Calling McCain's Bluff

As the Senate Armed Services Committee was conducting hearings about prospective military action in Syria, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was not paying full attention to the testimony by Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Jack Dempsey.

Washington Post Photographer Melina Mara caught McCain passing time playing poker on his iPhone.  In case one is skeptical about the photographic proof, Senator McCain responded to the charge by tweeting about the Syrian Strike scandal.

It is dubious why anyone would follow such an inattentive leader. Not that the testimony would have mattered to McCain, as President Obama had enlisted his former rival and his bosom buddy Senator Lindsey Graham with special treatment at the White House to ensure passage of a Congressional military approval of action in Syria. 

 The Maverick Senator used to rely upon a lapdog press corp whom he could charm.  But in the age of the internet, the public need not rely upon a compliant press to tell them "That's the way it is."   Moreover, social media spreads information like wildfire and without the supercillious elite liberal media filter.

In case conducting Senate business is too taxing after several weeks vacation (Summer In District Work Period), Arizona is a really nice place to retire.  In the mean time, lawmakers should call McCain's bluff and really have a detailed debate on the costs and benefits of embroiling America in another military entanglement in the Middle East.