John McCain vows to block Susan Rice

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has vowed to do everything he can to prevent Susan Rice from becoming the next Secretary of State. As Hillary Clinton prepares to exit stage left, the Senator from Arizona goes on the record and pulls no punches.

Senator John McCain. Photo from RawSignalPolitics

When asked if John McCain would support the US Ambassador to the United Nations as the next Secretary of State, McCain stated, “We will do whatever’s necessary to block the nomination that’s within our power as far as Susan Rice is concerned.”

McCain, who has been critical of Rice’s performance regarding the events of the September 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans, told CBS that Rice is “not qualified” to be the Secretary of State.

“Susan Rice should have known better,” McCain said.   “If she didn’t know better, she’s not qualified.”

McCain is referring to comments Rice made following the Sept. 11 attacks when she blamed a YouTube video for the attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Stevens who repeatedly asked the Obama Administration for help prior to the attacks.

McCain serves as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

During a Meet the Press interview on Sept. 16^th, Susan Rice claimed that the attack on Benghazi was sparked by a “hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the Arab and Muslim world.”

Shortly after the interview, it was revealed that the attack was not related to a YouTube video as Rice claimed, but a coordinated attack by Al Qaeda that the Obama Administration watched, streaming in real time.

McCain isn’t the only one ready to block Obama’s top choice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Senator Lindsey Graham chimed in, claiming Rice is “disconnected with Reality” and that there are many other “qualified people in this country the president could pick.”  Graham continued, “I am dead-set on making sure we don’t promote anybody that was an essential player in the Benghazi debacle.”

Though Rice misled the American public, President Obama continues to avoid key questions regarding intelligence gathered during and after the attacks. Instead, the President chooses to defend the Ambassador’s actions while chastising those who continue to seek answers and hold them accountable.

During his first press conference in eight months, Obama’s best defense was that Rice “had nothing to do with Benghazi.”  The comment drew stark criticism from Fox News contributor, Charles Krauthammer, who begged the question “then why the hell are you sending her out there?”

Krauthammer continued to question the move to put Rice front and center, asking why Obama didn’t “send out the Secretary of State, or the CIA Director, or Panetta or somebody who did know?”

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