Rachel Maddow smacked down the defacto foreign policy leader of the Republican Party, Republican Senator John McCain, for being both wrong and incompetent on foreign policy.
After playing a Chris Hayes montage of McCain getting it wrong repeatedly entitled “Arm the Rebels”, Maddow delivered the final blow, “(E)ven if you’re just the opposition, you need to know what you’re talking about. You need to have a basic level of competence. And doing what John McCain says is not a reasonable substitution for basic competence on this subject.”
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Noting that the Republican Party still hasn’t admitted they got Iraq wrong, and that they ran Mitt Romney who has zero foreign policy experience, Rachel Maddow sees Republicans as allowing McCain to be their voice for foreign policy. This is a problem for the country since he is so often completely wrong on the subject.
Maddow ended her dedication to McCain’s incompetence with this brutal smack down, “There is a basic level of interest and competence required even of the opposition party on the subject, even if the country has decided they don’t want to put you back in the White House, not after what George W Bush did with it. Even if you’re just in congress, even if you’re just the opposition, you need to know what you’re talking about. You need to have a basic level of competence. And doing what John McCain says is not a reasonable substitution for basic competence on this subject.”
Rachel Maddow is not impressed with John McCain’s media-created foreign policy gravitas. John McCain is almost never right, but the Republican Party seems to have lost all interest in foreign policy after Bush. Neither Romney nor Ryan had an ounce of foreign policy experience. So into this vacuum steps the angry senator from Arizona, best known for “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” and other less than nuanced statements.
What is McCain doing with the power vacuum? Nothing useful or good.
McCain was calling for a Watergate like investigation over Benghazi that he could lead, but that got shot down since his accusations were based on McCain logic (also known as being wrong).
Now, McCain is showing his “foreign policy” power by stomping his feet and declaring that until he gets answers from Susan Rice, he will not only refuse to confirm her, but he will refuse to confirm any Secretary of State. In other words, since he didn’t get his committee, he’ll leave America without a Secretary of State.
Never mind that Rice was only repeating what the intelligence community approved as talking points on the Benghazi attacks, McCain wants her to go on TV and say she was “wrong.”
Luckily no one is taking McCain too seriously, as even Joe Lieberman has abandoned McCain on his Benghazi jihad. As McCain makes the media rounds to hold Rice’s feet to the fire over properly repeating talking points that were kept vague for national security purposes, it’s worth remembering that he has a record of being mostly wrong and clearly incompetent on this very issue.
Only a fool would suggest that we compromise our ongoing investigation by showing our hand to the terrorists before we knew who they were.

KatzKids
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 7:15 am
Dear John, of “I’m suspending my campaign to deal with the crisis” fame, had no idea of what he was talking about then, anymore than he does about foreign policy now.
The man who graduated at the bottom of his class at the Academy, crashed millions of dollars of planes due to his incompetence, crashed another & lands in Viet Nam where he collaborates with the Cong through out his imprisonment, is the voice of the GOPTP now on military/foreign policy strategy? The voice of Alzheimer’s.
GOP, give it up, you have no one with any brains in any area what-so-ever in your party. Fold your tent, & please, just silently slip away, never to be heard from again.
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majii
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Great point, KK! Also, we should note that the best foreign policy person the GOP had in Congress, Sen. Lugar, was primaried by the nutty tea partiers in Indiana. He then lost to Richard Mourdock who ended up getting beaten by Joe Donnelly, a democrat. This is what happens when voters allow their emotions to overpower their brains.
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christine brombosz
Nov. 21st, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I would like john mccain’s record be known about wrecking planes and not taking responsibility for his mistakes..because alot of new generation don’t know and they should…because he inflated his resume and EGO……needs to be put in his place because of what he is doing to Susan RICE.
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Paws
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 7:48 am
What John McCain has said against Ambassador Rice is absolutely insane. He who unleashed Sarah Palin on the nation and touted her as being ready to be President, is not in a position to question anyone’s qualifications, least of all someone like Amb. Rice.
It is clear Mr. McCain has an axe to grind against President Obama and he will do anything he can to try and make him look bad – and he doesn’t care who he smears in the process. Apparently, he also doesn’t care how idiotic he makes himself look in the process.
