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The key bit comes at the very end, in response to a question about who’s responsible for the temporary suspension of death benefits to families of fallen troops. McCain’s answer: Everyone in Congress — but, implicitly, especially the “defund” caucus. You can tell how eager Maverick was to make that point by how quickly he turns a segment about the administration giving short shrift to the military — normally an easy lay-up for a Republican against a Democratic president — into a lament about Cruz et al. I’m not sure a guy who’s positioned himself as the lead Republican opponent...

Senator John McCain has been one of the strongest Republican voices in Congress opposing the conservative efforts to repeal, defund, or delay Obamacare. He took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to continue pressing that point, as well as scolding Congress and saying they should all be “ashamed” for allowing the government shutdown to keep going. McCain was set off by the news that during the shutdown, military benefits are being held up. He said Congress is so unpopular that “we’re down to blood relatives and paid staffers” at this point, asking his colleagues, “Shouldn’t we be embarrassed about this?...

<p>Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) heard Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argue last night that his critics remind him of Nazi appeasers, and to his credit, the Arizona Republican criticized his right-wing colleague this afternoon, calling Cruz's comments "a great disservice."</p> <p>But that's not all McCain said (thanks to my colleague Mike Yarvitz for the heads-up).</p>

Lindsey Graham’s reportedly polling under 50 percent in South Carolina and now here’s Maverick wondering aloud if this is his last rodeo in the Senate. Without the two of them around, who will speak for the dubious “pro-democracy” Sunni insurgents of tomorrow? At long last, the day of rejoicing is at hand. Or is it?[At this point two supporters of President Obama cut in to thank McCain for being on "our president's side for once in your life." McCain tells them, "The president and I, he's in his last term, I'm probably in mine, the relationship we have had over...

The Syria researcher, who wrote the oft cited OpEd piece by Elizabeth O'Bagy, on the Syrian Conflict was fired for lying about having a PHD. from Georgetown University. She also failed to reveal one small little detail. She works for the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a nonprofit group who advocates for Al Qaeda and other opposing forces in Syria. And let us not forget the best part. Who pays for this propaganda? You do. The main problem is that she has caught the ear of many of our leaders. She has been cited by John McCain, John Kerry, and others....

What are we going to do with John McCain who is helping Obama “save-face” by supporting his phony war on Syria? It is clear Americans do not want to get involved. Like Sarah Palin says, “Mr. President, please give America justification before you spend blood and treasure to intervene.” Sarah Palin and John McCain don’t have much in common, except being on the same ticket in 2008. They don’t agree on much politically, especially Syria. The Governor does what the Senator is supposed to do, but that is as far as it goes. John McCain’s transgressions seem to be getting...

A woman at a McCain town hall explains that she used to live in Syria and has family and friends still in Syria. She becomes extremely passionate in her rebuke of McCain’s stance to back the rebels against Assad. McCain’s expressions are very interesting during this exchange. At the start of this exchange, McCain is sporting his typical simpleton smile. But the smile quickly turns to an uncomfortable frown as he realizes there is sufficient support in the audience for the woman’s statements. The clip ends with an extremely frustrating response. McCain proceeds to spew the typical statist talking points...

In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, the Republican Party will explode. When the smoke clears, there’ll be four (4!) new parties. First, there will still be the Republican Party, sort of, but it will change its name to the GOPPPP (Grand Old Party of Perennial Pathetic Putzes). The new name, though, won’t change the fact that the party has failed to win a majority of America’s voters in five of the past six elections or that it keep running candidates even its own members don’t like! It’s top contenders? Sen. Marco Rubio; Rep. Paul Ryan; Gov. Rick Perry;...

In a wide-ranging interview with The New Republic published Tuesday, Sen John McCain (R-AZ) praised former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, his running mate in the 2008 presidential race, for "exciting" the GOP base in a way the senator couldn't achieve. Asked if it "bothered" him when people said his legacy was choosing Palin as his running mate in 2008, McCain said "no." "We were four points down when I chose her and three points up afterwards," he told the magazine. "She held her own and, some people said, won a debate with the vice president. She did everything I ever...

