SEN. McCAIN: Mm-hmm.
MR. GREGORY: ...that was passed for healthcare reform in Massachusetts. How is this a partisan bill?
SEN. McCAIN: I have been part of bipartisan negotiations for many, many years, and I have a record of bipartisan results. This was not bipartisan. The way you have bipartisan negotiations, you sit down across the table, as we did with Ted Kennedy, as I've done with many other members, and you say, "OK, here's what I want, here's what you want. We'll adhere to your principles, but we'll make concessions." This bill was written by Democrats, for Democrats, and then they tried--and I understand power--what they tried to do was peel off a couple of Republicans, as he did with the stimulus bill, and call it bipartisan. It's not bipartisan. I know bipartisanship, and with all due respect to any of our other observer, let's start over, then. It's not too late.
MR. GREGORY: Is there one thing...
SEN. McCAIN: It's not too late. Why don't we sit down together and say, "OK, let's start with medical malpractice reform"? We agree, I think, fundamentally on that. Why don't we address going across state lines? Why don't we go across many of the positive proposals that we Republicans have had, too, and maybe we can find common ground?
That is a perfect title for McQueeg's lame (but entirely predictable) response here. As a big government socialist himself, he cannot bring himself to talk negatively about his real 'friends'.
When Obama “put him down” (The campaign is over, John) at the Health Care summit McCain should have said ...” actually the campaign is never over Barack,” and walked out. He would be #1 in the polls right now. McCain’s politically correct genetic defect defeats him again.
I don’t blame McCain here for not taking the bait. He has some good points to score on healthcare, as do other Republicans this weekend. If McCain comes even close to agreeing with Hayworth then the only thing that will be talked about is “McCain calls Obama socialist” and the press will spend the next two weeks trashing McCain over it. The subject gets changed and the spotlight gets taken off the Dems’ weak position on healthcare. McCain played it right.
Kick his butt to the curb. His time is over.
SEN. McCAIN: It’s not too late. Why don’t we sit down together and say, “OK, let’s start with medical malpractice reform”? We agree, I think, fundamentally on that.
[Yeah, best behavior right now. Hiding his spots.]
We can thank Hayworth that McCain is behaving himself right now.