Mavericky.
Sen. John McCain, the main Republican responsible for
killing real filibuster reform this session, showed up on
Face the Nation Sunday (shock!) to say that he
doesn't understand why his fellow Republicans want to block gun legislation.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Let's see what Senator McCain, how—what's your thought on a filibuster on this. Would you be against that?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I don't understand it. The purpose of the United States senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand—
BOB SCHIEFFER: So you'd encourage Republicans not to filibuster.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I would not only encourage it. I don't understand it. What are we afraid of? Why would we not want, if this issue is as important as all of us think it is, why not take it on the world's greatest deliberative—that's the greatest exaggeration in history, by the way—but, you know, why not take it up an amendment and debate. The American people will profit from it. I do not understand why United States senators want to block debate when the leader has said that we can have amendments.
That's the same McCain who
flirted with a precedent-setting filibuster of Chuck Hagel because BENGHAZI. The same McCain who is
primarily responsible for killing the Susan Rice nomination before it even happened.
It's almost enough to make you think that it's more a personal problem McCain has with the leaders of this filibuster, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, than with the actual filibuster.