McCain says he's not offended his former running mate blacked out his name for her visor.

(CNN) - Arizona Sen. John McCain said the recent flap over Sarah Palin's decision to black out his name from a campaign visor while she was vacationing in Hawaii is much ado about nothing.

"Oh, it's fine. Sarah said she wanted to be a little bit incognito," McCain said when asked about the incident on "Fox News Sunday. "I don't blame her. I understand that."

The controversy arose after photos of a vacationing Palin showed the former Republican vice presidential candidate relaxing on a Hawaii beach wearing a McCain campaign visor on which she had clearly blacked out the Arizona senator's name with a marker.

The Web site TMZ declared the blacked-out visor amounted to a "frontal attack on Sen. John McCain," but Palin later said she was merely trying to "be incognito" in an effort to get a little rest and relaxation after her nearly month-long book tour.

"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection," Palin told the Web site Politico when questioned about the hat. "As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him."

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," McCain said he is taking Palin at her word.

Can't you take her at her word? It's - Sarah and I and Todd, Cindy - we have a wonderful relationship. We're dear friends," he said. "She is a - going to be a force in the Republican Party for a longtime. And the hysterical attacks on her from the left continue to validate that. "

McCain had some harsh words for the AARP.

Washington (CNN) – The John McCain of 2009 is singing a different tune than the John McCain of 2008.

On Thursday, the Arizona senator hammered the AARP on the Senate floor and on his Twitter account for supporting a proposal by Senate Democrats to cut millions from Medicare to help pay for health care legislation.

"I call on seniors to cut up their AARP cards and send them back to them!" McCain tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Endorsing Democrats in the health care fight seems to have changed McCain's thinking on the AARP, the nation's most influential senior lobby. During his 2008 presidential bid, the Republican nominee praised the group's leadership in some key policy battles.

"I say God bless AARP for everything they are doing, not only for the present generations of Americans, but for future generations," McCain told an AARP audience in September of last year. "That's your duty, that's your strength, and that's why I love to see you at every town hall meeting. And that's why I always try to let you talk."

McCain thanked the group for working with him on what he called "the big fights," citing tobacco legislation and campaign finance reform. "This organization has been an incredibly valuable contributor to the important discourses I just mentioned, and it's been there for decades, for decades," he said at the time.

Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for McCain, said his objection to AARP is based on what the group is doing now, not what they did in the past.

UPDATE: John Ashbrook, a spokesman for the Senate Republican Communications Center, points out that the AARP changed course from some of their past positions on Medicare cuts.

During the Clinton administration's push to reform health care, for example, the AARP expressed concerns about cutting Medicare as a way to pay for legislation.

'If we're talking about Medicare cuts alone as a way of financing health reform, we would fight that with all our strength - we've gone as far as we can go down that road," John Rother, the AARP director of federal legislation and policy, told the Los Angeles Times in 1993.

Washington (CNN) – In its first votes on amendments to the massive health care bill, the Senate approved a Democratic amendment Thursday to provide women with low cost mammograms and other preventative tests and rejected a Republican counter amendment that sought to prevent government boards from having influence over which screening tests for women would be covered.

The amendments were prompted by the recent uproar over a controversial recommendation by a government task force that some women should not receive annual mammograms to detect breast cancer. Democrats wanted to assure women that health care reform won't lead to a rationing of such care and Republicans wanted to make the point that it will.

The votes came on the fourth day of debate on health care reform,, which has been dominated by partisan rhetoric and gridlock. A second series of votes is planned Thursday afternoon on another hot-button issue: whether almost $500 billion in cuts to Medicare in the Democratic bill will mean a reduction of care for the nation's seniors.

A motion by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain would force the bill back into committee to be stripped of its Medicare cuts. Last year's GOP presidential nominee and other Republicans argue it's impossible to cut that much spending from the Medicare program without hurting seniors.

A counter motion by Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet states that nothing in the Democrats' bill reduces benefits for Medicare recipients. Democrats argue their bill will improve the overall U.S. health care system and therefore strengthen Medicare.

The Democratic amendment on preventative screenings was authored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski. In addition to mammograms, the Democrat from Maryland said it is expected to cover a range of women's health screenings, including those for cervical cancer, post-partum depression, heart disease and diabetes. It passed 61 to 39. Three Republicans voted for the amendment and 2 Democrats voted against it.

The Republican counter amendment was sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK. It failed 41-59. One Democrat crossed lines and voted with the Republicans.

Another amendment that could be debated later Thursday is a measure that would ban government funding for abortions, similar to the strict prohibition adopted by the House. Offered by conservative Sen. Ben Nelson, a conservative Democrat from Nebraska, the issue divides Democrats and threatens their ability to get the 60 votes needed to pass a final bill.

Sen. McCain makes a plea to voters in Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota in a taped phone message.

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, is asking residents of Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota to pressure their senators to support a legislative move that would effectively end Senate Democrats' efforts to pass a health care reform bill this year.

McCain began making the plea Wednesday in a taped message that was sent to home telephones in each state. When a person picks up the telephone, McCain is heard asking the listener to support an amendment that would send the health care reform legislation back to the Finance Committee.

The calls specifically target five Democratic senators: Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Lincoln, Bennet and Dorgan are all facing re-election in 2010.

Lincoln and Dorgan are facing re-election in 2010. Bennet, who was appointed to his seat, is running for his own six-year term next year.

Listen: McCain's call to Arkansas voters

Amber Marchand, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the calls are specifically "targeting independent voters" and that they "will run for a few days." The NRSC is paying for this telephone campaign.

Full transcript of Arkansas call below:

Hi.

This is Sen. John McCain. On Monday, I introduced the first Republican amendment to the massive health care bill, which would send the bill back to the Finance Committee and stop the Democrats from cutting $500 billion of vital Medicare coverage for our seniors.

I need Sen. Blanche Lincoln to join me in this effort. If you want to keep Medicare from getting cut, please go to our website at: www.healthcaretaskforce.org and sign a petition to Sen. Lincoln urging her to join my effort to fight a Washington D.C. government takeover of your health care.

Thank you for your time.

Follow Mark Preston on Twitter: @prestoncnn

"If you say there's a date certain for withdrawal, your friends and enemies who will be in the region make accommodations accordingly," McCain said.

During Tuesday night's prime time address laying out his Afghanistan troop buildup, President Obama said that a troop withdrawal could begin as early as July 2011.

McCain said Wednesday in an interview on CNN's American Morning that Obama "gave an excellent speech and I think the policy, although it's very extended period of deliberation which is now behind us, is a good one, and I'm confident the president will do exactly as he says."

But the Republican senator from Arizona criticized the president's comments regarding an exit strategy, adding that "it's contradictory to say you're going to have your withdrawal dictated by the situation on the ground, and at the same time say that there's going to about date certain for withdrawal."

McCain challenged the president hours before Obama addressed the nation on his new Afghanistan strategy. The president and members of his war council spent about an hour briefing senior members of Congress at a White House meeting that multiple sources described as businesslike and sobering. Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who attended the meeting, said Obama laid out his plans to escalate the military mission before several lawmakers asked questions.

Three GOP sources told CNN that Sen. John McCain used the meeting to directly challenge the president on his exit strategy. The sources said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell deferred to McCain, who questioned the concept of announcing now plans to begin withdrawing in July, 2011. These sources said the president responded to McCain by promising that the withdrawal would be based on conditions on the ground.

McCain also says he has problems with the administration's civilian strategy in Afghanistan.

"Another concern I have has to do with the civilian side of our counterinsurgency strategy," said McCain in his opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday morning on Afghanistan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were among the witnesses at the hearing.

McCain, the ranking Republican on the committee, said "I am concerned that we and our allies do not have a unified plan to 'build' – to work with and support our Afghan partners, in Kabul and beyond, as they build their own nation, their own economy, and their own free institutions. I'm also concerned by reports of divisions in our embassy, and by major differences between our commander and our ambassador."

