John McCain, who has pledged to filibuster a Susan Rice nomination for secretary of state, said this morning on Fox News Sunday that, in fact, he’s willing to hear her out. Asked whether there’s anything Rice can do to change his mind, McCain said:
Sure, I give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took. I’ll be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her. Why did she say that Al-Qaeda has been decimated in her statement here on this program? Al-Qaeda hasn’t been decimated, they’re on the rise…So, there’s a lot of questions we have for Ambassador Rice, and I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to discuss this with her.
Chris Wallace also raised the issue of James Clyburn’s allegation that, in discussing Rice’s missteps, McCain and colleague Lindsey Graham have used racist “code words.” McCain said he’s “not going to dignify comments like that,” but charged that they arise when an opponent “can’t win the argument on the merits.”