeking a use-of-force authorization from Congress? (Specifically, what about the strategic bombing of suspected nuclear sites -- a situation that does not involve stopping an IMMINENT threat?)

OBAMA: The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.

As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action.

As for the specific question about bombing suspected nuclear sites, I recently introduced S.J. Res. 23, which states in part that “any offensive military action taken by the United States against Iran must be explicitly authorized by Congress.” The recent NIE tells us that Iran in 2003 halted its effort to design a nuclear weapon. While this does not mean that Iran is no longer a threat to the United States or its allies, it does give us time to conduct aggressive and principled personal diplomacy aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

If there is one thing we learned about Triangulation Man is that he would never take the Republican Party position on domestic or foreign policy.

Bill Kristol

"No, we cannot leave Gaddafi in power," Kristol agreed. "And we won't leave Gaddafi in power."

"The immediate military mission, Admiral Mullen correctly described but the political goal is to remove Gaddafi and ultimately military assets will serve that political goal."

John McCain

“We can't risk allowing Qaddafi to massacre people from the air, both by helicopter and fixed-wing [aircraft]."

Our hero quickly moved to the right of center to please Republicans. Triangulation Man's efforts led to House Speaker John Boehner to publicly criticize the Libya policy.

“All of these concerns point to a fundamental question,” Mr. Boehner writes, “What is your benchmark for success in Libya?”

Mr. Boehner, who issued a short statement on Libya over the weekend, ratcheted up his criticism of Mr. Obama’s handling of operation as Democrats and Republicans continue to voice concerns about the cost of the mission and the president’s decision not to pursue approval from Congress before authorizing military force.

In his letter, Mr. Boehner writes that he is “troubled that U.S. military resources were committed to war without clearly defining for the American people, the Congress, and our troops what the mission in Libya is and what America’s role is in achieving that mission.”

Obama ordered the no-fly zones over Libya. Republicans now refuse to support the policy. Boehner is willing to sound like a peace activist to garner political points against Obama. Another sore point for Congress is Obama ordered the air-strikes without congressional approval. Polititifact ruled that Obama did a full flip flop from his 2007 position.

The use of military force against Libya should be argued on the merits of the operation. However, Obama's flip flop smacks as a president attempting to appear tough on foreign policy. Either Obama was telling voters what he thought they wanted to hear in 2007 or he has developed a contempt of Congress since becoming president. The politically smart thing would have been to force Congress to vote on the use of military force against Qaddafi. This would have forced Republicans and Democrats to take a position and own it. Apparently, Obama had little confidence that his powers of persuasion and military strategy would be approved. That does not inspire confidence.

Update: John Bolton was in Palm Beach, Florida today. Bolton was highly critical of Obama's handling of Libya. Anyone want to place bets on Bolton would have still criticized Obama, if the President didn't order the no-fly zones.