In his speech at West Point Tuesday night, Obama declared that the U.S. " will work with our partners, the United Nations, and the Afghan people to pursue a more effective civilian strategy, so that the government can take advantage of improved security. This effort must be based on performance. The days of providing a blank check are over."

–CNN's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

In a private meeting held hours before his prime-time address, President Obama was challenged by his 2008 presidential campaign rival Sen. John McCain.

Washington (CNN) - Hours before he was set to address the nation on his new Afghanistan strategy, President Obama and members of his war council spent about an hour briefing senior members of Congress at a White House meeting that multiple sources described as businesslike and sobering.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who attended the meeting, said Obama laid out his plans to escalate the military mission before several lawmakers asked questions.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN the president emphasized that in addition to sending some 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, he also has a "target for when this is coming to an end."

"The president believes that gives the Afghans enough time, and the Pakistanis enough time to take control of the situation," Durbin said.

Three GOP sources told CNN that Sen. John McCain used the meeting to directly challenge the president on his exit strategy.

The sources said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell deferred to McCain, who questioned the concept of announcing now plans to begin withdrawing in July, 2011.

These sources said the president responded to McCain by promising that the withdrawal would be based on conditions on the ground.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn was one of the only members of the Democratic leadership in either chamber to tell CNN "I'm very supportive of it."

Even Durbin, one of the president's closest allies, told CNN he is withholding judgment. "The president took some time to reach his decision, I'm going to need some time to reach mine," Durbin said.

In a private meeting held hours before his prime-time address, President Obama was challenged by his 2008 presidential campaign rival Sen. John McCain.

Washington (CNN) - Hours before he was set to address the nation on his new Afghanistan strategy, President Obama and members of his war council spent about an hour briefing senior members of Congress at a White House meeting that multiple sources described as businesslike and sobering.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who attended the meeting, said Obama laid out his plans to escalate the military mission before several lawmakers asked questions.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN the president emphasized that in addition to sending some 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, he also has a "target for when this is coming to an end."

"The president believes that gives the Afghans enough time, and the Pakistanis enough time to take control of the situation," Durbin said.

Three GOP sources told CNN that Sen. John McCain used the meeting to directly challenge the president on his exit strategy.

The sources said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell deferred to McCain, who questioned the concept of announcing now plans to begin withdrawing in July, 2011.

These sources said the president responded to McCain by promising that the withdrawal would be based on conditions on the ground.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn was one of the only members of the Democratic leadership in either chamber to tell CNN "I'm very supportive of it."

Even Durbin, one of the president's closest allies, told CNN he is withholding judgment. "The president took some time to reach his decision, I'm going to need some time to reach mine," Durbin said.

McCain said Palin's legal bills were for 'troopergate.'

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Days after telling his former staffers to avoid responding to charges in Sarah Palin's new book, Sen. John McCain has spoken up to deny that his campaign made her pay for her own vice presidential vetting.

The former Republican presidential candidate told The Hill on Monday night that Palin did receive a legal bill - but it was to deal with allegations that she abused her power as governor to try to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as a state trooper in Alaska.

"That was over the troopergate," McCain told The Hill.

In her book "Going Rogue: An American Life," Palin said that the McCain campaign stuck her with a bill for $50,000 to cover the costs of her own vetting. McCain's aides have denied this charge, and others made in the book, but the Arizona senator has largely remained silent. On Friday, he asked his former aides to avoid television appearances and refrain from engaging in a back-and-forth with Palin over the claims.

Palin has given him a signed copy of the book. McCain told the Hill that he enjoyed reading it.

"I hope she sells lots of them," he said.

McCain asks staffers to hold their fire on Palin.

Washington (CNN) – John McCain asked former campaign staffers Friday to avoid engaging in a back-and-forth over claims made by former running mate Sarah Palin in her new book, CNN has confirmed.

On a conference call with senior campaign advisers, the former Republican presidential candidate asked them to hold back from responding – telling them, in effect, that "this too shall pass," according to sources familiar with the call.

Palin's book, 'Going Rogue', slams the McCain team – particularly campaign manager Steve Schmidt and senior adviser Nicole Wallace – over the rollout plan and overall media strategy for the former vice presidential candidate. He also told staffers on the call he was sorry they were coming under fire.

On Friday, McCain conceded to the reality of the media firestorm surrounding Palin's charges against his team, and told them he understood if they felt the need to defend themselves. But the Arizona senator called for a minimalist approach, suggesting that his former aides avoid television appearances.

Sen. John McCain spoke to reporters in Arizona on Friday.

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain has already received a signed copy of Sarah Palin's new memoir "Going Rogue," but the former Republican presidential nominee hasn't read it yet.

"I've just received a signed copy from her yesterday, so I will read it with interest," the senator told reporters Friday in his home state of Arizona.

While the book contains a healthy dose of score-settling aimed at former McCain campaign aides, the senator stressed that he was "proud and honored" to have had Palin as his running mate.

"One of the things about campaigns that lose, there's always mistakes made and the campaign that wins is always the perfect campaign," he said. "I'm proud of the campaign we ran. I'm proud of Sarah Palin and we continue to have a great and wonderful relationship. So, I'm very proud of the campaign we ran and I have moved forward."

When asked if the book has become "a nuisance," McCain responded no. "It is the usual background noise," he said.

He also responded to a question he has heard over and over again since the campaign ended: Can Palin be a viable presidential candidate herself in 2012?

"Sure," he said. "I think there are a number of viable candidates out there. I think that Sarah Palin is obviously one of them and we'll start through the process in about a year or so of selecting our nominee, but I think she's a very strong force in the Republican Party. I can't predict who's gonna get the nomination but I certainly think she would be competitive."

McCain wants suspected terrorists tried in military tribunals.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain hammered the Obama administration Friday for its decision to try accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other suspected terrorists in a civilian court in New York.

Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi will all be transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York - a short distance from the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed in the September 11 attacks.

McCain said in a statement that he is "extremely disappointed" by the decision and argued that the suspects "should be treated as war criminals and tried for their crimes through military tribunals."

"I have worked tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress and with the Obama Administration to make our military tribunals system better able to dispense justice efficiently and fairly while protecting secure information," McCain said. "If military tribunals are suitable for the terrorists who attacked our sailors aboard the U.S.S. Cole, as the Obama Administration has decided, then military tribunals are certainly the right venue to try the Al-Qaeda terrorists, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who murdered thousands of innocent civilians on September 11, 2001."

He added: "Today's decision sends a mixed message about America's resolve in the fight against terrorism. We are at war, and we must bring terrorists to justice in a manner consistent with the horrific acts of war they have committed."

Sarah Palin's book is officially scheduled for release next Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A former senior campaign adviser to John McCain is rejecting Sarah Palin’s claim that she was billed for the costs of vetting her before she was selected as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Palin’s book “Going Rogue” is set to hit the bookstores next Tuesday, but the Associated Press reported the claim Thursday after purchasing a copy of the book before the sale date. The AP reported that Palin writes about the legal fees she began to accumulate after returning to Alaska once the campaign ended, most of which were the result of having to defend herself from ethics charges.

The AP said that Palin writes about receiving a bill for about $500,000 from the McCain campaign to pay for expenses relating to the vetting process that took place before she was named as the vice presidential nominee.

"That is one hundred percent untrue," said the McCain official, who would only speak on the condition of anonymity in deference to McCain. "All those bills are from her personal attorney Thomas Van Flein, mostly relating to the Troopergate investigation and other ethics investigations. It is not legal to pay for those investigations out of general election funds, even if the campaign was so inclined."

Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton would not confirm the accuracy of the AP report.

"The book remains embargoed," Stapleton said in an e-mail to CNN. "The Governor will appear on Oprah first to discuss the book's contents.”

The Oprah interview, which was taped Wednesday, will air in its entirety next Monday. The memoir officially hits stores the following day, and Palin kicks off her much-anticipated book tour in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday.

