McCain Comes to Town

Before his plane lands, the framework of a bi-partisan deal is in place.

After his plane lands, the mood sours and the deal goes away.

Note to congressional Democrats: suspend negotiations until McCain leaves DC.

Note to everyone else: second verse, same as the first:

During a meeting Thursday on immigration legislation, McCain and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) got into a shouting match when Cornyn started voicing concerns about the number of judicial appeals that illegal immigrants could receive, according to multiple sources -- both Democrats and Republicans -- who heard firsthand accounts of the exchange from lawmakers who were in the room.

At a bipartisan gathering in an ornate meeting room just off the Senate floor, McCain complained that Cornyn was raising petty objections to a compromise plan being worked out between Senate Republicans and Democrats and the White House. He used a curse word associated with chickens and accused Cornyn of raising the issue just to torpedo a deal.

Things got really heated when Cornyn accused McCain of being too busy campaigning for president to take part in the negotiations, which have gone on for months behind closed doors. "Wait a second here," Cornyn said to McCain. "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, a former Navy pilot, then used language more accustomed to sailors (not to mention the current vice president, who made news a few years back after a verbal encounter with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

"[Expletive] you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room," shouted McCain at Cornyn. McCain helped craft a bill in 2006 that passed the Senate but couldn't be compromised with a House bill that was much tougher on illegal immigrants.

The man is absolutely uninterested in policy, procedure, or anything that does not benefit his own personal ambition. Remember, this week's buffoonery is from a man who has changed positions 5 times on the crisis since last Monday and who had not read Secretary Paulson's plan until at least Tuesday. Does anyone know if he's read it since? He is in DC for one thing: to help John McCain win. It has nothing to do with the economy or the country. This man is not a hero. Were it not for the horrible actions taken against him in a prison camp, there would be no sympathy for or interest in a washed-up fly boy who causes things to crash and burn because of his recklessness.