Amnesia! McCain Did What Franken Did In 2002

2008 was the year in which I thought John McCain's hypocrisy could not transcend to a higher level.

With all the filth and reversals that the "worst candidate in Presidential history" offered to the nation, I thought maybe in the following year he would scale back on how embarrassing his behavior and comments were to his long shaky image of supposedly being "Mr. Straight Talk".

But today, in another classic job of muckracking from the terrific Faiz Shakir, McCain's cries of Al Franken breaking the decorum of the Senate for interrupting his pal, "The Guy Scared Of Rachel Maddow", by following the Senate rules, rings even more hallow then it did yesterday.

The reason why? We'll, because he did exactly want Franken did seven years ago.

Unfortunately, McCain’s memory is suffering. In fact, McCain has engaged in the very same behavior that he was criticizing Franken for yesterday.

On October 10, 2002 — just ahead of the looming mid-term elections — the Senate rushed a debate on a war authorization giving President Bush the power to use force against Iraq. The resolution ultimately passed the Senate after midnight on an early Friday morning by a vote of 77-23.

During the course of the frenzied floor debate, then-Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN) spoke in favor of an amendment offered by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) that would have restricted Bush’s constitutional powers to wage war against Iraq. After a minute and a half, Dayton ran out of time, prompting this exchange:

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator’s time has expired.

Mr. DAYTON. I ask for unanimous consent that I have 30 seconds more to finish my remarks.

Mr. McCAIN. I object.

Now, besides that event damning McCain to the world class clown that he is, yesterday also featured a moment in the Senate where someone was not granted extended time. Before Franken thankfully did to Lieberman what he did, Mark Begich did the following as well, though I don't remember who he did it to since it was just a basic following of procedure.

And just to note, our sad pathetic excuse for a media has proceeded to take McCain's side so far (before they "break Think Progress' exposure of McCain doing his BS, a job they should have done themselves) by saying what Franken did was "extraordinary".

An example of this was an interview MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell was conducting with a New York Times writer on the network's Friday NY Times show. And expect, until their feeble minds get a hold of that story, for them to continue to picture Franken as the "freshman senator who needs to mature and understand the Senate" portrait that they will frame him as.

Only they will look just as unfair and idiotic as "Mr. Straight Talk" does once again. "The Spatula", still flipping and flopping all over the place just like he did a year ago.

What McCain did seven years ago was just like what Franken (and Begich) did yesterday. It is in the rules, and it is obviously proper protocol.

But for John McCain, when someone does that to his loving buddy, it is disrespect at the highest level.

I guess the only decorum that McCain wants to follow in the Senate, and everywhere else, is utter hypocrisy.