Palin was concerned about the cost of the wardrobe that was purchased for her during the campaign, according to the new book.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Tensions within John McCain's presidential campaign boiled over on Election Night last November when Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, repeatedly ignored directions from senior staffers who told her she would not be delivering her own concession speech.

Those fresh details on the conflict between Palin and members of the McCain team come in a new book - "Sarah from Alaska" - by Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe, two members of the press corps that traveled with Palin during the 2008 presidential race. The pair spent much of the following year reporting on the campaign turmoil and the vice presidential nominee's difficult return to Alaska after the election.

According to a copy of the book obtained by CNN, Palin's speechwriter Matthew Scully had prepared a brief speech for the then-Alaska governor to deliver while introducing McCain, before he gave his concession speech at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. But after conferring in his suite with senior advisers Mark Salter, Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt, McCain nixed the idea of having Palin speak before him.

Schmidt then broke the news to Palin. But she told no one on her staff, the authors write, setting off a series of staff miscommunications that went unresolved until moments before McCain took the stage to concede the election.

Palin did not inform her adviser Jason Recher, who was planning out Palin's movements that night, about Schmidt's directive.

"I'm speaking," Palin told him, according to the book. "I've got the remarks. Figure it out."

Palin's deputy chief of staff Chris Edwards, meanwhile, was also unaware that Palin had been told she was not to speak. Edwards, ready to load the speech into teleprompter, bumped into Schmidt, who told him McCain would be speaking alone. Edwards relayed Schmidt's order to Palin, but she once again did not let on that Schmidt had already spoken to her.

The governor could not understand why she was not being allowed to speak. "This speech is great," she said, according to the authors. "It's all about how John McCain's an American hero."

The confusion continued until the final minutes before the concession speech, when Palin - still shuffling through her speech notes - gathered with McCain, family members and senior staff outside McCain's villa at the resort.

Sensing uncertainty, Salter finally put his foot down. "You're not speaking," the longtime McCain adviser told Palin. "John has decided it's unprecedented."

Palin's spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton declined to respond to the new claims, but said Palin will address the campaign drama in her forthcoming memoir. "The Governor's version of events will be in her book, Going Rogue, which will be available on November 17th," Stapleton wrote in an e-mail to CNN.

Among the book's other revelations:

– In the days after her selection as the vice presidential nominee, the McCain team was so unsure of Palin's policy acumen that they drew up hundreds of flash cards to get the candidate "up to speed on foreign affairs and major national issues." One of the flash cards noted that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was Gordon Brown, the book says.

– Before her now famous speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Palin's handlers began to rip the price tags off items in the candidate's lavish new wardrobe, paid for by the Republican National Commitee, after Palin expressed concerns about the cost of the clothing. According to the book, a $90 pair of socks was purchased for Palin's low-maintenance father, Chuck Heath.

– During a celebration among staffers after the vice presidential debate in St. Louis, Palin began pushing hard to start bringing up the topic of Barack Obama's controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright on the campaign trail. She wanted badly to win the election, the authors note. "I just don't want to go back to Alaska," Palin said off-handedly during the gathering.

John McCain says America must win the war in Afghanistan.

The following is a commentary from Sen. John McCain:

WASHINGTON (CNN) - For the first time since September 11, 2001, America is having a vigorous national debate about how to succeed in Afghanistan. This debate is entirely worth having. Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.

Though no veteran would ever think of himself as "pro-war," I believe that the fight in Afghanistan is critical to our national security. Our goals there are achievable and success is worth the continued sacrifice.

We must succeed in Afghanistan for many reasons, but one stands above all: the world walked away from Afghanistan once, and it descended into a cauldron of violence, hatred and human rights atrocities that served as the base for the worst terrorist attack in history against our homeland.

Full story

Roberta McCain is hospitalized in Lisbon, Portugal, after injuring her head in a fall.

(CNN) – The mother of U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain is hospitalized in Lisbon, Portugal, after injuring her head in a fall, McCain's spokeswoman said Friday.

Roberta McCain, 97, was visiting Lisbon as a tourist when she fainted and hurt her head, spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said.

McCain is stable and will be held for observation, Dr. Fatima Palmero of the Sao Jose Hospital told CNN. It is not clear when McCain might leave the hospital, Palermo said.

The senator has spoken to his mother and the doctors treating her, who report that she is recovering well, Buchanan said.

Portuguese TV station TVI24 reported that the elder McCain was taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after falling in a street in downtown Lisbon. She was found lying on the ground and had hurt her head and face, the station reported.

– CNN's Dana Bash in Washington and Andreia De Oliveira in London, England, contributed to this report.

Sen. John McCain is holding a rally with Bob McDonnell on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As one of only two statewide campaigns in the 2009 election cycle, the Virginia governor's race has seen a parade of national political stars make the trip to the Old Dominion.

Late Friday, Creigh Deeds' campaign announced that President Obama would join the Democratic candidate on the trail at the end of the month. Obama's 2008 presidential rival will get there first: On Saturday, Sen. John McCain will make his second trip to Virginia on behalf of Republican candidate Bob McDonnell. McCain, a decorated Navy hero, will help McDonnell make a closing pitch to veterans at a rally in Hampton Roads, a region of the state with a heavy military population.

McCain isn't the only high-profile Republican who has stumped for the former Virginia Attorney General: Two other former presidential candidates - former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee - have twice visited the state twice to campaign. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also raised money for McDonnell.

Along with Romney and Huckabee, McDonnell has welcomed a number of top Republicans who may run for president in 2012. That list includes Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele campaigned with McDonnell in May.

Creigh Deeds, who spent the first half of the year in a three-way fight for the Democratic nomination, hasn't had an army of national figures campaign with him. But several prominent Democrats have chipped in to help.

On Friday, former Vice President Al Gore held a fundraiser for Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds. And next week, former President Bill Clinton will appear at a rally for Deeds along with longtime Clinton friend Terry McAuliffe, who sought the Democratic nomination before losing to Deeds in June.

The party's leader, President Obama, will make his second trip to Virginia to lend a hand, the Deeds campaign announced Friday. The visit will be Obama's second on the trail for the gubernatorial candidate: he campaigned for Deeds and hosted a fundraiser for him in August Vice President Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, have both stumped for Deeds.

For a campaign thought by many to be a referendum of the Obama presidency, the election will largely turn by local issues - specifically transportation and the economy. Deeds has also tried to make the race about women's issues by highlighting a conservative thesis written by McDonnell in which he called working women "detrimental" to families.

Entering October, McDonnell held a significant cash advantage, with $4.5 million on hand to Deeds' $2.7 million.

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby contributed to this report

In his Crib Sheet, CNN's John King looks back at Sunday's talk shows and ahead to the topics that will be making news this week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The war in Afghanistan dominated the Sunday conversation, and the spirited debate reflected the stakes of the choice President Obama will make in the coming weeks.

“An error of historic proportions,” was Arizona Senator John McCain’s take on the consequences should the commander in chief refuse to send at least 40,000 more troops. “What the hell are we doing there,” was the retort from anti-war Democratic Rep. James McGovern.

Significant, at least to us, was California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s characterization of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as “crackerjack.” It wasn’t too long ago, on “State of the Union,” she mentioned the need for an Afghanistan timetable; but Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” she said “I don’t know how” Mr. Obama could reject his commanding general’s recommendations.

Also significant was how a Saturday night speech by the president added gay rights – and specifically same-sex marriage and “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” – to the Sunday agenda. One instant lesson: Getting a “yes or no” answer on whether a senator would vote to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act isn’t necessarily easy!

