Sen. McCain
Senator John McCain (Arizona), a decorated war hero and ex-POW stood against Obama in 2008 and was defeated. With an interest in military matters, and an ex-POW who had his arms broken, has zeroed in on the Benghazi debacle and cover-up. He, along with another Senator, have upped the ante against the WH by saying they will block any attempt by the president to nominate UN Ambassador Rice as Sec. of State because of her behaviour following the 9/11 attacks in Libya (2012).
Obama reacted to this in a personal way at his press conference yesterday, his first in eight months; somehow suggesting McCain’s statements were mis-directed and personalised to Ambass. Rice.
Now McCain has hit back, described by some media as “a fierce counterattack.” SEnator McCain took his 2008 defeat graciously and is known as a moderate, restrained and considered politician; but he is angry about Benghazi. Murdered Ambass. Stevens was a friend of his. He has called Obama ‘colossally incompetent or corrupt.’
Speaking on the Senate floor, John McCain said,
“This president — this administration — has either been guilty of colossal incompetence or been engaged in a coverup, neither of which is acceptable to the American people. I speak as a friend of Christopher Stevens, I speak as a person who knows something about warfare, I speak as something of an authority — that this attack could have been prevented if the information on the ground had been taken into consideration.”
The Senator is demanding a Congressional Select Committee to look into Benghazi. McCain drew a link with Watergate, which many have between the two scandals. He reminded Obama that although he is the president, he is not the king:
“He really does not have any idea of how serious this issue is. I’m a United States Senator. We have our responsibilities, we have our duties, and we are not picking on anyone here.”
McCain has also zeroed in on the main point. At yesterday’s press conference Obama made it clear Ambass. Rive was acting on WH orders, at his direction. McCain has asked, if she didn’t go and front the media based on intell. from the CIA, who gave her instructions (and the misleading spin about the video, described by one Senator as “lies”) and when?
