From Andrew McCarthy at the Corner:Why did Senator McCain have so much leverage as he imposed on the President his Al Qaeda Bill of Rights (aka, the McCain Amendment, which rewards the terrorists trying to kill us all with U.S. Constitutional rights)? Because he succeeded in attaching it to the Defense Appropriations bill, meaning a veto would have slashed provisions for our troops in wartime.
Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, obviously sees this as a pretty effective tactic. So he is now attaching to the Defense Appropriations bill his own amendment to allow oil drilling Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
What does the straight-talking Arizona maverick think of that? Here's from this morning's WPost: "Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also sharply criticized Stevens's effort as 'disgusting.' But asked how he would vote on such a bill, McCain said: 'That's the dilemma. I'd have to look at the whole bill. I think it's disgraceful that I have to be put in that position.'"
Gee, Senator Pot, Meet Senator Kettle.
John McCain has shown time and againt that he is an infantile, self-serving, egomaniac who simply does not get it. This is not the time to pull out the comfy chair. However, equally galling is the President going along with it. Of course, the argument is, well, he cannot defund the troops by vetoing the defense appropriations bill, can he? However, the President should have done just that, putting the pressure back on McCain and Congress. Put it back on the self-serving and infantile McCain. Of course, the President did not do that, and unfortunately, our soldiers will pay the price.
Max Boot uncovers a new area of US torture that McCain may want to look into. Boot Camp. Of course, getting sniffed by dogs being torture could also mean that waiting in line and being searched at airports amounts to torture, too.
