McCain calls Russia a 'gas station'
(CNN) - Mad that he won't be vacationing in Siberia because of sanctions, Sen. John McCain sounded off on all things Russia on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Tuesday.
The longtime GOP senator from Arizona, who earlier this year used his Twitter account to announce sanctions imposed on him by Russian President Vladimir Putin, joked about his overseas account.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker']
"My secret campaign fund bank account in Moscow is now frozen," he told Meyers on the NBC late night TV talk show.
"I like to call him Vladimir," McCain said, adding that he takes pride on his sanctions.
"There is nothing that could do me more good politically than to be sanctioned by Vladimir Putin," he said.
"Were other non-sanctioned senators jealous of you?" Meyers asked him.
"All of them," said McCain. Other senators, he explained, were trying to stand close to him in photographs so they too would get sanctioned.
"How can I insult Vladimir so I can get sanctioned too?"McCain said.
Meyers noted that McCain has been a critic of President Barack Obama as well as Putin. He asked McCain, who ran against then Sen.-Obama in 2008 presidential election, how he would project a tough front without turning it into a war.
"How do you project this idea of toughness without being willing to go to war or have any sort of armed conflict, which it seems like no one wants?" Meyers said.
"I'd be giving them some weapons with which to defend themselves," said McCain, referring to the interim Ukrainian government's military.
He also cited "other measures" such as "giving them money that they need to get their economy back on track," and allowing Ukraine to join the European Union, a decision that is not up to the United States.
McCain: All Putin's 'got is gas and oil'
Ukraine and numerous other European nations are dependent on Russia for supplies of natural gas.
In a CNN interview last week, Andriy Kobolev, 35, chief executive of Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz, responsible for keeping the gas flowing into Ukraine, said reversing gas flow will be a solution in dealing with Russia over the supply of gas to Ukraine.
"If we find a solution which is not Russian gas, that very likely will lead to the situation when Ukraine will not be buying Russian gas for quite a long period of time," he told CNN's Richard Quest.
Monday, McCain said that "Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country."
"All it - all he's got is gas and oil," McCain said referring to Russia and the Russian President. "And that's really all that is sustaining them."
The 77-year-old senator, a former Navy pilot who was shot down and served as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict," then told Meyers "Wait, I take that back."
Then he tweaked his statement.
"It is a gas station run by a mafia that is masquerading as a country," he said.
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It sounds like john has the Putsky figured out, now he should consentrate on reforming the GOP CLOWN party that DOESNT support anything the American people want. Sorry GOP, but we can't vote for YOUR agenda no matter Who you run. I can't think o f ONE thing the GOP has accomplished sence Obama was elected EXCEPT LOSE 24 BILLION DOLLARS in 16 DAYS. We are not voting for ANY republicans in November !!!!
All this money that we seem to have for other countries when so many in the US need our help.
He really need to retire. He makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth.
-–did this old coot forget entire Middle-Eastern nations have gas nothing but gas(oil)? They do not even have water. If These pastels go there they sell potato chips and coke too leaving full service stations to greater unemployment there.
Russia is a regional power that is in the process of making huge oil deals will Shell Oil and Mobil. Maybe we should declare war on Shell and Mobil.
There's no fool like an old fool, is there John...
That's right.. no history, no culture, literature, art, science, EVER came out of Russia, right John? You need to retire. All you're good for is sabre rattling. lame comedy, and insults. None of which is needed in this world.
"It is a gas station run by a mafia that is masquerading as a country"
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Pretty funny old man. Try this one on for size: It is a gas station run by a mafia that is masquerading as a country that happens to have nuclear weapons.
Good for John, tell it like it is. IN case you did not know it the Unted States is toying with the idea of suspending trading and deals with Russia,
@Tampa, Mobil has not been a company since 1999....it is part of Exxonmobil. Oh, and Russia happens to have the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world, and the ability to deliver them anywhere in the world.....that just might push them above the "regional power" threshold.
Russia should thank Pres. Obama very much that he defeated McCain. I can't imagine McCain being the President now. Russia would be in million pieces if not in ashes.
Personally insulting the PEOPLE of Russia is childish & counterproductive. The PEOPLE of Iran also don't like to be personally degraded.