McCain dodges when asked if Cheney is ‘helping or hurting’ the GOP.
McCain dodges when asked if Cheney is ‘helping or hurting’ the GOP.
Yesterday on CBS’ Face the Nation, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) — a frequent face on the Sunday show circuit — joined conservatives George Will and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) in denouncing former Vice President Cheney’s recent statement that President Obama is “dithering” on Afghanistan. “I wouldn’t use that language,” McCain said. But later in the segment, host Bob Schieffer asked if Cheney is “helping or hurting” the Republican Party with such comments. While noting that the former Vice President has the right to speak out, McCain dodged the question:
McCAIN: I think we should as much as possible say — and our message is, we want this strategy and we want to support the president and unite the country behind it. Let’s face it. The president, when he makes his decision — and again, I believe that he will– will have trouble with the base of his own party. And so the more united we can be behind him, I think the more the chances are of success and American public support.
“I don’t believe I heard you say whether you thought that was helpful or unhelpful,” Schieffer noted. “I don’t know. I would leave that to others to judge, really,” McCain again dodged. Watch it:
On ABC’s This Week, Center for American Progress President and CEO John Podesta said, “I think if Cheney is the voice of the opposition, that’s fine. I think he has the least credibility. Almost every strategic piece of advice he gave the president was wrong. I think President Bush stopped listening to him by the end of the administration. So if that’s what the Republican Party has decided — that they want to have him as their most outspoken critic of the administration — I think President Obama ought to welcome that.”
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Wow, McCain still can’t answer a question directly, and he’s not even running anymore!
October 26th, 2009 at 10:55 amJohnny chickenshit.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:57 amWe did judge you McCain, and determined you are an idiot and not fit to run this country.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:58 ammccain: I’m an American but first I’m a republican.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:58 amHe has to be waffling, obstructionist ideologue. He’s facing a primary next year!
McCain needs to retire. No “name” Democratic will come forward to challenge him (McCain’s too well funded and still relatively popular in AZ to risk it), so it looks like we’re stuck with this dottering fool until 2017. Crap.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:58 amThis is why McCain never goes grocery shopping.
Clerk: “Paper or plastic?”
McCain: “I don’t know. I would leave that to others to judge, really,”
October 26th, 2009 at 10:58 amThat old whore’s afraid he might say something he might have to take back tomorrow.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:59 amPerhaps someone should ask Johnny Warmonger and the rest of his chickenhawk party if they think Cheney is helping or hurting the United States — I mean, Cheney is bad-mouthing the President during a time that the country’s at war, which is very unpatriotic if not treasonous, no???
October 26th, 2009 at 11:00 amEnnui
I live in Arizona and the buzz I keep hearing is that Napalitano is going to run against him. She is popular here. She might beat him
October 26th, 2009 at 11:00 am…and quite possibly would forget what he said…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:02 amIf she was still governor of the state, she would win handily. I would really surprise me if she stepped down as Sec of Homeland Security, and such a move would probably backfire. It would be seen as playing politics with the nation’s security. Still, stranger things have happened and the Dems look poised to whomp Jan Brewer in the gubernatorial.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:03 amMcCain dodges when asked if Cheney is ‘helping or hurting’ the GOP.
– - He wasn’t dodging, he has no clue.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:06 amEnnui
You make a good point. It would have to be handled properly and the Obama administration would have to help with that but I dont see it as an insurmountable problem. I was hearing it from BEFORE Obama took her, I was praying he wouldnt, our state legislature here is a rightwing nightmare. We will see what happens.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:07 amOf course Cheneys advice is wrong, he thinks alternative intelligence [cherry picking] is hi ho the cherry o the farmers in the dell.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:07 amAnd so the more united we can be behind him, I think the more the chances are of success…
Uh oh. McCain forgot the prime directive from the leader of the Republican party. Rush Limbaugh is not going to be happy.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:10 amEnnuiDivine says: McCain needs to retire.
Are you saying he’s not demented enough to hold office anymore? :D
Seriously , he is such a waste of space. He got the GOP 2008 nomination only by default (and dubious financing), was totally overshadowed by Palin and then lost spectacularly. 90% of the Republicans in the Senate are complete nut-jobs.
He has no influence on the GOP, and as we saw in his campaign and again in this instance, he doesn’t have any opinions.
If he keeps his seat, it’ll be a default victory again.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:11 amI want cheney to keep helping the gop.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:11 am13. Eugene,
It’s just as well. Those rascals at Public Policy Polling did a matchup in late September that had McCain beating her 57-40.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:11 amThank you, Mr. Podesta for cutting through all of the double-talk by giving Cheney and the republicans the credit that they deserve for their many wrong, harmful decisions made during the G. W. Bush Administration. You stated it very well.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:12 amMcCain quails at the thought of criticizing Cheney.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:13 amOf course he does. Cheney still has his man-sized safe.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:14 amThe OTHER ED
Not too bad for a starting point against an incumbent. I think McCains support in Az is soft. Still your other point is pretty good. She might not think this is the time or that Kyl is an easier target
October 26th, 2009 at 11:14 amRE: Eugene Debs @ 13:
Are recalls legal in Arizona? If they are, and you can wise up the hicks, that might be the way to go…………………
October 26th, 2009 at 11:15 amThat’s the problem. If you could wise up the hicks, they wouldn’t be hicks.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:17 amMcCain wants bipartisanship in making war in order to pressure Obama into sending more troops. He should have thought about bipartisanship on January 20th on a broad range of issues, foreign and domestic. Obama will make his own decision and I think he will be looking for a long term strategy for getting out.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:18 amif it wasn’t for being a really bad pilot and a squealer, i doubt anyone would pay any attention to this half-wit.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:22 amwhat little he did say (it seemed to me), this was the best…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:22 amand most needed…!
