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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator John McCain, a torture survivor from his days as a captive during the Vietnam War, says his private comments about harsh interrogation methods were misrepresented by the Bush Administration in a recently released legal document intended to justify a six-day-long course of sleep deprivation for one CIA detainee in November of 2007. The newly declassified memo by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel mentions a secret briefing McCain and other members of Congress received sometime before October 17, 2006. The memo says the lawmakers were told about six CIA interrogation techniques, including prolonged sleep deprivation....

Says Abuse of Detainees Helped al Qaeda Recruit Terrorists, But Opposes Investigation into "Enhanced" Interrogations. BY MICHELLE LEVI Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he thinks it is a "serious mistake" for the administration to focus on the past when investigating the interrogation techniques of the CIA under President Bush on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "For us now to go back, I think, would be a serious mistake. "I believe that the president was right when he said we ought to go forward and not back. I worry about the morale and effectiveness of the CIA. I worry about this thing...

(snip) “The people of Illinois deserve a senator who will restore honest government, strengthen our national security, fight for veterans and bring fiscal discipline to Washington,” McCain, an Arizona senator, said in a statement. “Mark Kirk has my strongest endorsement.”(snip)

Martin says McCain’s Sunday endorsement of Mark Kirk is an act of infamy that will lead to McCain’s defeat by Arizonans in 2010. “McCain is not all there,” Martin says. “Or if he is all there, there is no ‘there,’ there.’ McCain is an embarrassment to the future of the Republican Party. Perhaps it is not surprising he is in bed with Mark Kirk.” . . . . . August 29, 2009 Senator John McCain United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 via fax (202) 228-2862 Re: Endorsement of Mark Kirk Last than a year ago, I remained a loyal Republican...

Here is video of Sen. John McCain speaking tonight at the memorial service held at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for Sen. Ted Kennedy. McCain said Ted Kennedy "was good company, excellent company," and McCain said he would miss him "more than I can say." McCain said Kennedy was "hard to ignore." He talked about working with Kennedy on the Immigration Reform Bill and said that Kennedy was totally reliable to keep his word and try to make others, including members of his own party, keep their word too. McCain called Kennedy the most "reliable, the most prepared,...

Below, release from Kirk.... McCain to Endorse Kirk at Veterans Gathering in Glenview McCain: "The people of Illinois deserve a Senator who will restore honest government, strengthen our national security, fight for veterans and bring fiscal discipline to Washington. Mark Kirk has my strongest endorsement." Who: Congressman Mark Kirk Senator John McCain When: 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30 Where: Glenview Park Center, Lakeview A Room 2400 Chestnut Ave. Glenview, IL What: Senator John McCain will endorse Congressman Mark Kirk for U.S. Senate at a veterans gathering in Glenview on Sunday afternoon. Kirk, an early supporter of McCain's presidential bid during...

If the Democrats decide to use budget reconciliation rules to try to pass the health care overhaul — a strategy that would allow them to push through the most contentious changes with a simple majority, rather than 60 votes — expect to hear Sen. John McCain of Arizona draw a lot of comparisons to the fight he helped lead four years ago to preserve judicial filibusters. In 2005, McCain was the Republican co-chair of the “Gang of 14,” a bipartisan group of senators who blocked a Republican plan to stop Democrats from filibustering President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees. The...

(snip) HANNITY: Senator, we obviously heard the news, the loss of Senator Ted Kennedy. A colleague and friend of yours. I don't think there was anything I agreed on politically. I wish him and his family all the best. Your thoughts on Senator Kennedy? MCCAIN: He was a good and decent man. He espoused his cause with passion and fervor and dedication. I could trust his word. He was a person that I could trust and he was also a lot of fun to be around. But he loved the institution and he reached across the aisle. And we need...

On Sunday, John McCain told George Stephanopoulos that “health care reform might be in a very different place today” if Teddy Kennedy were well enough to participate in the negotiations. “He had a unique way of sitting down with the parties at a table and making the right concessions, which really are the essence of successful negotiations, so it’s huge that he’s absent,” McCain said on “This Week,” mentioning his “personal affection” for Kennedy. Over the last 24 hours, many other observers have noted Kennedy’s reputation for reaching across the aisle. Interestingly, the same used to be said about McCain....

