McCain Skipped A Briefing On Benghazi To Hold A Press Conference (on Benghazi)

[petesan]

46. IMO it wasn't the 2008 ass kicking

but the 2012 reelection of Obama that sent him over the edge.

McCain accepted Obama's 2008 win. By the time election day came, he'd know for a while that he would loose. While not magnanimous, the conceded with relative grace. McCain had a few redeeming moments over the past 4 years. We saw occasional glimpses of the reasonable, honorable senator that used to be John McCain.

He's dealt with Obama's presidency moderately well and was able to be civil because he believed Obama would be a one term president. Until 2 weeks ago, he hoped that come January, Romney would be president. With a Romney victory, McCain's vision for foreign policy, which aligned much closer with Romney's than Obama's, could be actualized. No more of Obama's mamby pamby, limp-wristed dealings with Putin and Ahmadinejad.

With Romney's unexpected (in the alternate universe inhabited by republicans) defeat, McCain's ambitions would be circumvented. There would be no pressing forward with the bellicose foreign policy he believed would renew American exceptionalism. A foreign policy that would allow him to showcase his expertise while providing a stark contrast with the past four years under Obama's spineless leadership.

With this realization, McCain began silently seething. This was the last straw. He wouldn't be able to nudge the chameleonic Romney into pursuing a foreign policy that he, John McCain would have instated as president. His disdain for Obama's foreign policy ,coupled with renewed envy fed his rage and he simply snapped. Gloves came off and fangs were unsheathed.

The Benghazi debacle (in McCain's eyes) provided the perfect opportunity to enlighten any who'd listen of Obama's gross ineptitude and dishonesty. To his own disservice, he may spend the next four years attempting to erode Obama's legitimacy and jeopardize his legacy.

I'm probably reading way too much into McCain's behavior when the true explanation may be that he's just a jealous dickhead.