It’s no secret that old guard Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) isn’t a big fan of newcomer Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), but the former Republican Presidential nominee had some choice words for Cruz.
While speaking to Yahoo! News’ Jeff Zeleny, McCain discussed the efforts of Tea Party Sens. Cruz and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who have been pushing for a government shutdown in an effort to defund Obamacare.
“None of them, that I know, were here the last time we saw that movie,” McCain said of Cruz and Paul’s efforts.
Zeleny referenced a clip in which Cruz called Republicans who fail to buck the establishment scared, contributing to the dissension within the GOP.
“There are a lot of Republicans in Washington who are scared,” the Tea Party Darling said on The Glenn Beck Program earlier this week. “They’re scared of being beaten up politically…”
But McCain had some words for Cruz — putting the Texas senator in his place.
“The other thing I think we really need to do is be careful in the way we treat each other,” McCain said. “I have been as ferocious a fighter, and I think as partisan, as strong, as anybody but I really try hard not to get personal. Debate on the issue as hard as you can but don’t say that your opponents, that people who disagree with you are scared. It’s been a long time since I’ve been scared.”
As the 113th Congress enters its eighth month, McCain has continued to reach across the aisle to Democratic counterparts in an effort to compromise on a host of issues, namely immigration reform — a move that has earned him the RINO distinction and a bevy of criticism from others on the Right.
But the former Republican Presidential nominee has fired back against his conservative critics on Capitol Hill, calling Cruz, Paul and Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) “wacko birds” for their blunt brand of politicking.
McCain has since apologized for his words.
