mr. mccain: will my colleague just yield? mr. kyl: sure. mr. mccain: i believe it's senator paul who sets the parameters for how many hours of debates and others. i believe it's the majority leader. and could i talk to the majority leader about how long the debate should be and whether we can have amendments or not? that's all i'm saying. mr. reid: well, i would -- i will say this, so we'll save a lot of trouble for everybody. we're not going to have amendments to this. we're -- the amendment days are over. weefb -- we have been blindsided many times on amendments. i'll be happy if my friend can come up with something that will allow maybe a side-by-side or something, i'm happy to do that. but we're -- i'm open to negotiations in any way that's reasonable. and if someone doesn't want to contact rand paul, i will. i mean, if somebody feels awkward doing that, i don't. i have -- i feel totally free to talk to any senator about anything and that's why i reached out to rand paul. mr. kyl: mr. president, might i just continue here? i think the point

mr. mccain: mr.president, i ask unanimous consent that i be included in the colloquy with the senator from south dakota and the senator from alabama. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: and naturally the senator from new hampshire as well. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: mr. president, i think that the senator from south dakota has laid out the problem here. one of the regrets that i think all of us have is the failure of this message to getting to the american people the loss of a million defense jobs, the trillion dollars taken out of our economy, the devastation to our national security that has been so graphically described by our secretary of defense and our uniformed chiefs, and still i think most americans don't even understand what the word sequestration, how it applies in this particular situation. now, maybe when this report, thanks to the legislation sponsored by the senator from south dakota comes out as to the effects it will give more visibility t

mr. mccain: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: in the last few days several interesting things have happened, and some of them tragic. of course, beginning with the tragic loss of our brave four americans and ambassador chris stevens. and then the demonstrations that have taken place everywhere. but also, i remind my colleagues that there was a most sophisticated attack on one of the most heavily fortified installations in iraq. it was professional. it was carried out in a professional fashion. it resulted in $200 million worth of loss to the american taxpayer. the greatest single act of destruction since the tet offense back during the vietnam war. in iraq -- in afghanistan, because of the attacks of afghan soldiers on american soldiers, we've had to suspend the operations between the military and police, between the two countries. if there is ever an indicator of failure of our policy in afghanistan, it is our now inability to even train with them to be ready to take over our -- the responsibilities that we now hold. ther

mr. mccain: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: i hope all of my colleagues will also take note that apac disagrees with the view of the senator from kentucky about the effect that this legislation may have on aid to israel. you know, every member of congress and all americans should know what happened today in benghazi, libya. the reports are that as many as 30,000 libyans took to the streets in benghazi, the city where ambassador chris stevens and three of his colleagues were tragically murdered ten days ago ago. these demonstrators marched peacefully to the gates of the compound of ansar al sharia. the militia that was responsible for the attack that killed ambassador stevens and his colleagues. the demonstrators conducted themselves peacefully. they carried signs according to media reports that read, "the ambassador was libya's friend. no, no to militias." and when these brave libyans arrived at the gates of the compound, they told the militia that they and their violent extremist agenda are not welcome in the new libya.

mr. mccain: mr.president, before i get to the issue concerning the senator from kentucky's amendment, i was just intpofrpld that the president of the united states, while speaking to hispanic television alleged that the reason why immigration reform was not enacted in the last four years of his presidency is because the senator from arizona walked away. incredible. incredible statement i'm not often in the business of accusing presidents of the united states of not telling the truth, but facts are stubborn things. first of all, it was then-senator obama who joined with senator kennedy and me when we were doing comprehensive immigration reform, and we pledged that we would take tough votes so that the whole fragile coalition would not fall apart. instead of doing that, the then-senator from illinois, barack obama proposed an amendment which would have destroyed the entire coalition we had together and did so without telling senator kennedy or me or anyone else, by sunsetting the provisions that called

mr. mccain: mr.e today to speak about the horrific attack yesterday on the u.s. consulate in been gaza that killed -- benghazi that killed four american citizens. the two confirmed thus far among the dead are slawn smith, an air force veteran turned information management officer and ambassador chris stevens, one of america's finest and bravest foreign service officers. i didn't know sean smith, i know he's a great american who served his country, but i had gotten to know chris stevens quite well. and ambassador chris stevens' death, the libyan people have lost a champion and believer in the peaceful aspirations of their democratic revolution. the american people have lost a selfless and dedicated servant of our interests and our values, and i have lost a friend. my thoughts and prayers today are with chris' family and the loved ones of his fallen colleagues. my god grant them comfort in their time of grief. our most urge vent -- urgent order of business is now is to ensure our citizens in libya and