Because at CNN "we watch the other Sunday shows so you don’t have to," let’s get this week's “Sound of Sunday, beginning with the divide over Afghanistan:

Sound of Sunday: AFGHANISTAN

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), on CNN’s “State of the Union”
KING: “Well, do you think the United States can win in Afghanistan with fewer than 40,000 more troops?”
MCCAIN: “I do not. And I think the great danger now is not an American pullout. I think the great danger now is a half-measure, sort of a - you know, try to please all ends of the political spectrum.  And, again, I have great sympathy for the president, making the toughest decisions that presidents have to make, but I think he needs to use deliberate speed, and I think he needs to adopt a strategy which he has basically articulated last March and before.”
KING: “And if he adopts what you consider to be a half-measure and says 10,000 more troops or 20,000 more troops, can General McChrystal stay on as the commander in that capacity or do you believe that that would be a rebuke to his leadership?”
MCCAIN: “I don't - I really don't know, because I'd have to see exactly what the plan was and General - the one thing about our military leaders, they have a spirit that's indomitable, but I think to disregard the requirements that has been laid out and agreed to by General Petraeus and Admiral Mullen, I think, would be an error of historic proportions.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“I have urged the president to act with deliberate speed because Admiral Mullen and General McChrystal and General Petraeus have said the situation is deteriorating. Just over the last several days, as you know, week or so, we've lost 10 more brave young Americans. And the longer we delay the decision, the longer it will be before we provide them with what the needed resources are.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), on ABC’s “This Week”
“Should we stay there for 10-12 years, general, I don’t think so. I don’t think the American people are up for that or want that. But I think...I don’t know how you put somebody in who is as crackerjack as General McChrystal, and gives the president solid recommendations, and not take those recommendations. If you’re not going to pull out, if you don’t want to take the recommendations, then you put your people in such jeopardy.”

Rep. James McGovern (D-Massachusetts), speaking to the press today
“I think a lot of it has to do with the fraud in the last election.  I think my constituents, I think people all over the country are saying 'what the hell are we doing?' Our men and women are dying for a government that is making deals with warlords and druglords, that stuffed ballot boxes in the last election. I mean, we have to draw a line in the sand here and tell Mr. Karzai that there are consequences to his behaving irresponsibly.”

Sound of Sunday: GAY RIGHTS

It is no secret that gay and lesbian Americans who supported Mr. Obama in last year’s elections have been frustrated at what they perceived as White House reluctance to act quickly and boldly on many of their biggest policy concerns.

So it was sure to be a interesting event when Mr. Obama agreed to address the big annual dinner organized by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization.

Mr. Obama’s remarks drew standing ovations. Some highlights:

President Obama, in an address to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday night
“I've required all agencies in the federal government to extend as many federal benefits as possible to LGBT families as the current law allows and I’ve called on congress to repeal the so-called defense of marriage act and to pass the domestic partners benefit and obligations act.”

Continued remarks on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
“We cannot afford to cut from our ranks people with the critical skills that we need to fight any more than we can afford for our military's integrity, to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromise by having to live a lie. So I'm working with the pentagon, its leadership and the members of the house and senate on ending this policy,  legislation that has been introduced in the house to make this happen, I will end  don't ask, don't. That’s my commitment to you."

Neither Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan nor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania would answer the first time around when I asked if they would vote to repeal DOMA. And there was several Sunday exchanges underscoring the emotional and divisive politics on these issues.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“Well the challenge for me is we have had on the ballot and there's been passage in Michigan of a law prohibiting gay marriage. So I think for a number of us, that becomes a challenge in terms of what has happened in terms of voting in our states.”

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“John I've said in the past I don't think that's the way to go.”

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Michigan), on NBC’s “Meet the Press”
“I think [President Obama] will and he can, I think has to be done in the right way, which is to get a buy in from the military which I think it now possible.   The other militaries in the west, the British and other western armies have ended this discriminatory policy.  We can do it successfully, but it ought to be done with thoughtfulness and care, but it ought to be done with a buy in from the military.”

Sunday Sound: H1N1 FLU VACCINE

Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat, on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“I think parents are wondering, is this something new? Has it been fully tested? What I can say is that everything we know right now suggests a very good safety profile for the vaccine.”

Sound of Sunday: The Kicker

Before we go, a couple of lighter moments:

Sen. John McCain on his former running mate, Sarah Palin from CNN’s “State of the Union”
“With a high-pressure situation, there are always tensions that develop within campaigns. And there were clearly tensions between Steve Schmidt and people in the Palin camp. There's - there are fundamental facts, though, that cannot be denied. When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party. And I have great affection for her. Will Sarah and I - did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination the next time.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), on President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, from NBC’s “Meet the Press”
“If he can successfully turn around Afghanistan, deter Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, I will build a book case for him to put it in.  It depends on what he does.”

Enjoy the week.

–CNN's John King

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain is openly admitting that there were tensions between his former campaign manager Steve Schmidt and those close to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s one-time White House running mate. Still, McCain calls Palin “a formidable force” in the GOP and remains open to the possibility of Palin being his party’s presidential nominee in 2012.

“With a high-pressure situation, there's always tensions that develop within campaigns,” McCain says in a wide-ranging interview that airs Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. ”And there were clearly tensions between Steve Schmidt and people in the Palin camp.”

Still, McCain said, Palin was an asset to his presidential campaign.

“There are fundamental facts … that cannot be denied,” McCain adds. “When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party.”

“I have great affection for her,” McCain continues. But “did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No.”

While McCain said he could not predict what would happen in the next presidential election, the Arizona Republican says he is open to many potential nominees for his party - including Palin.

“Look let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination the next time. … let's all go through the process, rather than condemning anybody's chances,” he says, reacting to recent comments about Palin by Schmidt. “And I'm happy to say we have some great people out there, and Sarah is one of them.”

Asked about Palin’s prospects in 2012, Schmidt said he did not think Palin could be a winning candidate in the next presidential election.

“And, in fact, were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election result,” Schmidt told CNN National Correspondent John King in an October 2 interview.

Asked about Schmidt’s comments, a Palin spokeswoman said the former vice presidential nominee would address the tensions within the McCain-Palin campaign in her forthcoming book, "Going Rogue,” which is due to hit bookstore shelves next month.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – As the national debate over health care reform is set to enter a new phase with next week’s scheduled vote in the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, says his party needs to crystallize its own positive agenda for health care reform.

“We Republicans need to come up with our agenda,” the former GOP presidential hopeful says in an interview that airs Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “And we need to do it so that there is a viable alternative to this [legislation in the Senate Finance Committee]. And it has to do with things that are not associated with government-controlled health care in America.

“And there are many, many things we can do - medical malpractice reform, go across state lines to get insurance policies of your choice, refundable tax credits - there's a long list of things that we can and should propose as we enter this debate.”

Asked whether he would vote for the version of health care reform legislation championed by finance committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, if it came to the Senate floor, McCain said he would have to wait and see what the final Senate version of reform legislation looks like.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said any added military deployment in Afghanistan less than the 40,000 troops reportedly requested by the top U.S. commander in that war-torn land “would be an error of historic proportions.”

When asked by CNN Chief National Correspondent John King whether he thought the war in Afghanistan could be won with less than the troops said to be requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, McCain replied frankly in an interview that airs Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

“I do not,” said McCain, who was defeated by President Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

“And I think the great danger now is a half-measure, sort of a - you know, try[ing] to please all ends of the political spectrum,” McCain also told King. “And, again, I have great sympathy for the president, making the toughest decisions that presidents have to make, but I think he needs to use deliberate speed.”

“I think to disregard the requirements that has been laid out and agreed to” by Central Command head Gen. David Petraeus and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen “would be an error of historic proportions,” McCain said when asked whether 10,000 or 20,000 additional troops in Afghanistan would suffice.

In making the case for a surge strategy like the one he fiercely advocated in Iraq when President Bush was in office, McCain urged President Obama “to act with deliberate speed” in pondering his next steps in Afghanistan.

“Admiral Mullen and General McChrystal and General Petraeus have said the situation is deteriorating. Just over the last several days, as you know, week or so, we've lost 10 more brave young Americans. And the longer we delay the decision, the longer it will be before we provide them with what the needed resources are,” McCain says in the interview.