Colleague and Friend Says Senator's 'Word Was His Bond.' BY KATIE ESCHERICH Sen. John McCain, who knew Ted Kennedy for more than a quarter-century, said he will remember his friend and colleague as "a happy warrior" on the Senate floor. "Many times there was no need for the microphone system, we all heard him very clearly," McCain said on "Good Morning America" today. Kennedy died late Tuesday from brain cancer at the age of 77. He will be buried Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery. "A great part of the legacy of Ted Kennedy is his passionate advocacy," McCain said. "Whether...

PHOENIX (AP) - Sen. John McCain met with an angry crowd at a town-hall meeting about health care reform Wednesday, sometimes having to fight to talk and telling one woman who wouldn't stop yelling that she had to leave. The Arizona senator hadn't yet opened up the meeting at McCain's central Phoenix church to questions when one audience member continuously yelled over him. "You're going to have to stop or you're going to have to leave," McCain told the woman. When security guards approached to escort her out, he told her "Goodbye, see ya" to a round of applause. After...

Health Care: "First, do no harm" is never the maxim of Washington politicians. With a public uprising killing ObamaCare, Sen. John McCain wants "to sit down with the president" and resuscitate it.IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For FailureAt a town hall in Sun City, Ariz., on Tuesday, the defeated Republican presidential nominee displayed a chart featuring some good health care reform ideas. They included tort reform to reduce the $200 billion a year added to health costs thanks to medical malpractice awards; a sizable tax credit to pay for insurance; and allowing Americans to cross state lines to...

This smells like gang of 14 stuff again! We have Obama/Dems defeated on Health Care and this ego manic John Mc Cain wants to resurrect a compromise bill! We need to reform Health Care after we regain congress next year when we can do it right! Not now! Contact John Mc Cain - info@johnmccain.com and tell him to stay the hell out of the way and lets defeat the democrat plan now.

Arizona Sen. John McCain called Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy "the last lion of the Senate" Wednesday as he remembered the liberal Democrat who was on the opposite side from McCain on most issues. "He was a formidable opponent, valuable ally and a dear friend," McCain said of the Massachusetts Democrat who died Tuesday night of brain cancer at age 77.

(snip) One woman asked why McCain and his fellow Republicans did not reform health care during the Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush or George W. Bush administrations, when Republicans had the same power and control the Democrats have now. “We should have done more, there’s no question,” McCain said. “We should have done more, but there is plenty of responsibility to go around. We need to work on a bipartisan basis. That’s what we need to be doing now, too. The time is now to make this happen.”Another member of the audience told McCain health care is fine the way...

RUSH: No! Tell me it isn't true! Tell me I'm not seeing what I'm watching. Oh, no! Oh. Oh, no. (big sigh) Greetings, my friends, and welcome. Yip yip yip -- we're about to witness the snatching of victory from the jaws of defeat. Senator McCain is in Sun City, Arizona, doing a town hall meeting. He's up for reelection, of course, and he's going all Republican all the time, supposedly, but it was big news last week, Senator McCain actually supporting the Republicans, it was the bulletin out there. Senator McCain told Obama, look, get rid of the public...

One audience member asked the former Presidential contender if President Obama didn't realize that some of the changes he's calling for goes against the Constitution. Sen. McCain responded that he's sure the president respects the Constitution. Some town hall attendees booed the senator's response. McCain added tried to hush the boos, reminding the room that the president of the United States is owed respect. "I'm sure that he respects the Constitution of the United States. I really do. I'm absolutely convinced of it," Sen. McCain said.

The Valley focused on health care reform as Sen. John McCain and two fellow Republican members of Congress held town hall meetings Tuesday. Hundreds of seniors packed the Grace Bible Church in Sun City, with dozens of others turned away at the door and dozens others watching the town hall in an overflow room. McCain stated his case at the start. "We want affordable and available health care for all Americans. What we cannot -- and must not -- do is the, quote, public option, which really is the government option," McCain told the crowd. Plans under discussion do not...