As a long time Senator from the border state of Arizona, John McCain knows all too well the immense negative ramifications that illegal immigration has had on his state. Still, today, as the Senate held discussions on the controversial ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill, one that both he and his fellow Arizona Senator Jeff Flake support and developed, McCain accidentally let the cat out of the bag. Though he meant to say “the rest of this legislation”, he clearly stated “path to citizenship” before realizing he revealed a truth that he meant to hide. Watch. (VIDEO-AT-LINK)

On her Wednesday radio show, conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham attacked a number of Republican senators that voted to support the immigration reform bill on Tuesday, saying that she was thinking about moving to Arizona to primary Sen. Jeff Flake, who is up for re-election in 2018. “Let me tell you — I am thinking of moving to Arizona,” Ingraham said. “You know why? I will primary challenge Sen. Jeff Flake myself, if that’s why this requires. Jeff Flake, living up to his last name, backed down from a previous promise his spokeswoman made to Breitbart. This is just...

Gun control advocates are in hysterics, using frenzied, emotional attacks against Senators who opposed gun control last month in hopes of changing the momentum. This explains why Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has been targeted in New Hampshire, and it's why Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have been targeting Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in Kentucky. Staunch gun control supporters saw Sandy Hook Elementary as their opportunity to secure more gun laws, but now they see that opportunity fading away....

I would like to start (IMMEDIATELY) the process to dispose of Rhino John McFrain McCain. I need to know the documents necessary to start that process (IMMEDIATELY - not tomorrow but TODAY). I need to know who to start the process with, Documents necessary and anyone who would be able to start a web site just to get signatures and get the ball rolling. JonGaltSr (Freeper since 1995 (or manybe it was 1996). Thanks

Vice President Joe Biden joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at a forum hosted by the McCain Institute in Arizona Friday, where the pair discussed the recently defeated gun-control measure. Biden told the crowd that last year’s massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., has changed American attitudes about guns, even though the Senate rejected legislation to expand background checks on gun purchases. “Newtown was, to sort of use that old cliche, the straw that that broke the camel’s back,” Biden said, according to the Arizona Republic. “There was a fundamental change, in my opinion, in public attitudes about guns....

Sen. John McCain on Friday pleaded with business leaders to rally behind the immigration reform bill that he negotiated as part of the Senate’s Gang of Eight. Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's immigration reform summit, McCain (R-Ariz.) said the bill needs the full-throated support of industry to make it to President Obama’s desk. “We need your help. We need you to inform the people you represent. We need their active support, not just passive,” McCain said. “We need all of you, we need all of the people you represent to be actively engaged in the community.” Business groups...

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., had a warm meeting with Obama for America Organizing for Action volunteers in Arizona, as the senator and the members of President Obama’s former campaign apparatus thanked each other for their alliance in support of Obama’s desired gun legislation. “The speakers commended Senator McCain for showing leadership on this issue, and made it clear that we’re still hopeful that, with his help and support, we will get a bipartisan law to protect our country and our local community,” OFA’s Erin Kelly wrote in a blog post today. “We were shocked and excited to see Senator McCain...

As some Newtown families, props being used by the very gun grabbers who have set up the kinds of gun-free shooting galleries in which their children were slain, held hands and prayed for more than 60 votes (having been flown in at taxpayer expense to lobby our representatives to take away our natural rights), it occurred to me that, with 16 Republicans voting that a debate on amending an unalienable right is perfectly in keeping with the Constitution, the Republican party then and there died. Went t*ts up. Ceased to be. If John McCain and Lindsay Graham and Lamar Alexander...

Gov. Jan Brewer and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin put their best feet forward Saturday afternoon in an effort tackle one of Arizona's biggest issues. "We're here highlighting the problem of child abuse and doing all that we can to strike it out," said Palin. However, Saturday's conversation wasn't just about protecting our children. It was also about protecting our border. This week immigrants living in this country illegally will likely find out what they need to do to become U.S. citizens. Lawmakers are days away from announcing details of the most sweeping immigration reform bill this country's seen...

PHOENIX - Governor Jan Brewer and Sarah Palin will join forces this weekend to fight child abuse. Both women will walk the streets of downtown Phoenix for the 4th annual Strike Out Child Abuse Walk....

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that he opposes the thought of filibustering a debate over gun legislation that will probably be brought to the Senate floor this week, despite threats of such action by fellow Republican senators. “I don't understand it. The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand,” Arizona's McCain said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”A trio of first-term GOP senators–Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas–stated in a letter last month that they will block any gun control...

Via NRO, Rob Portman was criticized by gay-marriage supporters for reconsidering his stance on SSM only after it affected him personally. This guy, naturally, will be criticized harshly for not reconsidering his stance after it affected him personally. His choice of words is interesting, though. Not only does he not think that his son chose to be gay, he uses a term more often heard from gay-rights supporters when he says he hasn’t “evolved” to the point of supporting SSM. More backstory via WaPo: Salmon voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and for a ban on gay adoptions in...

