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John McCain Tag

Former Vice President Joe Biden reportedly will announce his 2020 presidential candidacy sometime on Thursday after months of rumors and speculation. According to a Washington Examiner bombshell, he may have received a huge support system. It looks like the family of the late Sen. John McCain will support him "in hope of removing Trump from office in 2020." However, Cindy McCain tweeted that she has no plans to get "involved in presidential politics."

Whether you call it the swamp, the deep state or the Washington, DC establishment, it was definitely out to get Trump following the 2016 election. He wasn't supposed to win and he had angered some of the wrong people. How else can this be explained? The Russian collusion conspiracy that Democrats and their media allies have obsessed over for the last two years was fueled in large part by the Steele dossier. It's sad to learn that someone associated with John McCain played a role in this.

When I first heard that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) explicitly stated that he did not want President Trump to attend his funeral, I was taken aback not only by his petty smallness but by the abrupt change of tune since his insistence that Obama be treated with respect simply because he occupied the Office of the President of these United States. Asking President Trump not to attend was an extraordinary request because the lack of invitation to the sitting and duly-elected President to read a eulogy at the funeral would have been a significant rebuke.  And more than sufficient.  McCain chose the low road.

On Friday it was announced that Senator John McCain had decided to forgo further medical treatments. Tonight he died. Unfortunately, his death will be politicized in many directions. I'll just hope that after an eventful and full life, he rests in peace.

The family of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has announced that he will end treatment for brain cancer. From The Washington Examiner:
“Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict,” the McCain family said.

As we've been covering here at LI, Gina Haspel is President Trump's pick to head the CIA.  She has been blasted for her role in overseeing then-legal and -authorized enhanced interrogation techniques against Islamist terrorists. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has issued a statement in which he urges the Senate not to confirm Haspel due to her role in enhanced interrogation.  The problem with this, however, is that he voted to confirm John Brennan to the CIA's top spot, knowing full-well Brennan's role in enhanced interrogation.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has written his memoirs, the upcoming book entitled The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and other Appreciations.  As has become increasingly usual, portions of the book are being released prior to its publication. The New York Times is reporting that McCain writes that he regrets selecting then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) as his running mate.  Instead, he wishes he had "followed his gut" and chosen then-Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT).

Sens. Billy Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hope to pass their Obamacare "repeal and replace" bill by the end of the month, but have encountered opposition from a few in their own party. Sens. John McCain (AZ) and Rand Paul (KY) have already said no while Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) remain on the fence. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has said "that he's not yet on board with the legislation." This has led to a few changes to the bill, which includes boosts for Arizona, Alaska, Kentucky, and Maine as a way to entice these senators to vote yes.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) officially decided he will vote no on the Graham-Cassidy bill, which is the latest attempt the GOP has taken to repeal and replace Obamacare. From CNN:
"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," the Arizona Republican said in a statement. "I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will effect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it. Without a full CBO score, which won't be available by the end of the month, we won't have reliable answers to any of those questions."

Overnight the Senate failed to pass a so-called "skinny" repeal of Obamacare, when three Republican Senators (Collins, Murkowski and McCain) voted against the measure. Whether the "skinny" repeal was an actual repeal was doubtful. As unveiled late last night, it removed the mandate, the medical device tax, and defunded Planned Parenthood, but it was something of a charade. Several Senators voted for it only after Paul Ryan gave some assurance that the Senate bill could be subject to a conference with the House, and would not be passed by the House as is. But passing the "skinny" repeal kept hope alive that there might emerge some meaningful form of Obamacare repeal. The defeat of the bill killed any form of Obamacare repeal for the foreseeable future.