Looks like John McCain lost control of that famous temper of his once again. After the Senate voted to filibuster the Defense Authorization Act and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, McCain had this heated exchange with reporters in the Senate print gallery. According to ABC News, reporters are not supposed to take pictures or record video in that area, so here's how McCain acts when he assumes no one is recording him.
CBS's The Note also transcribed the exchange:
“Regulations are you do not go out and seek to find out someone’s sexual orientation,” McCain said. “You do not. That is the fact. That is the fact. Now, ma’am, I know the military very well and I know what’s being done and what is being done is that they are not seeking out people who are gay. I don’t care what you say, I know it’s a fact. Okay?”
“It’s not what I say,” replied the reporter.
“I know what you say,” responded McCain. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t care what others say. I’ve seen it in action. I’ve seen it in action. I have sons in the military. I know the military very well. So they’re not telling you the truth.”
The reporter then said, “Just to make sure – “
“Just to make sure,” McCain interrupted, “we do not go out and seek out – no one goes out to see whether someone is gay or not. We do not go out to seek to find out whether someone is gay or not.”
“Private emails are not being searched?” the reporter then asked numerous times. “There are documented cases.”
“They do not,” McCain stated. “They do not. They do not. You can say that they are. You can say that pigs fly, but it’s not true.”
“That is the case of Mike Almy,” a second reporter interjected. Almy was discharged from the Air Force in 2006 after a search of his private e-mails revealed he was gay.
“It is not the policy,” McCain replied. “It is not the policy. It’s not the policy. It’s not the policy. It’s not the policy. It’s not the policy. It’s not the policy. You can say that is the policy, sir, if you choose to, but it’s not the policy. I’ll be glad to get that to you in writing.”
Rachel Maddow brought on Maj. Mike Almy to respond to Sen. McCain's outburst. As he noted McCain should know full well that there are private emails being searched since he testified in front of McCain about it happening to him. As he said either McCain wasn't paying any attention during the hearing, or he's lying. I'd opt for the latter.That angry old man still isn't over having lost the presidential election.