John McCain has gotten quite a bit of attention after he took to the Senate floor on Thursday to publicly rebuke (which is actually sugercoating it) a member of his own party, Rand Paul, for holding a 13-hour filibuster on the issue of drone strikes. McCain talked with Piers Morgan tonight about his objections to Paul, and observed that when he speaks his mind against GOP leadership he’s considered a brave maverick, but when he rebuts the filibuster of one junior senator he’s suddenly the “angry old man” who’s out of touch with reality. McCain explained to Morgan that he...

At a time when there appears to be a burgeoning rift in Republican ranks over the government's use of drones, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Friday argued that he, not Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), represents former President Ronald Reagan's true legacy in the party. In a tense interview on Fox News, anchor Shepard Smith brought up the emerging schism between hawks such as McCain and non-interventionists like Paul.McCain and his longtime ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) each blasted Paul earlier this week for the Kentucky libertarian's epic 13-hour filibuster over the nomination of John Brennan to lead the CIA. Smith...

Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster against the confirmation of CIA Director and "drone czar" John Brennan offers a "teachable moment" to the media and the left about the Tea Party. As they seethe in outrage and confusion that it took a Republican to question the constitutionality of drone attacks, it is important to remind our friends on the other side that it wasn't just any Republican, but a--gasp!--Tea Party Republican who spoke "truth to power." Not only that, but the Senators who were first to offer their assistance were also Tea Party Republicans--the so-called McCarthyist Ted Cruz of Texas, and Marco...

President Obama and Republican senators had a “good exchange of ideas” this evening during their roughly two-hour-long dinner at the posh Jefferson Hotel, just blocks from the White House, according to a senior administration official. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave the meeting a thumbs up as he exited the hotel, saying it was “just fine,” “great” and “wonderful.” McCain told reporters gathered across the street that it was a “very enjoyable evening,” but declined to discuss specifics. Obama invited 12 GOP senators to break bread as part of a larger effort to jump start budget negotiations and try to cut...

Seven Secretaries of State have released a statement criticizing First Lady Michelle Obama for her false claim that Republicans engaged in voter suppression in the November election: “Unfortunately the First Lady’s comments continue the baseless attacks that have been made upon those leaders who are simply taking reasonable steps to protect the security and integrity of elections. This past election speaks for itself. In Arizona, a state that has a photo ID requirement, Hispanic voter turnout was the highest in the state’s history. In Georgia, African American turnout has remained high in each election after the state adopted its photo...

On “Fox News Sunday,” Arizona Sen. John McCain said the GOP has work to do, including embracing “a bigger tent” to attract a bigger constituency. “I think we have to have a bigger tent. That’s — no doubt about it,” McCain said. “And, obviously we have to do immigration reform. There is no doubt whatsoever that the demographics are not on our side. And, we are going to have to give a much more positive agenda. It can’t be just being against the Democrats and against Harry Reid and against Obama. You got to be for things, and we have...

. NBC News : Free Republic's Patton@Bastogne calls-out Myth Romney as a "Pathelogical Political Liar" at the Tampa 2012 GOP Convention ... Patton@Bastogne calls-out Myth Romney as a "Pathelogical Political Liar" in Tampa ...(click) Internet Link: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbcnews.com/48798495 .

GILBERT, AZ- Kirk Adams and his campaign for Congress is proud and honored to announce Governor Sarah Palin will be in the Grand Canyon State Monday, August 27th, to support Kirk Adams. The event will include live music and a family BBQ. The BBQ is set to start at 3:30 pm and will be held at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert, AZ. Adams and Palin will be serving the food as a way of saying thank you for all the support and encouraging people to get out and vote. Accompanied with the food will be refreshments, live music and several...

As a former business owner, I was shocked by the audacity of our President when he declared, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Someone else made that happen.” That statement not only shows his audacity, it also shows his naiveté. As a business owner, it was common for me to spend 70 to 80 hours a week working to build my business. It was also common to have my employees taking home a larger salary than I paid myself. In fact, I think it was 18 months before I took any salary out of my company just...

Republican Senator John McCain says he chose Sarah Palin over Mitt Romney as his running mate in 2008 because she was a “better candidate,” not because of Romney’s much-discussed tax records. The McCain presidential campaign received 20 years of Romney’s tax records, much more than what the 2012 Republican presidential nominee has revealed to date. Democrats have suggested the McCain campaign passed over Romney because they found something politically damaging. “Of course not,” McCain told Politico when asked if the tax records hurt Romney...