Senator McCain Poised to Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory August 24, 2009 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Try this, ladies and gentlemen. State-controlled Associated Press: "Senator John McCain says that President Obama will have to drop proposals for a government-run health insurance option if he hopes to reach congressional agreement on health care reform." So far, so good. I'm still reminded of last week. I was laughing myself silly when news came out and how big news it was that McCain was voting with Republicans. (laughing)Our nominee, our presidential nominee, and there was a huge story, about it: "Ah,...

ESTES PARK, Colo. (AP) — Global warming is threatening America's national parks. But there is no consensus about how to prevent the harm. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado toured Rocky Mountain National Park Monday then heard testimony from parks officials and scientists about how global warming is harming the park system. . . . . . Both senators said confronting climate change is paramount. "A common misperception is that this is a crisis that is down the road," McCain said. "Climate change is real. It's happening now."However, there was no discussion at...

ESTES PARK — Bipartisan political leaders strolled through Rocky Mountain National Park this morning studying beetle-kill trees and changing vegetation patterns — and agreed that nuclear power must be part of any comprehensive climate-change legislation.Sen. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona are holding a formal hearing in Estes Park later today concerning global warming and its impact on national parks. McCain called on President Barack Obama to come forward with a climate-change proposal to get the discussion started in Congress.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain says the absence of ailing Ted Kennedy in pushing health-care reform has made a "huge, huge difference" in whether legislation gets passed. McCain praised Kennedy, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, as a master negotiator who could bring together parties with different points of view and make the right concessions to reach agreement. McCain said health-care reform might be in a very different place today if Kennedy had been able to participate in the discussions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain is refusing to consider raising taxes to reduce the ballooning deficit. McCain was asked on ABC's "This Week" whether he would make a similar pledge as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to do whatever it takes to bring down the deficit over the long run, such as raising taxes. The Arizona Republican said "no."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obama will have to drop proposals for a government-run health insurance option if he hopes to reach congressional agreement on health-care reform. McCain says many Americans are losing confidence in Obama partly because of concerns about the so-called public option. The Arizona Republican proposed that Obama meet with members of both parties in Congress to find areas of agreement, abandon the public option, and then make clear exactly what he wants in the legislation.

The Republican National Committee is asking a federal court to restore the ability of national parties to raise unlimited amounts of money and to spend it to help elect state-level candidates. The case focuses on hotly contested governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. The 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign financing law (PL 107-155) does not allow national parties to give money directly to state candidates. The RNC wants to change that so it can expressly back the party nominee for governor, advertise and send out mailings on behalf of state or local Republican candidates and make get-out-the-vote calls. The law also...

It will U.S. Sen. John McCain’s turn next week to face raucous crowds at health care town halls. The Arizona Republican will host town hall meetings Aug. 25 in Sun City and Aug. 26 in Phoenix. They will be focused on health care and reforms pushed by President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. That includes the possibility of a government-run system to cover the uninsured and operate alongside private for-profit insurance companies. The contentious health care issue has prompted ornery crowds to boo and criticize Democratic lawmakers at similar town halls in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Florida. Protesters on the...

Ex-presidential candidate is siding more closely with GOP these days. BY GREG GIROUX WASHINGTON - He ran for president last year as a “maverick” Republican and had a high-profile meeting with Barack Obama after the election, but Arizona Sen. John McCain has been a staunch Republican vote since failing to win the White House. In fact, McCain is siding with his party this year on closely divided votes with greater frequency than at any other period in his 23-year Senate career, according to a CQ analysis of Senate votes. On votes that pitted most Democrats against most Republicans, McCain has...

SAN'A, Yemen — A delegation of U.S. senators led by John McCain and the president of Yemen discussed on Monday ways to help the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country battle the threat from al-Qaida. The state SABA news agency said the American team and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh focused on "bilateral issues and fields of joint cooperation." No details immediately emerged from the meeting, but McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan confirmed earlier that the talks would include counterterrorism cooperation and Guantanamo detainees.

SNIP At this point, someone (maybe her mother?) suggested she should speak for the youngin' mavericks out there. She anointed herself head cheerleader on a one-woman squad, and went to work on her vision of a new Republican Party. A kinder, more gentle GOP where all everyone felt loved. In essence, one that would look more like an elephant in donkey's clothing. SNIP Then came the blogs ... oh the blogs! Posts riddled with self-indulgent drivel and giggling suggestions on how bring more youth into the listless party fold. "Go Gay, GOP!" Each had one overarching theme: To win, the...

