From The Road
February 12, 2008 12:06 PM

McCain's Victory Lap on the Senate Floor

By
Chip Reid
Topics
John McCain
(CBS)
From CBS News Capitol Hill Correspondent Chip Reid:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- John McCain was the center of attention when he made a rare appearance on the Senate floor this morning.

Republican colleagues took turns -- a couple even waited in line -- to shake his hand and pat him on the back. He spent alot of time in serious conversation with some of his strongest supporters -- Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Richard Burr, R-N.C. (recently quoted as saying he'd be interested in the VP job); Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex.; Mel Martinez, R-Fla.; Sam Brownback, R-Kansas (who could be heard facetiously bragging about how he rallied the vote for McCain in Kansas, where McCain got crushed by Mike Huckabee); Susan Collins, R-Maine; Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia.

Two fun moments (if only we had the floor bugged!):

-- Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., walked over to the Republican side of the floor and handed McCain a piece of paper. McCain started reading it and immediately started laughing out loud. A practical joke of some sort. They really are very friendly. McCain has been pulling the paper out and showing it to other Senators -- big laughs all around.

-- The best moment may have been McCain bumping into Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Cochran recently gave McCain a half-hearted endorsement, a couple weeks after telling reporters: "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." (They've had brutal battles over earmarks.) When McCain saw Cochran on the floor today he walked over and gave him a big back-slapping Senate hello, they talked for about 15 seconds, then embraced each other.

See, this really is a club.

  • Chip Reid

    Chip Reid is CBS News' national correspondent.

Add a Comment
by callenfallen February 12, 2008 9:18 PM EST
After years of working together, McCain is in a campaign, he''s supposed to what? Cause the drama the public loves and fist fight his co-worker, instead of being mature adults that conduct business. Sorry about the vets and children comment, hopefully, the conditions will be cured and you can handle the weapon of choice, safely. Several people can''t get a CCW permit w/background, either. Thank you for your service to this country. McCain fan or not he has served this country and I am proud he is an american, as well.
Reply to this comment
by davide73-2009 February 12, 2008 7:05 PM EST
Are these the guys that people were talking about when they said Washington is broken? I guess that talk didn''t mean anything since it seems to be back to business as usual.
Reply to this comment
by rsmphd February 12, 2008 6:01 PM EST
"Bomb! Bomb! Bomb! Iran! and 100
more years of troops in Iraq Senator John McCain may have Swift
boated himself by not stopping "The Veterans Disarmament Act" with help from his supporter President Bush who recently signed it into law.

"The Veterans Disarmament Act"
takes away veterans that have been diagnosed with PTSD along with children in ADHD and IDEA programs.

Veterans and children must prove themselves to be competent and go through strict rules to counter the diagnosis. The children and veterans have mountains of paper work to prove themselves fit to own only a small caliber weapon, let alone thousands of weapons of
mass destruction. Without proof
the veterans and children are stripped of their second amendment rights without due process.

John Mccain''s latest angry antics at the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" hearings is only the latest
displays of PTSD like symptoms.
Many Senators have been subjected
to his outburst in public over his years in the Senate.

Will he be given special treatment and not have to comply with the new "Act?" Or will it apply only to the rank and file veterans and the underaged children and their "Inalienable rights?"


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