The Washington Post’s Capitol Briefing reports this confrontation between John McCain and John Cornyn over the immigration deal:
At a bipartisan gathering in an ornate meeting room just off the Senate floor, McCain complained that Cornyn was raising petty objections to a compromise plan being worked out between Senate Republicans and Democrats and the White House. He used a curse word associated with chickens and accused Cornyn of raising the issue just to torpedo a deal.
Things got really heated when Cornyn accused McCain of being too busy campaigning for president to take part in the negotiations, which have gone on for months behind closed doors. “Wait a second here,” Cornyn said to McCain. “I’ve been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You’re out of line.”
McCain, a former Navy pilot, then used language more accustomed to sailors (not to mention the current vice president, who made news a few years back after a verbal encounter with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont).
“[Expletive] you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room,” shouted McCain at Cornyn. McCain helped craft a bill in 2006 that passed the Senate but couldn’t be compromised with a House bill that was much tougher on illegal immigrants.
A curse word associated with chickens ? Why doesn’t the Post at least have the guts to print F*ck, because we all know that’s what the senior Senator from Arizona was saying.
But the cursing is beside the point. What should worry anyone who cares about government is McCain’s arrogance. His insistence that he knows more about this subject than anyone. And his refusal to even give criticism the time of day. If this is how he acts as a Senator, imagine how arrogant he’d be as President.