To me, Mr. McCain is fast becoming completely unhinged. He has allowed his hatred of the President and his election loss in 2008 to fester inside his brain like an infection, and now he’s throwing whatever he can at the President in an attempt to bring him down.
The final straw has to be him demanding an apology from Amb. Rice when he is the one who owes an apology to Amb. Rice as well as the American people.
His family needs to step in here and get him a medical evaluation stat.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 7:57 am
he also has an ax to grind against Susan Rice. Susan Rice made a few remarks about John McCain when he was running for president in 2008 that he took seriously. He is going to do everything he can to make sure that she doesn’t get the office. And it has nothing to do with Benghazi.
John McCain didn’t get the memo that the GOP needs to turn into something that makes sense. He’s nothing more than a bitter loser
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Sam
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 10:08 am
What remarks did Susan rice make about McCain in 2008? You can’t throw something like this out there without backing your comment. A link would be appreciated.
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Leslie Parsley
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
“As a campaign surrogate in 2008, Ms. Rice could be withering. When Mr. Obama made a trip to the Middle East, she mocked an earlier visit Mr. McCain had made to a market in Baghdad, during which he wore body armor. She said of her candidate, “I don’t think he’ll be strolling around the market in a flak jacket.”
I guess McCain didn’t think it was as funny as a lot of folks did.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/world/susan-e-rice-caught-up-in-furor-over-benghazi.html?pagewanted=all
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Septchile
Nov. 22nd, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Daily Kos
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Reynardine
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 7:58 am
Aaaah-mennn!
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luciboo
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 8:15 am
Rachel Maddow does such a great job of explaining stuff.
We liberals are fortunate to have her and her voice is growing in the media. I heard her last night and I hope John McCain did too. Love you Rachel!
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maya
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 8:29 am
Typical Republican Bullying tactics that obviously don’t work for the American people. They don’t want someone in office that is all talk w/ no substance. Thank God that McCain wasn’t elected 4 yrs ago and that Romney was shot down this time. The American people have spoken and now the Repubs need to get off their high horses and learn to work with our President for the good and stop trying to find some far-fetched conspiracy theory.
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Caroline
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 8:47 am
Rachel always says it so succinctly, just LOVE her!!!! Now McCain…I’ve seen dementia in action & dude you are so sitting in that swimming pool of lost sanity. When a person loses, it is customary to realize that it is time to gracefully back out of the room & allow the winner to have THEIR moment in the sun. Upon research one will find that you have been sitting inthe last place loser chair the majority of your adult life….lessons learned?…. Apparently not! Aging gracefully appears to be something that you are neither able nor capable of doing. Veterans have told me that you are an embarrassment & disgrace to the military, past & current. I believe it is time for your wife & children to have a forthright conversation w/both you & your physician regarding behavior modification & a medication regimen as it is apparent to all that you are unable to control your outbursts,delusions & dementia any longer. Please take care of yourself as you have definitely become a danger to both you & those around you!
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Kenneth Morgan
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 9:21 am
I, John McCain, having painted myself into a corner of stupidity known only to a few, was wrong; but I am too cranky to acknowledge such to the American people. Ergo, I will continue painting and demand an apology from some one who did nothing wrong. Knowing this will destroy her career, and I have no shame, will do this to save face (as usual) and look kinda important to the world. READ: I am doing this because I’m still pissed off about losing to a n***r in the WH.
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Scott Smith
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 9:43 am
I watched her show last night and wondered why, if the main stream media is so liberal(ha!), there aren’t stories on every nightly news about how Grampy McCain is batcrap crazy. CNN tried – asked him about missing, you know, work so he could rant and rave in front of the camera. But no follow up. Not another peep about how this insane old man is running around with the remains of his hair on fire looking for someone to spew venom at instead of actually doing his job and getting those answers he’s looking for. The rest of us know – he has no thirst for knowledge, just for payback.
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David Moroleon
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 10:16 am
John, You’re awfully cranky,have you been missing your afternoon nap again?
Or do you just need stronger medications?
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Laura Zlogar
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Why do the networks continue to give this crackpot air time? Every Sunday morning, he is the first to be featured on CBS, NBC, and ABC in addition to CNN and, of course, Fox. The networks are complicit in promoting his nonsense.
