WASHINGTON, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Apparently the stress of
reviving his crumbling presidential campaign during politically sensitive
talks on immigration reform was too much for John McCain. According to
media reports, McCain launched an expletive-laden tirade at fellow
Republican Senator John Cornyn last week when the Texas senator criticized
McCain for his diminished role in this year's immigration negotiations.
During talks last week, Cornyn reportedly criticized McCain, saying, "I've
been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute
in here on the last day. You're out of line." McCain responded by accusing
Cornyn of "making a 'chickens-t' argument to try to sink the delicate
immigration package" and shouting, "[Expletive] you! I know more about this
than anyone else in the room." [Washingtonpost.com, 5/18/07; Roll Call,
5/21/07]
McCain's angry outburst highlights the pressure he's been under. A
principal architect of last year's McCain-Kennedy immigration bill, McCain
has backed away from the bill and played a far smaller role in the issue
this year in the face of heavy criticism from conservative activists on the
campaign trail. Not only did McCain switch his views on his own bill, but
he hasn't even been able to make up his mind about what role he played in
this year's talks. After boasting during the last Republican presidential
candidate debate that he has been "heavily engaged in all of the
negotiations and in phone calls and conference calls and various meetings,"
McCain later changed his tune, telling reporters he played only "a small
part" in the talks. [The Hill, 5/18/07]
"Apparently, John McCain's do-anything-to-win campaign strategy doesn't
include anger management classes," said Democratic National Committee
spokesman Damien LaVera. "McCain can lash out at his critics, but his
temper tantrums are just the latest reminder that John McCain simply isn't
offering the kind of leadership that the American people want in their next
president. The fact is, John McCain's campaign is stuck in a downward
spiral because the voters can see through his misleading rhetoric on Iraq
and his shifting views on everything from immigration to campaign finance
reform."
---
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http://www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.
Contact: Damien LaVera, 202-863-8148
|