And pointing to the successful surge in Iraq that involved a broad, troop-intensive counterinsurgency strategy, which Petraeus and McChrystal both played roles in, McCain suggested that rather than delay, the president should follow the strategic advice that the two generals have already set out.

“The strategy that was developed by General Petraeus in particular, but also with General McChrystal as his strong right arm, did succeed there [in Iraq],” McCain tells King. “Should we risk going against the advice and counsel of our best and strongest advisers, those we've given the responsibility - as you know, General McChrystal's predecessor was fired by the president because of the confidence that he had in him.

“So the question is, is do we take a risk and go to a [narrower, counterterrorism] strategy basically that failed before [in Iraq] versus one [based on counterinsurgency] that succeeded? And, again, this is a very tough decision, but I do again argue for some deliberate speed, because our allies in the region are beginning to get the impression that perhaps we are wavering.”

The president and his top military, national security, and foreign policy advisers are in the midst of an intensive strategic review of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. McChrystal is advocating a counterinsurgency strategy similar to the surge in Iraq which McCain championed while Vice President Joe Biden is advocating a counterterrorism strategy focused more on using drones and special forces to rid Afghanistan of al Qaeda militants on the border with Pakistan.

Last week, a remote U.S. outpost in Afghanistan was attacked by insurgents leading to the deaths of eight Americans during the single incident. The fierce firefight has become part of the ongoing debate about how many U.S. troops are necessary to accomplish the United States' goals in the country.

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(CNN) - Arizona Sen. John McCain said Friday the Nobel Committee's decision to award President Obama the Peace Prize was likely based on expectations, not accomplishments.

"I can't divine all their intentions, but I think part of their decision-making was expectations," McCain told CNN's John King. "And I'm sure the president understands that he now has even more to live up to."

But Obama's former rival for the White House said he was happy with the decision.

"I think all of us were surprised at the decision," he said. "But I think Americans are always pleased when their president is recognized by something on this order."

John King's full interview with McCain will air Sunday on State of Union at 9 a.m. ET.

Sen. John McCain is coming to Virginia to campaign for Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob McDonnell.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - For the second time this year, Sen. John McCain is coming to Virginia to campaign for Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob McDonnell.

McDonnell's campaign also said Monday that ESPN college football analyst Lou Holtz, the former Notre Dame and South Carolina head coach, will campaign for the Republican in Richmond on October 26. McDonnell is a graduate of Notre Dame.

McCain, the Arizona senator and Navy hero, is holding a rally for veterans on October 17 in Hampton Roads, a region of the state with a heavy military population. McDonnell was a frequent campaign surrogate for McCain when the senator was GOP presidential nominee in 2008.

McCain also raised money for McDonnell in March.

I don't play politics with national security, Obama adviser and retired general James Jones said Sunday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A top military adviser to President Barack Obama said Sunday that politics does not play any role in the advice he gives to the president.

Last week, Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, the former Republican presidential hopeful, said on the floor of the Senate that Jones was one of the president’s advisers who doesn’t “want to alienate the left base of the Democrat [sic] Party” as the White House considers whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Asked to react to McCain’s comments Sunday, National Security Adviser James Jones said he “took exception” to McCain’s remark.

“Sen. McCain knows me very well,” Jones, a retired Marine Corps general, told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, “I worked for Senator McCain when he was a captain. I’ve known him for many, many years. And he knows that I don’t play politics with national – I don’t play politics. And I certainly don’t play it with national security. And neither does anyone else I know. The lives of our young men and women are on the line. The strategy does not belong to any political party and I can assure you that the President of the United States is not playing to any political base. And I take exception to that remark.”

Palin is remaining silent about a sharp jab directed at her Friday by former John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sarah Palin is remaining silent about a sharp jab directed at her Friday by former John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt, who predicted that a potential Palin presidential bid in 2012 would be "catastrophic."

A spokeswoman for the former Alaska governor said Palin is holding her fire until her new book is released next month.

"The governor will write about all of this in her book," Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said in an e-mail, referring to the internal fighting that marred the final weeks of McCain's president bid. "There will be plenty of time to talk about it then."

"I think that she has talents," he said of McCain's former running mate during a panel discussion with CNN's John King. "But my honest view is that she would not be a winning candidate for the Republican Party in 2012, and in fact, were she the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election result."

Schmidt was speaking at The Atlantic's "First Draft of History" Conference in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Count Sen. John McCain among those who are eagerly awaiting Sarah Palin's upcoming tell-all memoir.

During an event Thursday at Washington's Newseum, the Arizona senator was asked by NBC's David Gregory which part of the former Alaska governor's 432-page memoir he is looking forward to reading the most.

"The part I'm looking forward to most is the part where it energized our campaign and her selection put us ahead in the polls," McCain said of his vice presidential running mate.

The former Republican presidential candidate then volunteered what he is not particularly looking forward to reading.

"The part I am looking forward to least is some of the disagreements that took place within the campaign," the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said.

Romney visited Utah and Arizona earlier this week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Mitt Romney has spent much of 2009 raising money for other Republicans, but the former Massachusetts governor is also working hard to keep his own coffers flush.

Romney collected over $200,000 during a two-day Western swing this week, according to an aide - a total that includes $85,000 raised at a Wednesday event in Phoenix co-hosted by his former Republican presidential primary opponent John McCain.

McCain and his fellow Arizona senator Jon Kyl headlined the event at Chase Bank Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Romney also took in $125,00 from a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

The money will go to Romney's "Free and Strong America" political action committee, which allows him to maintain a national profile by traveling the country in support of other Republican candidates as he mulls a second presidential bid in 2012.

UPDATE: McCain was not at the Phoenix event but lent his name to the invitation.

Sarah Palin's memoir isn't set to be released for more than seven weeks, but the highly anticipated tell-all has already shot to No. 1 on Barnes and Nobles' Web site.

(CNN) – Sarah Palin's 432 page memoir isn't set to be released for more than seven weeks, but the highly anticipated tell-all has already shot to No. 1 on Barnes and Nobles' Web site, supplanting new releases from bestselling authors Dan Brown and Mitch Albom.

The forthcoming book has also vaulted up Amazon.com's bestseller list, currently holding the No. 3 spot just behind Glenn Beck's "Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government."

The book - titled "Going Rogue: An American Life" in reference to the anonymous criticism directed at the former Alaska governor by aides to Republican presidential nominee John McCain - is scheduled to be released on November 17.

Palin's publisher, Harper, has ordered a massive first printing of 1.5 million copies, and is not releasing an electronic version until the day after Christmas in an effort to drive up sales of the more expensive hardcover edition, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it may take longer than expected to close Guantanamo prison.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledges that closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will likely take longer than planned.

"I think it has proven more complicated than ... anticipated," Gates said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Noting he had pushed for a firm deadline of closing the controversial facility in January 2010, Gates said: "If you have to extend that date, if at least you have a strong plan showing you're making progress in that direction, then this - it shouldn't be a problem to extend it and we'll just see whether that has to happen or not."

In a separate interview on the ABC program "This Week," Gates said closing the military prison on schedule would be "tough."

Also on ABC, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said he attended briefings in which he was told the Guantanamo facility was unlikely to close on schedule.

"Apparently they're certainly not going to make that deadline," McCain said. "But we should continue to work towards the closure of Guantanamo Bay because of the image that it has in the world of brutality, (which) harms our image very badly."

Full story

McCain and Romney were at times bitter rivals during the 2008 campaign.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain is co-hosting a fundraiser for his former 2008 Republican primary rival Mitt Romney next Wednesday in Phoenix.

McCain and his fellow Arizona senator Jon Kyl will headline the event at Chase Bank Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The fundraiser will benefit Romney's Free and Strong America PAC, and features a $3,000 per person VIP reception along with a $300 per person luncheon.