senator mccain, mrs. mccaincome. >> thank you. >> we let you have beer in the cnn grill i'm afraid. >> actually i think that's gin. >> you're in a unique position because you beat mitt romney in a presidential campaign. there's no one better to talk about this stage of the campaign then you. >> i think he's in pretty good shape. he had a very good speech by his vice presidential candidate, selection. what he's got to fight is the unfavorables that are the result of hundreds of millions of dollars of attack ads by the obama campaign where he was heavily outspent. he won't be after the convention. and also i think the -- americans are very unhappy with our economy. but they want to see a path forward. and i think that paul ryan kind of laid that out. >> are you ploosed to see the issue of faith? i thought that was a very clever way of killing the mormon issue as a problem. >> exactly. it's about two men and their wives of course that could possibly be the top tier of this government. being strong in not only what

mr. mccain: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings urn the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: anyone who happened to be watching the senate floor a little earlier today got a taste of why, in the midst of a national jobs crisis, americans are still in danger of being slammed by one of the biggest tax hikes in history. while the u.s. military is today at risk of cuts that would devastate national security and why there's now a very good chance another major ratings agency will downgrade our nation's credit. there's a reason all these things may actually happen and it has nothing whatsoever to do with republicans. the nation is at risk of entirely avoidable member calamity because the president -- economic calamity is because the president of the united states and the democrats in the senate would rather spend their time picking apart paul ryan and the house budget plan, which the house has already passed, than producing one

mr. mccain: mr. president, it's with a heavy heart that i rise today to speak about the horrific attack yesterday on the u.s. consulate in been gaza that killed -- benghazi that killed four american citizens. the two confirmed thus far among the dead are slawn smith, an air force veteran turned information management officer and ambassador chris stevens, one of america's finest and bravest foreign service officers. i didn't know sean smith, i know he's a great american who served his country, but i had gotten to know chris stevens quite well. and ambassador chris stevens' death, the libyan people have lost a champion and believer in the peaceful aspirations of their democratic revolution. the american people have lost a selfless and dedicated servant of our interests and our values, and i have lost a friend. my thoughts and prayers today are with chris' family and the loved ones of his fallen colleagues. my god grant them comfort in their time of grief. our most urge vent -- urgent order of business

mr. mccain said he would fire the head of the securities and exchange commission.t in trying to make that point, he named the head of the fec, which is a totally differently agency that's totally unrelated. that was this week. that was one-week period this year four years ago in the campaign for john mccain for the presidency. even though he had risen like the a phoenix, he did not come back in the general election. that was this time in the campaign mid-september. by october the campaign was collapsed symbolized by sarah palin being trashed in the press by staffers of her own campaign. that was still a live campaign at that point. that happened and then we voted and honestly it wasn't even close. all campaigns have low moments. barack obama and the reverend wright stuff. mitt romney's dad way back in the day saying he was brainwashed by the military. some of these things are survivable and some of them are not. is it just the timing? is it needing enough time to recover before people start voting? is it the type of error and how close it is to the candidate's weak

mr. mccain to see 10 years and romney only two years? >> we'll have to leave it there.. >> thanks, craig. go, redskins! >> not just beer, not just brats, not just democrats in the badgers state. in case you didn't know. the home of paul ryan. no guarantee, though, mr. ryan can deliver wisconsin to the gop this year. we'll talk about that. >>> and politics and amy poehler. which senators will you see on her hit comedy coming up and which politician can't say enough about the former snl star? ♪ [ man ] when i'm in my zone... every move i make is a statement... ♪ ...that inspires me to make my mark. ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new lexus es 350. ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new lexus es 350. and every day since, two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've

