McCain and Graham's Post-Election Sour Grapes

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Nov. 23, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

        Ripping U.N. Amb. Susan Rice for telling the American public that the Sept. 11 Benghazi terrorist attack was due to rioting from a viral YouTube video defaming the Prophet Mohammed, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (S.C.) accused her of either incompetence or deliberately misleading the public.  President Barack Obama was rumored to consider the 48-year-old Stanford and Oxford graduate to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.  When the U.S. consulate was attacked by rocket propelled grenades Sept. 11, killing 53-year-old Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans, the White House talking points omitted the words “al-Qaeda” or “terrorist” attack.  Testifying behind closed doors Nov. 14 before the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, former CIA Director David Petraeus said he knew from the get-go it was a terrorist attack.

            McCain knows better than most what happens after major terror attacks.  While Graham was not yet in the Senate Sept. 11, 2001, McCain should recall the two-week delay before the Bush administration admitted that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the nearly 3,000 U.S. deaths that decimated the World Trade Towers and Pentagon.  McCain didn’t blast former President George W. Bush or his press secretary Mike McCurry for covering up the true source of the terrorist attack.  Calling McCain and Graham’s attacks on Rice “outrageous,” Barack defended Rice for simply reporting the intel community’s best information at the time.  McCain made a big deal out of Rice’s public remarks in hopes to stir the pot in the GOP’s post-election funk.  Because of Rice’s misstatements, McCain and Graham promise to use every means necessary to filibuster her nomination.

            Before Obama nominates Rice to replace Hillary, he needs to consider other more qualified candidates, especially Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).  Rice has all the academic credentials but lacks the gravitas needed during a time of treacherous foreign policy challenges.  Obama overreacted in Nov. 14 press conference to questions about McCain and Graham’s criticisms of Rice.  “If Sen. McCain and Sen. Graham and others want to go after some they should go after me,” said Obama, losing his usual cool-and-collected demeanor.  It’s OK for McCain and Graham to go after whomever they wish.  Looking at the record after Sept. 11 shows clearly how easy it is to omit or misstate the facts.  Most political experts don’t see the Benghazi debacle as having any legs.  Floating trial balloons for Cabinet appointments carry certain risks.  Barack certainly found out there’s some objections to Rice.

            Since McCain got shellacked by Obama in the 2008 presidential race, the 76-year-old, six-term senator has had it in for the president.  His preoccupation with Rice demonstrates misplaced his priorities heading to the dangerous “fiscal cliff,” threatening to send the economy plunging into a double-dip recession.  “The president of the United States did not tell the American people the truth about the attacks that took four brave Americans’ lives . . .” McCain said, pounding his fist in the well of the Senate.  “This president and this administration has either been guilty of colossal incompetence or engaged in a cover up, neither of which are acceptable to the American people,” said McCain, completely misstating the polls on Benghazi.  Polls clearly show that the public did not hold Obama accountable for the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, nor should they.

            Before McCain utters another word on Benghazi, he needs to explain why he had no objections when the Bush White House refused to finger Osama bin Laden for nearly two weeks after Sept. 11, 2001.  Every terrorism expert in the country said Bin Laden was responsible for Sept. 11 the day of the event.  McCain only saves his ire for political vendettas.  There’s nothing wrong with McCain and Graham objecting to a potential Cabinet pick for whatever reasons, including her misstatements following Benghazi.  Whether it’s the Benghazi affair or the abrupt Petraeus resignation following the election, it’s reasonable to question the timing.  Neither event, whether or not they were disclosed before the election, would have had much effect on the outcome.  While the GOP expressed surprise at Obama’s big victory, most reputable forecasters predicted the results for months.

            McCain and Graham have every right to question Barack’s picks for any Cabinet position.  They’d both make more sense expressing concerns about Rice’s lack of experience for Secretary of State, despite her service as U.N. ambassador.  If Barack listens to their objections and picks Kerry, the Benghazi tempest-in-the-teapot will fade way.  If Barack really wants to blow peoples’ minds, he’d pick McCain for Defense Secretary.  Whether or not McCain would accept is anyone’s guess.  No one on either side of the aisle would object, perhaps other than McCain himself.  “I want to work with him on the fiscal cliff.  I want to work with him on immigration.  I’d like to work with him on other things that we need to do as a nation but I’m not gonna give him a pass here,” said Graham, referring to opposing Rice.  McCain and Graham need to stop politicking and get back to business.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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