Yet, how else can explain McCain's actions yesterday? He was again preening for the cameras demanding answers about what "really happened" in Benghazi. If he really wanted answers, why wasn't he in the Senate as his own committee was conducting hearings on Benghazi at that very moment?
When he was questioned by a CNN reporter he didn't have much of an answer otter than he he has a right to say "no comment" without permission from the media:
"Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) flashed his temper on Thursday morning when confronted with questions from a reporter regarding the former Republican presidential nominee's absence from a briefing on the September terrorist attacks at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya."
"According to CNN, most Republican members of the Senate committee in charge of investigating the attacks were absent from the classified briefing, which was led by Obama administration officials on Wednesday. On the same day, McCain held a Capitol Hill press conference to call for a special investigation of the attacks and also took to the Senate floor to issue a blistering criticism of President Obama's handling of the situation in Benghazi."
"Approached by CNN's Ted Barrett on Thursday, McCain said he had no comment on his schedule or "how I spend my time to the media." When Barrett pressed McCain, the senator became agitated."
From CNN:
Asked why he wouldn't comment, McCain grew agitated: "Because I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me I can or not?”http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/questioned-about-missed-briefing-on-benghazi-mccain-snaps
When CNN noted that McCain had missed a key meeting on a subject the senator has been intensely upset about, McCain said, "I'm upset that you keep badgering me."
While McCain refused to shed light on why he didn't show, his spokesman Brian Rogers emailed CNN a short time later with an explanation. He blamed it on a "scheduling error" but wouldn't provide any more detail.
Many are wondering if this is sour grapes from McCain-is he still not over 2008. Whatever the answer to that, the larger problem is that the GOP is not acting on good faith in this. While the GOP has been very showy about beating their breasts over the tragedy,even evolving Watergate-suggestions of impeachments and independent investigations,, etc-they in fact are again playing from the Mitch McConnell playbook.
Just like the GOP never acted like they really cared about Americans suffering through the harsh recession but rather just saw it as a convenient club to beat up the President for partisan gain this is what Benghazi has been for them too.
After all, as the Bible puts it By their fruits ye shall know them. What are the fruits of the GOP action on Benghazi till now? We saw Romney try to politicize it immediately in a very ham-handed and clumsy way, accusing the President of literally sympathizing with the terrorists before we even knew that Ambassador Christopher Stevens was dead.
Then we had Darrell Issa who's ambition in life is to hold lots of hearings to harm the President in any way he can. However, what those hearings actually achieved was publicize sensitive information that Issa never got clearance for. He blew the CIA's cover in their involvement in Benghazi, which also served to endanger Libyans who were working with us.
Now we have McCain skipping a chance to get information about Benghazi so he could complain in front of the cameras that he hasn't had a chance to get information about Benghazi.
So judging by McCain, you wonder if the GOP got the message of the American people on October 6. This kind of empty political posturing is exactly what the public is tired of. Yet here is McCain and the GOP, posturing again.
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