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K from Bellingham
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 11:21 am
” Sour grapes usually only takes 5 days, not 4 years “.
-Michael Moore
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Lyz Kruf
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 11:51 am
John McCain circa 1967: POW (Prisoner of War).
John Mc Cain 2012: POW (Pompous Old Windbag).
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Rita
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Well the reason he keeps getting in is because AZ is full of republicans who think he is an off shoot of God and knows all there is to know. For those of us (Dem’s) we KNOW HE DOESN’T KNOW SHIT FROM SHINOLA. But you can’t convince AZ Republicans that. They only know that R stands for what McCain tells them, RIGHT. So that is how they vote.
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fedded-up
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
It’s hard to believe that here we are 4 years later, still having to listen to blatantly partisan baseless nincompoopery (is that a word?!?!) from the same blatantly partisan baseless nincompoop. Guy is a caricature of ‘angry old white man’ syndrome, otherwise known as the modern-day GOPTP. Dude just cannot seem to quit flinging excrement.
Gee, John, aren’t you supposed to be an elder statesman, you know, like ‘the voice of reason,’ taming the younger firebrands, etc, etc??? It’s been so long since you had anything to say that actually was based in reality, it’s becoming quite easy to relegate you to history’s scrapheap.
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Alex Contreras
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
You can’t spell crazy without AZ.
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PMC
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Rice on McCain
http://washingtonexaminer.com/susan-rice-repeatedly-criticized-mccain-as-dangerous-and-reckless-during-2008-campaign/article/2513552
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Anne
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
There is no longer any reason even for the media to pretend that this embittered loser has any “gravitas” on foreign policy. He has repeatedly proven that he is hot-headed and impulsive, and reaching the age of 76 has done nothing to change that. He despises the man who beat him and Willard Romney–so much, that he’s quite willing to put an investigation of a serious matter at risk to embarrass him. I firmly believe that the presidential candidate of 2008 who ran a horrible campaign with an equally horrible running mate, and the mean-spirited bully who’s harrassing Amb. Rice, are the real John McCain. It’s become obvious that we have been giving this man too much credit over the years. He is far from being the hero he’s been portrayed by the media.
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Patrick Gerace
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
McCain needs to go on TV and say he was wrong – for not vetting Palin.
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Marita carlson
Nov. 20th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
KatzKids: : You have just maligned a war hero and, moreover, without any regard for the facts. While you may justifiably criticize Senator McCain’s foreign policy comments, you are completely out to lunch regarding his war record. He did not collaborate with the enemy as you claim. He served courageously in captivity, enduring torture and excruciating pain. What an unjustified attack you have leveled . Stick to the facts. I have no idea why both right wingers and left wingers play so loose with the truth!
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Lois
Nov. 21st, 2012 at 12:57 am
Two of my F/B friends HAVE “defriended”
me due to my highly derogative comments on F/B re the opposing candidate; at this time, both have gone so far as to delete their accounts on F/b. Can’t believe I have given them this “power”!! Am very hurt because I liked them both very much. I could say that this was coincidental, but don’t believe that. Have sent them each Email letters apologizng for becoming so “fanatical”" but no response. Any feedback please . Many thanx…I always felt they were terric gals….Guess I was wrong.
Lois
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chuck
Nov. 21st, 2012 at 5:39 am
Happy Turkey Day Mitt
http://chucksmomentoftruth.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/thanksgiving-turkey-mitt-romney/
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rondell gunn
Nov. 21st, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Mister McCain is the prime example of the Republican Party being “Too Old And Too White.”
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chuck
Nov. 23rd, 2012 at 10:15 am
http://chucksmomentoftruth.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/thanksgiving-turkey-mitt-romney/
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chuck
Nov. 24th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
Fiscal cliff…danger!!!
http://chucksmomentoftruth.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/the-fiscal-cliff-danger-will-robinson/
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Miles Jacobson
Nov. 29th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
I never regretted NOT voting for John McCain for President until now.
Had he won, He woouldn’t be the pain in the ass Senator that he is today !!
McCain the Pain !!
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