John McCain Misses Libya Briefing While Criticizing Lack Of Briefing On Libya

Sometimes, you just can’t make this stuff up:

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was leading a press conference Wednesday to condemn the administration’s lack of transparency regarding the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, it turns out he could have been attending a classified briefing on the subject.

Due to what his office called a “scheduling error,” McCain accompanied Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday to demand before reporters a select committee of Congress to investigate the violence in Libya, rather than attend the scheduled 11 a.m. closed-door briefing for members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. At his press conference, McCain continued to rail on the president and his administration – including U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice – for botched handling of information in the aftermath of the attack.

Yes, it’s official. John McCain is in Cranky Old Man mode.

FILED UNDER: Congress, Intelligence, National Security, US Politics, , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Fiona says:

    McCain is a grumpy, bitter old man who’s never gotten over losing to Obama. He’s passed his expiration date, yet he’s still a Sunday talk show darling. It’s time for him to go.

  2. stonetools says:

    Can anyone explain to me why in the world the press pays so much attention to this man? I guess press devotion to him dates back to his ” Maverick”, “Straight Talk” days, but those days are long gone.
    He seems to have virtually a standing invitation to appear on the Sunday talk shows, no matter what the topic, and there is breathless press coverage of his every move. Enough already!

  3. miguel cervantes says:

    Can they explain how the notion that it was a spontaneous protest, when Zawahiri and his other associates, had issued a fatwa, seeking revenge for the death of Hussein Quaid, Abu Yahya Al Libi,

  4. michael reynolds says:

    @miguel cervantes:

    Do you believe there is a one-to-one causeand-effect between Zawahiri fatwas and terrorist incidents?

  5. Franklin says:

    @miguel cervantes:
    Do you believe in complete sentences?

  6. Herb says:

    I guess it’s safe to say that John McCain doesn’t know what he’s talking about then….

  7. michael reynolds says:

    McCain is positively Shakespearean. From hero all the way down to spiteful buffoon.

  8. de stijl says:

    @Franklin:

    @miguel cervantes:
    Do you believe in complete sentences?

    Yeah, he does believe in complete sentences. Don Quixote is chock full of them.

    But frankly, he’s been coasting for years (centuries, even). What has he written since Don Quixote that’s been worth reading? He’s like the Phillip Roth or Tom Wolfe of Spain with his best work way, way behind him. Give it up, pal.

  9. Chefmarty says:

    I find it curious that since the post’s about McCain, there’s a ‘5 signs of Alzheimer’s’ ad in the sidebar. Just sayin’

  10. Ron Beasley says:

    McCain has been a bitter old man since the Navy told him he would never be an admiral. He became really bitter when Obama humiliated him in 2008. Now he is nothing but a bitter old man who goes around shouting “get off my lawn.”

  11. Todd says:

    From the very start it’s been obvious that Republicans are much more interested in scoring political points, than finding out what happened in Benghazi. This is not surprising at all.

  12. Ron Beasley says:

    BTW the conservative entertainment network(think FOX) needed a scandal for ratings. For them it’s a business deal – red meat for their demographic. Anyone who still thinks that FOX is a legitimate news organization is a fool. The same can be said for the political hacks who pretend they are lawmakers. This is nothing but tribal warfare on the part of the politicians and economics on the part of the conservative entertainment complex.

  13. Argon says:

    In his later years Jesse Helms actually mellowed a bit as he sought to change how the world would remember him.

    So, John McCain, is this how you’d like to be remembered?

  14. sam says:

    Anybody see McCain’s exchange with the CNN reporter when asked why he missed the meeting?

    “I have no comment about my schedule and I’m not going to comment on how I spend my time to the media,” McCain said. Asked why he wouldn’t comment, McCain grew agitated: “Because I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me I can or not?”

    Crazy old coot.

  15. Jen says:

    @sam: I heard the recording (they played it on CNN) and all I could think of was “sounds like someone missed his nap.”

    It was probably an oversight on the part of a staffer, but this sort of error when you are grandstanding on an issue makes him look like a fool. An angry fool.

  16. J-Dub says:

    I simply fail to see how any of this qualifies as a scandal. What is McCain even charging? That the administration lied about the timeline or who the perpetrators were? To what end?

  17. Tony W says:

    The R’s and Fox News are searching tirelessly for Obama’s Lewinsky scandal. Without it there will be a debate on the issues – something that cannot be tolerated.