Sen. John McCain said he has never seen such a 'disconnect' between the White House and U.S. military leaders.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain questioned the Obama administration's approach in Afghanistan Tuesday, saying he has never seen such a "disconnect" between the White House and leaders of the U.S. military.

"Apparently the administration does not want Gen. McCrystal's recommendations on troop strengths," McCain said at a Foreign Policy Initiative event in Washington. "If you don't have a recommendation on the troop levels that will be necessary to implement a strategy, then how do you decide on the strategy? "

"...Every day that goes by if you are not pursuing a strategy for success and implementing it as quickly as possible it puts young Americans lives in more danger," said McCain, the ranking Republican member on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In a sign that President Obama may be facing growing skepticism within his own party on Afghanistan, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Tuesday joined the call made by several top Republicans on Capitol Hill, including McCain, for McChrystal to brief Congress on his recommendations for revising U.S military strategy.

Asked about speculation Gen. McCrystal is considering resignation, McCain said Tuesday the general doesn't have many options.

"(Generals) really have two choices," McCain said. "Carry out orders, or resign."

"...(but) I don't think that right now Gen. McCrystal is contemplating resignation or non-resignation…he's got his hands full," McCain said, repeating his calls for the general to return to Washington to testify before Congress.

Sen. John McCain, told Politico that McChrystal's report on Afghanistan should be delivered to the Hill 'immediately,'.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - In a sign that President Obama is facing growing skepticism within his own party on Afghanistan, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer joined the call made by several top Republicans on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal to brief Congress on his recommendations for revising U.S. military strategy.

"I think it is useful at some point in time for General McChrystal to share with the Congress, both the Senate and the House, his views and his proposals and his sense of the success that change in strategy would have," Hoyer told reporters.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, told Politico that McChrystal's report on Afghanistan should be delivered to the Hill "immediately," but Hoyer declined to put a timeframe on when Congress should get the assessment.

As House GOP Leader John Boehner did last week, Hoyer compared the discussion over next steps in Afghanistan to the debate in 2007 over the surge in Iraq. Hoyer noted that Gen. David Petraeus, then the U.S. Commander in Iraq, briefed Congress in both high profile public hearings and private briefings.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee responded Sunday to recent criticism from former White House hopeful Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on the committee.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, has lately suggested that the proper course for the United States to pursue in Afghanistan is to beef up the country’s own army and police forces before planning on sending in any additional American troops.

At a hearing of the Armed Services Committee last week, McCain took direct aim at Levin’s approach.

“Despite our successes in Iraq and the hard won understanding we have gained about what it takes to defeat an insurgency,” McCain said on Capitol Hill last Tuesday, “it seems we now, regrettably, must have the same debate again today with respect to Afghanistan. In all due respect, Sen. Levin, I’ve seen that movie before.”

“It’s a very different movie,” Levin said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, in response to McCain’s recent remarks.

Levin told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that the U.S. is seeing some success in Iraq because the military succeeded in winning over insurgents who had been attacking American soldiers and destabilizing Iraqi society. “That’s what we need to also do in Afghanistan. That is a very big difference.”

As in Iraq, however, Levin noted that the U.S. military in Afghanistan is changing its strategy in dealing with the local population. “Instead of just trying to attack the insurgents, we were protecting the population. That new strategy is now in place in Afghanistan. So, this is a very different movie from Iraq. They’re two very different places.”

Levin also said Sunday that the Iraqi army does not enjoy the level of public confidence that the Afghan army has with the local population.

In an interview that also aired Sunday on State of the Union, President Obama said he was working with his military and national security advisers to develop his administration’s strategy for continued U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.

"I think that what we have to do is get the right strategy, and then I think we've got to have some clear benchmarks, [a] matrix of progress," Obama told King about the war-torn country.

"I don't want to put the resource question before the strategy question," Obama also said. "Because there is a natural inclination to say, if I get more, then I can do more. But right now, the question is, the first question is, are we doing the right thing? Are we pursuing the right strategy?"

Also on State of the Union Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the president generally had the support of Senate Republicans for what the Obama administration has been doing in Afghanistan. But McConnell expressed concern about an apparent delay in making available to Congress troop level recommendations from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

“We’d like to see Gen. McChrystal and Gen. [David] Petraeus come up to Congress like they did during the Iraq [war’s] surge and give us the information about what they’re recommending. We think the time for decision is now,” McConnell said, adding that if Obama ultimately decided on a change in strategy in Afghanistan or on adding additional troops, the White House would have the support of Senate Republicans.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden predicted Thursday Congress will have a resolution on the health care bill "before Thanksgiving."

"I think the most important thing he did, he also debunked a lot of the myths out there, the idea of death panels, that we were going to insure undocumented aliens," Biden told the "Today Show," commending Obama for his emphasis that doing nothing is not an option.

"I believe we will have a bill," Biden said. "I've been in the Congress for a long long time, been there for eight presidents. I think we will have a bill before Thanksgiving."

The vice president also said the way Republicans "stepped away" from Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst Wednesday evening is proof Congress is not as divided as it may seem.

Wilson said Thursday that he had been instructed by GOP leadership to call the president to apologize, and Sen. John McCain called the congressman's behavior "totally disrespectful" in an interview on CNN's Larry King Live.

"I saw unity in the Congress in terms of the response to Joe Wilson's demeaning comment, not only to the president but to an institution I love," Biden said.

McCain contacted Curt Schilling about running for Senate.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - When former Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling started making noise last week about pursuing Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, he said he had been contacted by several people about running - but he declined to say by whom.

It turns out one of those people was John McCain.

McCain’s spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan told CNN Tuesday that the former GOP presidential nominee – a friend of Kennedy’s – spoke to Schilling last week and encouraged him to seek the office.

McCain initiated the conversation.

Schilling endorsed McCain early in the presidential process in 2007 and campaigned for the Arizona senator in New Hampshire during the presidential race. He also campaigned with George W. Bush in 2004, the same year he helped the Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918.

Schilling has sounded like a politician in recent says, outlining his positions on several issues on his blog.

But the six-time All-Star has remained coy about whether or not he plans to take the leap, telling interviewers that the chances of a run remain slim. There’s also the question about whether Schilling could run as a Republican because he’s a registered independent.

McCain says he still speaks with Palin 'fairly often.'

(CNN) – Nearly a year after the presidential race came to an end, it's a subject Arizona Sen. John McCain still can't avoid: Sarah Palin.

Appearing on the Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien Wednesday, the former presidential candidate was asked, as he has been several times before, whether he was shocked Palin chose to resign her post as governor of Alaska two months ago.

"Yeah I was because she didn't call me ahead of time," McCain said to laughter in the audience. "We all have families, we all have challenges, we all have issues in our lives. She did have huge legal debts because of these [ethics] charges."

Despite the at-times public bickering between aides to Palin and McCain since in the aftermath of the campaign's defeat, the Arizona senator insisted he still speaks with his former running mate "fairly often."

"We say hello. We ask about families. I wish her well," he said.

On the issue of health care, McCain indicated he may be willing to support President Obama's reform efforts, depending on what the president says in his joint address to Congress next week.

"I look forward to what he specific proposals are," said McCain. "I think the disappointment a lot of Americans display is that we are not working together more."

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Sen. McCain spoke about health care at a town-hall event in Arizona Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Tuesday that President Obama's efforts to reform health care have sparked "a peaceful revolt in America."

"I've seen involvement and engagement on the part of Americans that I have never seen the likes of which before," McCain said at a town hall in Phoenix, the first of eight such meetings he will hold around the state this week.

For more than an hour, the former GOP nominee alternated between cracking some well-worn jokes from his two presidential campaigns and listening to the concerns of his constituents, one of whom demanded that McCain "nuke" the health care plan entirely.

"No compromises, no comprises, no compromises," chanted one woman, a self-described former Democrat. "Senator, nuke it now!"