. >> senator mccain, mrs. mccain, welcome. >> thank you.ng us back. >> sorry we won't let you have beer. >> i think that's gin. >> you're a unique position because you beat mitt romney in a presidential campaign, and you lost to barack obama. there's no one better to talk about this stage of the campaign than you. what is your take? >> i think he's in pretty good shape. and obviously i have enormous bias in his judgment. but he had a very good speech by his vice-presidential candidate selection. his wife, ann, did a very good job on opening night. but what he's got to fight is the unfavorables that are the result of hundreds of millions of dollars of attack ads by the obama campaign where he was heavily outspent. he won't be after the convention. and also i think the americans are very unhappy with our economy. what they want to see a path forward. and i think that paul ryan kind of laid that out. >> were you pleased in particular to see the issue of faith being openly discussed now by the hierarchy? >> yes. >> paul ryan, i thought it was a

mr. mccain had both been out there advocating for very aggressive foreclosure prevention relief. so i thought we would at least get a change with that citi came up with a very tepid program, one we told them administratively was not workable. i think what was going on was they -- to get the second tranche of the t.a.r.p. funds, t.a.r.p. was $700 billion it came in two installments to get that second installment, the democratic leadership told them they had a foreclosure prevention program. i think that was their main priority tour get that second tranche, which they wanted to use for what i call the $100 billion club n 2009, we basically said we were going to bail out anybody over $100 billion. >> do you think you were listened to in this process? because, you know, you quote mr. rice the otc, office of thrift supervision chief, john rice, saying that basically, the audacity of your putting forward some of the proposals that you had, you do think that and frequently you were the only woman in the room, do you think that that worked against you, was it held against you? excluded f

mr. mccain tries to be -- i believe he is honorable. mitt romney has no honor, and mccain knows it.n was squirming last night, because it was killing him to have to say nice things about a man who he knows is the last thing that america should have in the white house. >> john: i have to agree. the only thing more painful than watching john mccain's campaign is watching him endorse people he doesn't like. where are you in jersey? >> newark. >> john: you must be a huge fan of chris christie. >> he is just a one time thing -- i think he is just a blip, and he is under the thumb of the top -- top people paying his campaign. >> is that blip or blimp. >> john: stop it! >> caller: you be the judge of that, but in the end it has to be a publicly financed campaign but americans have to fought for who they think is best for them. whether it's honor or the middle class, clearly president obama is the person, and mitt romney is just floundering each day and now they are all scurrying like rats, because they know the ship is sinking. >> john: thank you for the call and have a great day. the end

mr. mccain: last night i cram to the floor to object to a one-hour debate on a measure that would have had draconian effects on our relations with countries in the middle east, and i am not opposed to that measure or debating it, but i said that i would think -- thought it would be important to have an amendment. the majority leader of the united states senate said, the day of amendments here is -- is over. the majority leader of the united states senate said the day of amendments in this body are over. is there a more telling description of how this body has deteriorated and degenerated over the years? i co see my friend from maine h. it is a far cry from the day we first imcame, when other majority leaders would allow debate, amendments, and carry out the functions that the people ask us to, and that is with vigorous debate and discussion. the day of amendments in this body are over. and so, as we debated a bill for veterans job program, of which six are already existing, the majority leader, for the first time in 50 years -- forbe the firs--for the first time in 50 s in this body we hav

romney notes in 2008 against mccain, mr. obama won each debate by double digits accor according to gallup polling and won by by 33 points. the president's team expected romney to be well prepared, playing up advantages for romney. debate and the first debate, favor challengers. >> senior romney a visor offered the g.o.p. debate spin in a memo to reporters -- regardless of who comes out on the top in the debate we amount afford another four years on the last four years. >> make a decision on what they believe is in the best interest of the country and their family. i expect to describe it in a way people understand. if i do, i get elected. >> romney spends the weekend in boston and flies to denver on monday. he has no public campaign activities planned. it's all private for the face-off. important of how important romney thinks it will be. >> bret: okay. see you in colorado. virginia base strategic allied consulting accused to submitting 100 questionable registration in seven countie counties. spokesperson says it's trying to