… and then ignore the videotaped evidence of what he said…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:23 am22. Eugene,
That one actually makes sense, but it would still be considered “political” for a sitting cabinet secretary to be running for office. Kyl may be the easier target, but the Dems would be better off running Phil Gordon or, if they’re feeling particularly lucky, Gabrielle Giffords, by that point.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:24 amI read where it costs some 750k a year for each troop sent to Afghanistan.
Just pay them off like GWB did in Iraq.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:25 amMcCain is already hated by the radical right, his waffling is a symptom of someone who knows that the radicals and Cheney are wrong, but doesn’t have the courage to say so. You would think that at this stage of his career he would understand that he has nothing left to lose but his reputation and legacy, but he acts like someone who still has a future in the party. If some Republican had the guts to stand up to the radicals in their party you would think they would have a bright future but so far none have made anything but a half-hearted effort, and those that have spoken up have heard the chorus of the radicals to kick them out. At this rate the only ones left in the Republican party will the the trailer trash and the ultra rich.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:31 amwhere were these guys all those years ago…?
Is Obama Dithering on Afghanistan?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:33 amWashington Post – Doug Feaver – ?1 hour ago?
Our Readers Who Comment are strenuously arguing this morning about whether a secret Pentagon war game that evaluated the results of sending either 44000 or 15000 more troops to Afghanistan was just more dithering by the Obama Administration on what to …
Obama and Afghanistan: GOP wants decision ASAP USA Today
US is losing Afghan war on two fronts CNN International
The Associated Press – Reuters Blogs (blog) – FOXNews – Boston Globe
all 385 news articles »
Some maverick!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:34 amI suspect McCain was just trying to hide his dithering…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:35 am27. katy says:
what little he did say (it seemed to me), this was the best…
and most needed…!
and by “he” i meant John Podesta… oops…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:35 amOh, I do so hope Cheney keeps on “helping” the Greedy Old Party…. maybe bring on Palin to chime in a few words now and then. What with them and the Fox idiots, we’re halfway home if we only tread water…. which we should NOT do…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am“we’re all Georgians now”…..remember that one?
IDIOT.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:37 amWe’re all dottering old fools who can’t find our teeth in the morning now.”
October 26th, 2009 at 11:45 amSpoken like a true pol, Jocko McGrumpy. Weasel. Telecom Pimp.
First he wrecks airplanes that belong to his country, now he just tries to wreck the country. Vote the man out; he has the Sidam Touch.
He’s caught between a rock and a hard place. All his training and experience prior to the Senate predisposes him to be respectful of whoever holds the presidency, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to disrespect the people who he thinks hold power in his party. Add to that his opening of the Box o’ Pandoras and setting Sarahcuda (’Sarah Palin 2012 – Pullin’ the Plug on America‘) loose on our great nation and we’re stuck with the perfect smarm from this bozo.
He ought to get a clue; they’re cheap enough, and retire.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:52 am@ 39. Sorry to have reiterated everything everyone had already said, but I just dropped in, got peeved by the McGrumpy non-story and had to say something. I’ll try to remember to look at the thread before repeating everything and looking like the auto-parrot troll who’s popped up on a couple of other TP threads.
While I’d like to see McGrumpy and Kyl take a hike, I think AZ has a somewhat more serious problem with the Maricopa Publicity Hound, Sheriff Arpaio.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:04 pmI am so glad that Grampa McBomb lost the election, and I am so angry that Cheney has not yet been indicted for war crimes.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:39 pmGrampy McSame says – My friends back in the day we helping the GOP by being hateful, ignorant and bigoted, why is that any different than today? It is how we keep our base, our base are real Americans, and real Americans hate everyone else not like them, Europeans, hate em, Africasn, hate em, Asia, hate em, Mexicans, hate em…that’s how America does things, and that is how we win elections, it is a winning plan, it’s how we won in 2008, and now that I am the actual President I can be on TV all the time and tell the American people about what they should think and do, because in the old days we knew what to think and when to think it, I once read a book on a bus about that, back then, on the bus…where was I going with this? Well I’m right and everyone else is wrong, that where it’s going…oops, looks like I was going in my diapers, again.
Couldn’t answer the question could you gramps.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:43 pmThe real question is why is he n the TV every week. He lost!
October 26th, 2009 at 1:17 pmMcCain = Patsy
October 26th, 2009 at 1:20 pmWhy is anyone asking McCain anything?
October 26th, 2009 at 2:03 pmUnfortunatly for Johnny Boy, the can’t remember what he said yesterday, so why say something today that you can’t remember tomorrow. John McCain, great american hero still has to try to prove himself to his party. That is so wrong on so may levels. This man served his country during Viet Nam and is an legitimate hero, and yet a coward like Dick head Cheney is more respected in the Republican party. There is something seriously wrong with their way of thinking. They claim they love veterans and the military, but you see how they treat them, even after this man was tortured and survived years in a POW camp. They claim to love America, but clear hate Americans who disagree with their propaganda.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:40 pmThank God this incompetent weasel didn’t get the Presidency.
October 26th, 2009 at 9:14 pmMcCain wasn’t dodging the question, that WAS his answer! The art of politiking at it’s finest! (Or at it’s worst…)
October 27th, 2009 at 12:58 am