Though McCain firmly rejected the idea of a government-run insurance option, saying it would eventually drive private insurers out of business and lead to a full government takeover of health care, he echoed his 2008 campaign platform and said it would be irresponsible to simply "do nothing" - especially with the threat of Medicare and Social Security going broke.

"So let's go back with constructive, free-market incentives to improve the quality of health care and the affordability and availability," he said.

Later in the meeting, McCain was jeered when he insisted that Obama's views be respected despite his differing opinions on how to achieve reform.

"I am convinced the president is absolutely sincere in his beliefs," he said to groans. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. He is sincere in his beliefs. We just happen to disagree. He is the president of the United States and let's be respectful."

But McCain made clear he is "unalterably opposed" to "reconciliation" - a Senate maneuver that would allow the White House to pass a bill with just 51 votes instead of a filibuster-proof majority.

"It would be a drastic change in the way that the United States Senate does business," he said. "And I hope that if you see something like that coming you would not allow it to happen."

Sen. McCain spoke about health care at a town-hall event in Arizona Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Tuesday that President Obama's efforts to reform health care have sparked "a peaceful revolt in America."

"I've seen involvement and engagement on the part of Americans that I have never seen the likes of which before," McCain said at a town hall in Phoenix, the first of eight such meetings he will hold around the state this week.

For more than an hour, the former GOP nominee alternated between cracking some well-worn jokes from his two presidential campaigns and listening to the concerns of his constituents, one of whom demanded that McCain "nuke" the health care plan entirely.

"No compromises, no comprises, no compromises," chanted one woman, a self-described former Democrat. "Senator, nuke it now!"

Though McCain firmly rejected the idea of a government-run insurance option, saying it would eventually drive private insurers out of business and lead to a full government takeover of health care, he echoed his 2008 campaign platform and said it would be irresponsible to simply "do nothing" - especially with the threat of Medicare and Social Security going broke.

"So let's go back with constructive, free-market incentives to improve the quality of health care and the affordability and availability," he said.

Later in the meeting, McCain was jeered when he insisted that Obama's views be respected despite his differing opinions on how to achieve reform.

"I am convinced the president is absolutely sincere in his beliefs," he said to groans. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. He is sincere in his beliefs. We just happen to disagree. He is the president of the United States and let's be respectful."

But McCain made clear he is "unalterably opposed" to "reconciliation" - a Senate maneuver that would allow the White House to pass a bill with just 51 votes instead of a filibuster-proof majority.

"It would be a drastic change in the way that the United States Senate does business," he said. "And I hope that if you see something like that coming you would not allow it to happen."

White House's official Twitter account garnered its millionth Twitter follower Sunday.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– President Barack Obama’s wired White House is now in the seven figures category on Twitter.

“A million followers – nice,” the White House (@whitehouse) wrote in a short blast - known as a “tweet” - that was sent out Sunday afternoon. “What would you like to see more of from this feed? Photos? Quotes? Cowbell? Tell us @whitehouse.”

In crossing the 1 million-follower threshold on Twitter, the Obama administration official account still trails behind Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Obama’s opponent in the 2008 elections.

McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) racked up his millionth Twitter follower nearly six weeks agoand now has roughly 1.2 million followers on the popular micro-blogging site.

Related: Twitter is 'a phenomenal way of communicating,' says McCain

But when you take into account all of the followers on Obama’s Twitter accounts, McCain is looking at the president’s back. Obama’s presidential campaign Twitter account (@BarackObama) has more than 2 million followers.

White House's official Twitter account garnered its millionth Twitter follower Sunday.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– President Barack Obama’s wired White House is now in the seven figures category on Twitter.

“A million followers – nice,” the White House (@whitehouse) wrote in a short blast - known as a “tweet” - that was sent out Sunday afternoon. “What would you like to see more of from this feed? Photos? Quotes? Cowbell? Tell us @whitehouse.”

In crossing the 1 million-follower threshold on Twitter, the Obama administration official account still trails behind Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Obama’s opponent in the 2008 elections.

McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) racked up his millionth Twitter follower nearly six weeks agoand now has roughly 1.2 million followers on the popular micro-blogging site.

Related: Twitter is 'a phenomenal way of communicating,' says McCain

But when you take into account all of the followers on Obama’s Twitter accounts, McCain is looking at the president’s back. Obama’s presidential campaign Twitter account (@BarackObama) has more than 2 million followers.

Sen. McCain spoke out Sunday about a controversial provision in some versions of health care reform legislation - a provision dubbed 'death panels' by his former running mate.

(CNN) - Sen. John McCain says loose language in Democratic health-care bills fueled claims by his former running mate that the plan could lead to "death panels" for the elderly and handicapped.

"The way that it was written made it a little bit ambiguous," McCain, last year's Republican presidential nominee, told ABC's "This Week" in an interview broadcast Sunday. But he added, "I don't think they were called 'death panels,' don't get me wrong."

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate in last November's election, wrote that the bill could lead to "death panels" that would decide whether people like her parents or her infant son, who has Down Syndrome, were "worthy of health care." Though it has been found false by a number of observers, including CNN, the claim has been widely circulated by critics of the Obama administration's push to expand health care coverage to most Americans.

The claims stem from a provision in a bill before the House of Representatives that would require Medicare to reimburse doctors who counsel patients on "end-of-life issues" such as living wills. The Senate Finance Committee, which is still drafting its version of a bill, is likely to dump the provision, its ranking Republican said last week.

But McCain said the bills call for "a board that would decide the most effective measures to provide health care for people," a step he said could lead to treatments being denied.

"Doesn't that lead to a possibility, at least opens the door to a possibility of rationing and decisions made such are made in other countries?" the Arizona senator asked. And he said Democrats rejected amendments "that clarified that none of the decisions that would be made by this board would in any way affect the depriving of needed treatments for patients."

The Obama administration argues that care is already being rationed by insurance companies, which can deny procedures or coverage for a variety of reasons. There is no final health care bill in the House or the Senate, and many claims about health care surround individual lines in a version of a bill working its way through one of the chambers.

Sen. McCain currently has 1.1 million followers on the social networking and microblogging site Twitter.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain may have lost the last presidential election but online the Arizona Republican has something the White House doesn’t have – more followers on the popular social networking site Twitter than the Obama administration’s official Twitter account.

Watch: McCain raves about Twitter

McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) has slightly more than 1.1 million Twitter followers while the White House account (@whitehouse) has approximately 844,000.

McCain, who was not known as a technophile during the 2008 presidential race, says he is fond of the popular service that allows users to broadcast 140-character messages.

“It is a phenomenal way of communicating,” McCain told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

McCain said he was “flooded with responses,” after he recently sent a tweet about use of steroids by a Major League baseball player. “It’s a great, great vehicle for communication.”

Overall though, the Arizona Republican has a ways to go to catch up with his former rival on Twitter.

The Twitter account created by the Obama presidential campaign (@BarackObama) currently has more than 1.8 million followers – meaning the two Obama-related accounts combined have more than double the followers of McCain.

And while there’s presumably a significant overlap between followers of both the original Obama campaign account and the newer, official White House account, apparently not all of Obama’s early Twitter followers have made the switch. So Obama is working hard to boost the White House’s Twitter following. During the last “Follow Friday,” a weekly event where Twitter users recommend which users to follow, Obama’s original campaign account suggested that its 1.8 million followers also follow the official White House Twitter account.

Sen. McCain currently has 1.1 million followers on the social networking and microblogging site Twitter.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain may have lost the last presidential election but online the Arizona Republican has something the White House doesn’t have – more followers on the popular social networking site Twitter than the Obama administration’s official Twitter account.

Watch: McCain raves about Twitter

McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) has slightly more than 1.1 million Twitter followers while the White House account (@whitehouse) has approximately 844,000.

McCain, who was not known as a technophile during the 2008 presidential race, says he is fond of the popular service that allows users to broadcast 140-character messages.