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl stated his belief that “impeachment is always a possibility” regarding President Barack Obama’s recent immigration policy shift, during an appearance Tuesday on the Bill Bennett radio show. “If the president insists on continuing to ignore parts of the law that he doesn’t like, and simply not enforce that law, the primary remedy for that is political,” said Mr. Kyl. “And you have it two ways: one is oversight through the Congress to demonstrate what they’re doing wrong and there are some potential criminal charges there for dereliction of duty. Although, I haven’t looked that up yet....

Two days after losing the special election for Gabrielle Giffords's old House seat, Republican Jesse Kelly has decided to forego a run for Arizona's new 2nd Congressional District this fall. "Looking at the results from Tuesday, we have decided to withdraw from the race for Congress in AZ-02 and to seek other opportunities," Kelly said in a statement Thursday."I will forever be thankful to our generous supporters and volunteers." Kelly's withdrawal vaults Air Force veteran Martha McSally to front-runner status for the GOP nomination in the new district. McSally finished second behind Kelly in the special Republican primary earlier this...

On his show Tuesday night, Ed Schultz took on birthers — specifically those in Iowa and Arizona who have brought President Barack Obama‘s eligibility for office back into headlines recently. He asked, isn’t this just racism? The Iowa GOP chairman, Don Racheter, and Arizona’s secretary of state, Ken Bennett, have recently questioned Obama’s natural-born citizenship (though Bennett said he’s not a birther, he sought verification of Obama’s birth certificate from Hawaii, saying it’s possible he’d take Obama off the ballot otherwise). Schultz asked his guest, Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson, “Is this just another form of racism being played...

Today, Arizona Senator John McCain told CBS This Morning that it's time for Rick Santourm to drop out of the race for the GOP Presidential nomination so Mitt Romney can get to focusing on the important stuff — like picking Sarah Palin as his running mate. Since John McCain probably hasn't forgotten about that one time he was running for President and picked Sarah Palin for his running mate and her abject stupidity kind of sank his Presidential campaign, there has to be some reasonable explanation as to why he'd encourage the Republican candidate for President to do the political...

Some big names in Phoenix business are offering financial support to both U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake and Mesa philanthropist and businessman Wil Cardon in the Republican race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl. Click the image to the right to see high-profile Phoenix business donors backing Flake and Cardon. Cardon just launched his first television ad in the race, in which Flake is the favorite in the primary and general election. Cardon has close to $1.3 million of his own money into the GOP race. Flake has raised $3 million, according to the Federal Election Commission. Flake has financial...

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz.— Count one less viewer in the audience when HBO airs "Game Change," its dramatization of the 2008 presidential campaign, which features a scathingly negative portrayal of vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin. "This new movie that comes out, (people) ask me if I'm gonna watch it," Arizona Sen. John McCain told a group of Republican activists on Saturday. "I tell them it'll be a cold day in Gila Bend, Arizona." (For the uninitiated, Gila Bend is a Sonoran Desert town that often appears on weather maps as the nation's hot spot). The made-for-TV movie, based on the...

The topsy-turvey GOP presidential season just flipped again as a new poll shows Mitt Romney has jumped to the lead in both Michigan and Arizona just days before pivotal primaries in both states. The former Bay State governor has 40 percent of the vote to 34 percent for red-hot rival Rick Santorum in Michigan, Rasmussen Reports states today. The survey of likely Republican voters was taken last night a day after the CNN debate where Romney went on the attack against Santorum’s record in the U.S. Senate. Michigan holds its primary Tuesday night. So does Arizona, where Romney is also...

I posted last night and again this morning that Rick Santorum had a terrible debate. But it’s fair also to point out that many of the shots Romney scored on Santorum were cheap shots, as pointed out by George Neumayr at The American Spectator (h/t reader OccamsrazorX): "Romney, at his most hypocritical, labored hard to present himself as more socially conservative than Santorum, noting that Rick had voted for Planned Parenthood funding. Astonishingly, Santorum missed his chance at a return upper cut. Why didn’t he mention that Romney once gave money to Planned Parenthood from his own pocket? Why didn’t...

The mainstream media enjoys analyzing how the candidates performed but rarely replays the meat of an answer given by a candidate. The substance of what Newt Gingrich said in reply to the questions asked by CNNs John King will help Oklahoma voters make their decision of who to vote for in the March 6th Presidential Primary. The first question asked was regarding the candidates’ plan to bring down the national debt. Gingrich’s response was to create jobs and spur economic growth. He also suggested that the Federal government open federal land and offshore areas to energy production. He also mentioned...

