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Former GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who this week referred to Tea Party lawmakers as "hobbits," publicly criticized Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey Sunday during an unusual unscripted debate on the Senate floor. McCain, who appeared to be having a great 'ol time during a back and forth with Democrat Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, referred to Toomey and those who share his views as "terrible." (snip) "...the terrible obstructionists on this side of the aisle, the terrible people, their flawed philosophical views about the future of America..."

July 3, 2011 2 Republicans Open Door to Increases in Revenue By JOHN M. BRODER WASHINGTON — Two senior Republicans said Sunday that they might be open to raising new government revenue as part of a deal to resolve the dispute over the federal debt ceiling, but they warned that there was little time to enact a comprehensive deal. One of the senators, John Cornyn of Texas, said he would consider eliminating some tax breaks and corporate subsidies in the context of changes in the tax code, provided there was not an overall increase in taxes. “I think it’s clear...

The American people won’t accept tax increases as part of a debt ceiling increase compromise, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday.

 In an interview on CNN's “State of the Union” with Candy Crowley McCain said even proposed increases on specific taxes was not something Republicans could agree to. "Well, I think that if we did those small things you're talking about it would have a very small impact but the principle of not raising taxes is something that we campaigned on last November and the results of the election was that the American people don't want their taxes raised and...

WASHINGTON — Republican Senator John McCain, his party's 2008 presidential nominee, ripped into the current crop of Republican White House contenders, accusing them of breaking party tradition by preaching "isolationism." McCain said if former President Ronald Reagan were still alive he would have been disappointed in last week's Republican presidential debate in which candidates voiced impatience with U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Libya. "He would be saying: That's not the Republican Party of the 20th century, and now the 21st century. That is not the Republican Party that has been willing to stand up for freedom for...

The debate was on public display Sunday as two of the GOP's leading figures on defense and foreign policy, Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, criticized Republican presidential hopefuls and congressional leaders who question the country's military intervention around the world. "There has always been an isolationist strain in the Republican Party," McCain said on ABC's "This Week," "but now it seems to have moved more center stage.... That is not the Republican Party that has been willing to stand up for freedom for people all over the world." Graham said on NBC's "Meet the...

WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- President Obama is repeating a mistake he made at the beginning of his administration with his call for a Palestinian state, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Friday. McCain, R-Arizona, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, was interviewed by Sean Hannity, the ultra-conservative Fox News commentator. McCain said the president was wrong in his speech on Middle East policy to say that Israel should agree to a Palestinian state based on its borders in 1967. "I think they're making the same mistake that they made at the beginning of the administration," McCain said. "As you may...

WASHINGTON -- Arizona Sen. John McCain joined three other senators Wednesday in supporting President Barack Obama's decision to impose sanctions on Syrian leader Bashar al Assad and other top Syrian officials. McCain signed the statement along with fellow Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida and Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. "We applaud President Obama for imposing sanctions on Bashar al Assad and other top Syrian officials," the senators' statement said. "The President's strong and principled action today should send an unmistakable message that the United States stands in solidarity with the brave protesters in Syria...

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) has introduced a bill that would allow the President to imprison an unlimited number of American citizens (as well as foreigners) indefinitely without trial. Known as The Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010, or S. 3081, the bill authorizes the President to deny a detainee a trial by jury simply by designating that person an “enemy belligerent.” The bill, which has eight cosponsors, explicitly names U.S. citizens as among those who can be detained indefinitely without trial: An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent...

John McCain has the second-lowest approval rating among U.S. senators, according to a new poll. About one-third of Arizona's registered voters approve of McCain's job performance - 34 percent compared with 53 percent who disapprove of the job he's doing - according to a new poll by Public Policy Polling. That's a drop from 40 percent approval in January. Only Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) scored lower among sitting senators, 29 percent to 58 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain, one of the strongest proponents in Congress of the U.S. military intervention in Libya, is heading to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi for a meeting with forces fighting to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi, an aide told The Associated Press. McCain was scheduled to arrive in Benghazi on Friday, said Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the senator.