“It is a phenomenal way of communicating,” McCain told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

McCain said he was “flooded with responses,” after he recently sent a tweet about use of steroids by a Major League baseball player. “It’s a great, great vehicle for communication.”

Overall though, the Arizona Republican has a ways to go to catch up with his former rival on Twitter.

The Twitter account created by the Obama presidential campaign (@BarackObama) currently has more than 1.8 million followers – meaning the two Obama-related accounts combined have more than double the followers of McCain.

And while there’s presumably a significant overlap between followers of both the original Obama campaign account and the newer, official White House account, apparently not all of Obama’s early Twitter followers have made the switch. So Obama is working hard to boost the White House’s Twitter following. During the last “Follow Friday,” a weekly event where Twitter users recommend which users to follow, Obama’s original campaign account suggested that its 1.8 million followers also follow the official White House Twitter account.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Sen. McCain said he respects former Gov. Palin and thinks she will continue to play a role in the Republican Party.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A week after she stepped down as Alaska’s governor, Sen. John McCain is expressing support for his former White House running mate.

“I respect Sarah Palin,” McCain said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “I appreciate her and her husband enormously. I think she will continue to play a major role in the future of the Republican Party. And I have to respect the decision she made."

Watch: McCain on Palin, GOP's future

“People make decisions, what they think is best for their own future, their state, the country and their family. And I'm not aware of all the influences,” McCain said of Palin’s surprise decision to step down 18 months before her first term as governor was up.

“And Sarah, I think, made, clearly, the best decision,” McCain told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.

McCain also told King he continues to “be saddened by the fact that there are still such vicious attacks on her and her family.”

“I've never seen anything quite like it,” added McCain.

In an interview that aired Sunday on State of the Union, Sen. McCain took a shot at the Blue Dog Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The “Blue Dogs,” a group of moderate to conservative House Democrats who have worked to limit the price tag of health care reform legislation, are taking a hit from a prominent Republican who is suggesting that the group will ultimately prove ineffectual.

Related: GOP, Blue Dogs get health reform slowdown they wanted

“The Blue Dogs, they always bark and they never bite,” Arizona Sen. John McCain said on an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “They almost always – in fact, always, roll over and then play dead.”

McCain’s slam of the Blue Dogs came in the context of being asked whether President Obama has the political power to stymie Republicans in their efforts to shape Democrats’ ambitious plans to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

“There's no doubt that this is a very effective president of the United States,” McCain said of his former rival. “He's an excellent communicator. He has sizeable majorities in both houses of Congress.

“So I would never count anybody out in health care or anything else when you have these sizeable majorities. I think they will renew the push after the August recess. The question is, are they going to be really bipartisan efforts or just pick off a couple of Republicans?”

In the House, the Blue Dog coalition has worked within the Energy and Commerce Committee to bring down the near trillion-dollar price tag for health care reform over the next 10 years while also protecting the interests of rural hospitals in some of their districts. Efforts to appease the Blue Dogs resulted in delays in getting legislation out of that committee. A vote on a bill came late Friday, just before the House broke for a five-week recess.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John McCain has some advice for Democrats: have a “true sit-down” with Republicans on health care reform legislation.

“Well, first of all, unfortunately, there was no input by Republicans in the writing of the bill,” McCain said of the version of the legislation that came out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “It was all a Democrat proposal. That’s not the way you want to begin if you’re really interested in a true bipartisan result.”

“It's got to be a true sit-down,” McCain added. “OK, what are you going to concede … how we can come together? Not: here's the plan, how can we fix it so it satisfies enough of you to call it ‘bipartisan?’

“That's a huge difference.”

Saying President Obama needs to be more specific about the reform proposals he favors, McCain also faulted how his former rival is handling health care reform.

“The president has laid out some ideas,” McCain said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “But I think the president has got to be more specific when we come down to exactly what these proposals are.

“And I don't think he's done that.

“I think they may have over learned the lesson of the Clinton proposal in '93, McCain added, “where they were totally specific proposals. Now there's not enough.”

Despite his criticism for the way Democrats are handling health care reform, McCain did express affection for one colleague on the other side of the aisle.

“Oh, yes,” McCain said when asked whether Sen. Ted Kennedy presence was missed in the health care debate on Capitol Hill.

“Senator Kennedy is an institution around here that is unique,” McCain told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, “and there's no such thing as a senator who's irreplaceable.

“There's no one who comes as close to that word as Ted Kennedy. And we are philosophically opposed, but I have grown, over the years, to have the highest respect and affection.”

Kennedy, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has been absent for most of the 111th Congress because he is battling cancer. In his absence, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd largely took over responsibility for shepherding health care reform legislation through that committee, on which McCain also sits along with Dodd and Kennedy.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As negotiations over a health care reform bill drag on in the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. John McCain says he is not in favor of the approach most likely to be put forward by a bipartisan group of six senators negotiating on the committee.

“I have not seen one,” McCain says in an interview airing on Sunday’s CNN State of the Union, when asked whether there is a viable public insurance option that could garner his vote.

McCain does not favor a pure public option run by the federal government and the Arizona Republican says he also does not favor insurance co-operatives – an alternative to government-run, single-payer insurance that has been proposed by North Dakota Democrat Sen. Kent Conrad who sits on the Senate Finance Committee.

“The co-ops remind us all of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” McCain says. “And so I have not seen a public option that, in my view, meets the test of what would really not eventually lead to a government takeover.”

The Arizona Republican spoke to CNN Chief National Correspondent John King Sunday in a wide-ranging interview on CNN’s State of the Union.

Asked whether President Obama deserves some credit for recent indicators that the recessionary economy has stopped its freefall, McCain said: “I think it’s very clear that the stimulus has had some effect. But, what I worry more than anything about is the long-term effects, because we are committing generational theft.

”We have put trillions of additional debt on future generations of Americans,” he added.

“In the words of the Congressional Budget Office and others, it is ‘unsustainable,’” McCain said.

“The long-term consequences, I think, are going to be, unfortunately, devastating unless we do something about it,” McCain also said.

McCain’s comments come as Democrats have been ratcheting up their efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness of Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan which Republicans say has not benefited the economy or eased unemployment as Democrats promised.

Watch John King's interview with Sen. John McCain Sunday on State of the Union.

(CNN) - Despite his campaign-trail promises, President Obama has failed to change the partisan tone in Washington, Arizona Sen. John McCain said Friday.

"I'm afraid they have," Obama's former presidential rival told CNN's John King when asked if the administration has 'failed' in delivering on its repeated pledge of bipartisanship.

"Look they've got the votes. We understand that. They had the votes in the stimulus package, in the budget, in the Omnibus, in the SCHIP, all this legislation. And they have picked off, sometimes, two or three Republicans," McCain continued. "But that's not changing the climate in Washington."

"What that is, is exercising a significant majority," the Arizona Republican continued. "And so I - I respect their successes, but please don't call it changing the climate in Washington."

John King's full interview with McCain will air Sunday on State of The Union at 9 a.m. ET.

Jackson Browne reached a settlement Tuesday with Sen. John McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Singer and songwriter Jackson Browne reached a settlement Tuesday that ends an 11 month long legal battle against Sen. John McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party.

Browne filed suit after a Web video the Ohio GOP produced in favor of the party's presidential candidate featured Browne's 1977 hit "Running on Empty."

McCain's campaign had to end its use of a string of songs over the course of the presidential race following complaints by the musical artists - a list that included the Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp, Boston and Heart.

The terms of the settlement with Browne call for McCain, the RNC and the ORP to issue a public statement of apology, and a pledge that in future campaigns they will seek the permission of music artists prior to playing their songs. The financial terms of the settlement are being kept confidential.

"We apologize that a portion of the Jackson Browne song 'Runing On Empty' was used without permission," the joint McCain, RNC, ORP statement said. "The ORP, RNC and Senator McCain pledge in future election campaigns to respect and uphold the rights of artists and to obtain permissions and/or licenses for copyrighted works where appropriate."