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John McCain's Speech to the Senate

Sen. John McCain gave a speech to the Senate today. The transcript is here. There are two highlights:

We are an important check on the powers of the Executive. Our consent is necessary for the President to appoint jurists and powerful government officials and in many respects to conduct foreign policy. Whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the President’s subordinates. We are his equal!

[More...]

On the Health Care bill:

I voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue and amendments to be offered. I will not vote for the bill as it is today. It’s a shell of a bill right now. We all know that. I have changes urged by my state’s governor that will have to be included to earn my support for final passage of any bill. I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially for you to support it.

He said he will be in Washington for a few days and will then return home to AZ for treatment for his brain cancer.

Personally, I wish him well in his battle with cancer. He has a tough road ahead. Politically, I find his vote appalling. I wish he stayed home today.

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  • Display: Sort:
    For all his tough-guy talk, ... (5.00 / 3) (#1)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jul 25, 2017 at 06:36:50 PM EST
    ... there have actually been very few Republican senators as slavishly devoted to the GOP line as John McCain, who in the sunset of his life has clearly chosen the hill he's willing to die on.

    Maverick, schmaverick. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has repeatedly and long since proved herself to be much more of an independent actor and thinker than the Good Gentleman from Arizona ever was.

    On a personal level, and speaking as a cancer survivor myself, I wish Sen. McCain well and have nothing but kind thoughts for both him and his family. The days ahead for them will not be easy, and I pray that they have the strength and fortitude to trod the rough road ahead.

    But politically, and speaking bluntly as a Democrat, I'm certainly not going to miss this shameless and self-inflating egotist, whose entire 36-year career in Washington has ultimately proved to be nothing but a perpetual vanity exercise punctuated by hypocritical double-talk, wasted potential and missed opportunities.

    Aloha.

    My own Senator (none / 0) (#2)
    by CoralGables on Tue Jul 25, 2017 at 07:55:51 PM EST
    Marco Rubio hopes to follow in the footsteps of the self-righteous talk and no backbone follow-up that has highlighted the careers of John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

    Parent
    Yeah, well, my own U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono ... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jul 25, 2017 at 08:39:57 PM EST
    ... only recently returned to the Senate last week after having undergone her second major surgery in two months for Stage 4 kidney cancer and further, she did so without any accompanying major fanfare. She simply came back and resumed her duties -- and that's the difference between a work horse and a show horse.

    Parent
    Or that's the difference (none / 0) (#5)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 25, 2017 at 09:21:35 PM EST
    between a man and a woman.

    Parent
    Only he's like the '74 Ford lemon, which you couldn't depend on for the life of you.

    Parent
    A John McCain Venn diagram (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Anne on Tue Jul 25, 2017 at 08:10:40 PM EST
    And then he voted for BCRA (none / 0) (#6)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Jul 26, 2017 at 06:16:52 AM EST


    As Big Daddy puts it, (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 26, 2017 at 11:58:00 AM EST
    (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams): "the human animal is a beast that dies, but the fact that he's dying don't give him pity for others."

    Parent