TRIPOLI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John McCain praised Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi for his peacemaking role in Africa and said Congress would support expanding ties, Libyan state news agency Jana said on Friday. U.S.-Libyan relations have dramatically improved since Tripoli's decision in December 2003 to give up its weapons of mass destruction programmes, with diplomatic ties resuming in June 2004 after a break of more than two decades. "McCain and the delegation accompanying him confirmed the importance of expanding further the relations between Libya and the United States. The Congress would back the measures to be taken...

The Daily Beast's Meghan McCain on why the far-right pundit, who says McCain needs to shut up, won’t be getting her wish—and why telling moderates to get out of the party is bad for the GOP. BY MEGHAN MCCAIN Michelle Malkin, the conservative pundit and author of the recent book Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies, was asked during a live chat on Politico’s The Arena on Friday which conservative political figure or commentator needs to shut up. Guess who her answer was? Yeah, that’s right—yours truly. So Michelle Malkin successfully rounds out...

If John McCain thought he was running against a young 'un in last year's race against Barack Obama, wait until he sees the guy some Democrats say might take him on next year for the U.S. Senate. There's talk that Tucson City Councilman Rodney Glassman — a 31-year-old hyper-energetic first-term council member — could very well carry the flag for Dems in a race many see as a cinch for ol' Mac. Seems that Glassman, with his eyes on a higher prize than representing Tucson's Ward 2, has two main options before him should he choose to run for statewide...

Before the Senate takes its summer break, a handful of Senators are taking a chance to trash the climate bill. A group of moderate Senators wrote a letter to Barack Obama telling him that they cannot support the climate bill unless it's further weakend ease the burden of cap and trade policies. Seperately, John McCain ripped the bill while talking to Stephen Moore at the Wall Street Journal. . . . . . Over at the Wall Street Journal, John McCain takes a harder stance, saying, "this 1,400-page bill is a farce. They bought every industry off—steel mills, agriculture, utilities...I...

PHOENIX -- The Obama Administration is on a spending binge that must come to an end -- and without the president's health care reform proposal, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared Friday. McCain, who lost to President Barack Obama in last year's election, told Austin Hill, guest host on News/Talk 92-3 KTAR's "Ankarlo Mornings," that "We've amassed over a trillion dollars in additional debt on the American people since the president took office." He said Obama is slipping in the polls because, "The polls are showing the manifestation of the deep concern and worry Americans have about the debt and the...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – With the Senate poised to pass a bill Thursday night expanding the "cash for clunkers" program with an infusion of $2 billion, White House aides say President Obama will quickly sign the bill into law by the end of the week so there's no interruption to the popular incentive this weekend. "He's going to want to make sure the funds are in place by this weekend," one senior White House official noted because of the particularly brisk weekend business the program has sparked. There has been concern the program is so popular it will run out of...

WASHINGTON -- Arizona Sen. John McCain joined three other senators Thursday in sending a letter to President Barack Obama, expressing concern over reports the Administration may try the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and other alleged war criminals in civilian courts. The senators said they believe that military commissions are the appropriate forum to try suspected terrorists and war criminals. Joining McCain in signing the letter were fellow Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrats Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Jim Webb of Virginia. Trying Mohammed and others in civil courts "would treat the war on terrorism as...

(snip) "I think you could say that it is a short-term improvement in the economy. And I'll be glad to give him credit for that. But the question that I think we should be asking are the long term consequences of this unprecedented debts and deficits — are they beneficial to the country? And I think the answer is no." (snip)

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As negotiations over a health care reform bill drag on in the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. John McCain says he is not in favor of the approach most likely to be put forward by a bipartisan group of six senators negotiating on the committee. . . . . . McCain does not favor a pure public option run by the federal government and the Arizona Republican says he also does not favor insurance co-operatives – an alternative to government-run, single-payer insurance that has been proposed by North Dakota Democrat Sen. Kent Conrad who sits on the Senate...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The “Blue Dogs,” a group of moderate to conservative House Democrats who have worked to limit the price tag of health care reform legislation, are taking a hit from a prominent Republican who is suggesting that the group will ultimately prove ineffectual. “The Blue Dogs, they always bark and they never bite,” Arizona Sen. John McCain said on an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “They almost always – in fact, always, roll over and then play dead.”

