Sen. JOHN McCAIN Yesterday at Marana Townhall Meeting

NOTE: Our great friend TOM DUNN was part of the Introduction of Sen. McCain. Congratulations to Tom & the town of Marana for an excellent event!

McCain: Both parties to blame for US woes

By Brian J. Pedersen

Arizona Daily Star

Published: 05.27.2009

McCain pays visit to Marana

Elections have consequences.
Like a stand-up comedian trying to push a catchphrase, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., kept coming back to that statement during an hour-long town hall gathering Tuesday in Marana.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO OF THE MARANA TOWNHALL

Whether it was efforts being made to turn around the economy, President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court or U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi's CIA allegations, McCain told the crowd of more than 200 people at the Marana Municipal Complex that today's America is a direct result of last November's voting. But rather than place all the blame on the ruling Democratic Party, McCain said Republicans were just as much at fault — yet as a whole they haven't fully accepted that consequence.

"We Republicans let spending get out of control, and we paid a very heavy price in the election," McCain said, adding that Republicans "are in step 1 of a 12-step program. We're still in denial. We need to move on from that."

What McCain said about . . .

Sen. John McCain's town hall gathering Tuesday in Marana touched on a variety of topics.

• On Sonia Sotomayor, a federal appeals judge who would be the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice: "It's probably not the nomination I would have chosen, but we'll go through a careful review of her qualifications and records."

• On North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test: "This is very disturbing. What needs to be done now is we need to have meaningful sanctions. I think it's a very dangerous situation, one that calls for very firm action from the Security Council, the U.S. and from China. It's time that China stepped up to the plate. China is the one that has the most influence over North Korea."

• On the federal government's bailout of companies such as AIG and General Motors: "There is no reason for us to be in the car business. There is no reason for us to be in the life insurance business. History shows us when government gets into the free-enterprise system, they don't get out."

• On U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan: "The conflict in Afghanistan is going to be very tough. We're going to have to go in there the same way we did with the surge in Iraq."

• On the political aspirations of his daughter, Meghan: "We don't always agree on everything, but it leads to some spirited debate. Sometimes we have very spirited conversations at the dinner table."

• On the graduation of his son, Jack, from the U.S. Naval Academy and his upcoming attendance at flight school in Pensacola, Fla.: "I hope he's a better pilot than I am."