Senator John McCain appeared on This Week today from Afghanistan, but before getting onto matters of foreign policy, he weighed in on the Republican contest going on in the United States and continued to speak out forcefully on an issue that has been part of his political identity for over a decade: campaign finance reform. McCain has not been the biggest fan of Super PACs, and McCain today blasted the Supreme Court for its decision in the Citizens United case two years ago. When Jake Tapper asked McCain about how the GOP’s divisive contest may end up handing the election...

An Arizona co-chair of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign resigned after announcing that he is gay. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu was forced to come out after allegations that he dated a Mexican immigrant and hosted a pornographic online profile. The Romney campaign said they received a call from Babeu and accepted his resignation. "Sheriff Babeu has stepped down from his volunteer position with the campaign so he can focus on the allegations against him. We support his decision," spokesperson Ryan Williams said. Arizona is holding its primary on February 28, and all four candidates will be in the state Wednesday...

Sam Fulwood III explains why Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's disrespectful gesture last week will motivate black voters to support the president in the November election. With a waggle of her right index finger last Wednesday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer erased the question of whether black voters will be enthusiastic about going to the polls in support of President Barack Obama. Now, you can count on it. Gov. Brewer almost guaranteed that large numbers of black voters will turn out on Election Day because they will march to the polls, still angry about Brewer's one-finger salute of the commander-in-chief. Nothing motivates...

Newt Gingrich may have pulled out a shock victory in South Carolina, but he has yet to win the heart of one political analyst. "Newt Gingrich is dangerous on many levels," Meghan McCain told News/Talk 92.3 KTAR's Mac & Gaydos. The Republican daughter of Arizona Sen. John McCain said that Gingrich uses techniques that make the younger McCain dislike politics, including race-baiting. McCain even went so far as to say that, if the election came down to Obama versus Gingrich, she would likely turn to a third-party candidate. "I can't vote for Newt Gingrich," she said. With McCain crossing her...

Jesse Kelly, who narrowly lost to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in 2010, is running again in the upcoming 8th district special election, according to two sources. “I would say an announcement is imminent,” said an insider close to the Iraq War veteran. Giffords beat Kelly by only 2 points in 2010, in what was an overall terrible political climate for Democrats. Another source close to Kelly described Giffords as the strongest possible Democratic candidate and indicated Democrats would have difficulty finding a nominee with her charm, name identification and fundraising prowess.

Arizona U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain reflected on his 2008 campaign earlier this week, saying choosing former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has his running mate was “the best decision” he has ever made. Mr. McCain made the comment during an appearance on Fox News, where he also took time to promote his 2008 rival, Mitt Romney, whose Republican presidential candidacy he endorsed last week, after Mr. Romney won the Iowa caucus by eight votes. The Arizona Republican has previously said he stands by his decision to choose Ms. Palin as the Republican presidential candidate for vice...

On Wednesday’s edition of Now with Alex Wagner, the eponymous host asked MSNBC commentator Meghan McCain if her party was in crisis. McCain trashed the Iowa caucus and dreaded the rise of surging Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. “My father did not become the nominee having anything to do with the Iowa caucus. I find it completely irrelevant. If Rick Santorum becomes the nominee of this party, I mean, it is going to be bedlam and hysteria like you have never seen.” With her over-the-top prognostication for the pending apocalypse in that scenario, McCain appeared to be channeling Bill Murray...

Meghan McCain is a person who gets paid to think and say intelligent things about politics on cable news. The daughter of Sen. John McCain, who before joining MSNBC was famous for tweeting a provocative photo of her breasts, joined Lawrence O’Donnell last night to discuss her father’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. Other than stating the obvious about Romney (“[his sons] are just perfect and beautiful”) she took the time to call someone else a “moron”– namely, Rick Santorum who, had Sen. McCain endorsed him, “I mean, I’d be, like, slitting my wrists” over it. RELATED: Meghan McCain Predicts ‘Bedlam...

Former Vice President Dan Quayle will endorse Mitt Romney for president tomorrow at a campaign event in Arizona. The endorsement will take place in Paradise Valley, Arizona, which is located within the congressional district of Ben Quayle, the former Vice President's son, who was elected to the House in 2010 and has yet to make an endorsement in the presidential race....

On CNN’s State of the Union today, Candy Crowley asked Senator John McCain if the Republican party should be worried about courting Hispanic voters in places like his home state of Arizona heading into next year’s presidential election, particularly given the anti-immigration sentiments of many of the candidates. McCain explained the policy of the United States should be “humane” when it comes to dealing with such matters, a word that got Newt Gingrich in hot water with conservatives when he used it about immigration several weeks ago. McCain suggested that the Latino vote might not necessarily go for Obama because...