John McCain is red in the face and hopping mad. I’m sitting in his office in the Senate Russell Office Building, and he’s just rushed in after delivering a speech on the Senate floor where he seethed about the earmarks in the Homeland Security Bill.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain says he sees Sarah Palin continuing to play a major role in the future of the Republican Party. McCain says he respects the decision that his 2008 vice presidential running mate made to resign as Alaska governor. The Arizona senator says people make decisions based on what's best for them and for their families. And he says he thinks Palin "clearly" made the best decision. McCain says he thinks she will continue to be "a force" within the GOP. Palin intends to write a book and try to build a right-of-center coalition. Her long-term...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain says he is still on the fence when it comes to voting for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. McCain says he is examining Sotomayor's record as an appeals court judge to decide whether she understands the limits to judicial power. He voted against her when she was nominated to the appeals court. A Senate vote is expected this week. The Arizona Republican says the prospect of Sotomayor becoming the first Hispanic on the high court is part of the discussion, and calls her a great American success story. Two of McCain's close Senate colleagues...

(CNN) — Despite his campaign-trail promises, President Obama has failed to change the partisan tone in Washington, Arizona Sen. John McCain said Friday. "I'm afraid they have," Obama's former presidential rival told CNN's John King when asked if the administration has 'failed' in delivering on its repeated pledge of bipartisanship.

SAN DIEGO – Immigration, a hot-button issue that has dominated headlines in Arizona and nationally over recent years, is fading from the public consciousness amid economic turmoil, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen said July 30. “Because of what’s going on with the recession, although (immigration) is still important, it’s not nearly as important as the recession,” Pullen said in an interview at the Republican National Committee’s annual summer meeting. “Cap and trade is now even a higher issue in Arizona than is immigration, as well as health care.” . . . . . Pullen, an anti-illegal immigration activist before...

Maverick senator should battle Supreme Court appointment. It's time for Sen. John McCain to step up to the plate on an issue he usually leaves to others. The Arizona Republican ought to fight hard against the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Mr. McCain is usually not a partisan warrior on the subject of judges. But that's a reason why his active involvement would be effective. As the Republican Party's most recent presidential standard bearer, he commands more attention than almost any other senator in his party. As a man with a reputation for principled independence, his...

Somewhere, in his new life as a political hermit, Sen. John McCain must be grinding his teeth. Facing a primary challenge from the right in his campaign for reelection, McCain (R-Ariz.) has gone from spending nearly a decade as a hyper-exposed, perennial presidential candidate to being someone you can only find on Twitter. But with a tough decision to make any day now, McCain will reluctantly do what he has avoided for so long: make news. This will happen when McCain announces his vote for or against the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Either choice...

During the 2008 presidential race, America's Independent Party leaders warned against the notion that somehow John McCain represented any sort of real alternative to Barack Obama. The proof of that assertion continues to mount. Even on matters that affect the very physical survival of our nation, the Senator from Arizona sets no bounds on compromise.

Our health care system must be reformed and this is as an historic opportunity to achieve the changes that Americans need, now more than ever. The health care industry accounts for nearly one-sixth of our economy and affects every American family and household budget. As Americans, we are fortunate to have the highest quality of health care, one that draws patients from around the world who seek the best medical care. And while we can all agree on the need for reform, it’s not the quality of care that needs to change but rather the cost. Health care reform must...

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about the violence that continues to plague our southern border region by Mexico’s well armed, well financed, and very determined drug cartels. Despite the increased efforts of President Calderon to stamp out these blood-thirsty and vicious drug cartels, violence has increased dramatically, claiming over 6,000 lives in Mexico last year alone. The murderers carrying out these crimes are as violent and dangerous as any in the world. Many have extensive military training and carry out their illegal activities with sophisticated tactical weapons and no regard for human life. Last week,...