. >> reporter: like john mccain's invitation of an ohio plumber who questioned mr. obama's tax plan four years ago. >> in the third debate, john mccain repeatedly alluded to joe the plumber, and the allegation that barack obama #-r would share the wealth. >> reid: jamieson says that gave mccain a boost in the polls, but as mccain later learned, even a memorable debate moment carries a candidate only so far. the live tv audience for the first obama-romney debate is expected to be about 60 million people. that's roughly half the number expected to vote in the election. the combination of shrinking finances and rising crime is forcing drastic change on camden, new jersey, a small city just across the delaware from philadelphia. tony guida has the details of a reorganization plan that would take veteran cops off the beat permanently. >> reporter: if camden had its own postcards, the picture would look look a lot like this-- police responding to the scene of a crime. with just 77,000 residents and 1500 violent crimes and 48 murders this year alone, camden has been called

mr. putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone. >> the only serious discussion of the afghanistan war at the republican convention was that clip you just heard from john mccainwe should stay at war there forever. we do not actually know if mr. romney agrees with john mccain on that, the way he agrees with him on threatening wars with russia and iran. we don't know whether or not he agrees with him, because mitt romney did not say anything at all in his acceptance speech about our current war in afghanistan. which on its face is stunning. it's stunning even to the right. the conservative "weekly standard's" bill kristol just excoriated mr. romney for it, saying, leave aside the political wisdom of romney's silence and the opportunities it opens up for president obama next week, what about the civic propriety of a republican nominee failing to mention in his acceptance speech a war we're fighting and our young men and women who are fighting it? mitt romney on friday became the first republican nominee to -- on thursday, excuse me, became the first republican nominee to not talk about war in his convention speech, in 60 years. and we are in a war. we are in a h

mr romney mr bush and senator kerry senator mccain have lied to the american people and convince the american people that the muslim community in the united states is is hateful toward our culture and there are certainly things that in our culture aren't going to work for islam the paganism of our entertainment system it doesn't work for some catholics but the idea that muslims are just crazy people. and i'm going to blow things up because they don't like the fact that my daughter goes to university is nots but that's what you get from the presidents of both parties from the congress for much of the media and certainly from the jewish american community that supports israel and makes a very important point there when he talks about the substance you know one of the deep things behind what's going on unfortunately the conversation of the united states too often doesn't look at those things it goes for caricature. so right now we see rioting in spain and greece and you don't see the pundits on t.v. going these people it is just that's just how they are they're savages people say there

we heard john mccain criticize mr.g the withdrawal from afghanistan instead of victory in afghanistan. call can it a feckless foreign policy. romney is talking to the guardsmen and not engaging in presidential politics. there was a tweet from david axlerod earlier, the president's chief adviser that was partisan in nature. the romney campaign respond, we are not going to engage in that stuff today. it's about the 9/11 commemorative. megyn: breaking news right now on a requested meeting by the prime minister of israel, benjamin netanyahu that may have been denied by the white house. the israeli media is reporting the white house declined a netanyahu request to meet with obama. he is coming here for a u.n. meeting and has requested to sit down with the president at the white house. but it is a quick turn around. the u.n. conference in new york the end of this month. unfortunately the prime minister of israel will only be here -- will only have a meeting window of a short time. he gets here on a thursday evening and can m

mr. obama up by 5 points over john mccain. 50%, 45%. a case could be made that mitt romney is doing better than john mccain did. but that might be misleading. the presidential race is going to come down to just a handful of states ohio and florida being the most important governor romney plus win in both places that's why today's polling news is causing controversy. talking points has said from the very beginning that the debates this year will be the deciding factor one week from tonight in denver, colorado, the president will meet the governor at :00 p.m. eastern time. no question and all the polls show this that most americans are not happy with president obama's leadership, especially on the economy. many of the folks don't trust mitt romney. however, if the governor can do what ronald reagan did in 1980, that is keep the incumbent president on the defense during the debates, then the polls will surely change. that's not an easy thing to do because the debate formats allow the candidates to say pretty much whatever they want to sach

mr. romney has been critical of setting a timeline for taking troops out of afghanistan. when john mccain gave the foreign policy speech at the convention, john mccain's line on the war is that we should not bring troops home by the president's timeline. mr. romney at one point during the campaign said we should bring home troops from afghanistan right now. he suggested that might be the wise course. it's hard to figure out what mr. romney's policy might be on afghanistan afghanistan, what he might do with tens of thousands of american troops would do. if figuring out what might be his policy on this, we have no idea about given the number of things he's said about it. that is important. but that's maybe less important than the fact that mr. romney and his campaign try to talk about the war and try to talk about foreign policy and try to talk about national security as little as possible. today romney foreign policy advisor told buzz feed that the whole issue of foreign policy is, and i quote, a distraction. even then he called it something worse than that. it doesn't surprise me the obam