May 7, 2008
Posted: 11:00 AM ET
From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
McCain stumps in Michigan on Wednesday.
ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan (CNN) – What temper? John McCain parried away a question Wednesday about his supposedly hot-headed demeanor by talking up his long bipartisan record in the United States Senate. “If I had some problem as such has been described, my friends, I would not have been able to work with Joe Lieberman and Russ Feingold and Ted Kennedy and all the other members on the other side of the aisle,” McCain said, responding to a Republican voter who described McCain’s temper as “something of concern.” The voter read McCain a quote from Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, who said in January that “the thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.” “He is erratic,” Cochran told the Boston Globe. “He is hotheaded. He loses his temper." “I am familiar with the quote,” McCain cracked, as the questioner recounted Cochran’s comments.
McCain then confirmed he does get angry — about pork barrel spending. “Well, I will confess to you my friend, that I get angry,” he explained. “I got angry when I saw a guy named Abramoff that ripped of Native Americans for millions and millions and millions of dollars that ended up putting him in federal prison.” “I get angry when I see 233 million of your tax dollars going to an island, to a bridge on an island with 50 people on it,” he said. “I get angry when I see corruption to the point when we have former members of Congress residing in federal prison. “And you know something? The American people are angry too, and they’re not going to take it any more.” Filed under: John McCain
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||