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Morning News

Election 2000: Animosity Between McCain and Most of his Senate Republican Colleagues Unusually Personal

Aired February 15, 2000 - 10:10 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There are some in the Bush camp that make the claim that John McCain has become a new media darling. But few can argue who McCain's most passionate detractors are, they are his Republican colleagues in the Senate.

CNN congressional correspondent Bob Franken takes a look at why that is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It is not the way business is done in the Senate...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The animosity between John McCain and most of his fellow Senate Republicans is remarkably personal.

Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas supports McCain's rival George W. Bush. And while Hutchinson is willing to discuss his differences with McCain on camera, most of the about 40 Republican senators who support Bush are not. But many in the Senate spoke privately to CNN of their confrontations with McCain, behind closed doors.

In a world with strict rules of courtesy, said one: "He gets right up in front of them and starts wagging in finger and telling them it's a bunch of (expletive deleted)."

Another senator, not a Bush supporter, said McCain "uses terms that are indelicate, he starts swearing. I've seen it happen a lot."

As for Hutchinson, he hasn't forgotten a battle with McCain over a proposed new airport in Arkansas that McCain blasted as pork barrel spending.

SEN. TIM HUTCHINSON (R), ARKANSAS: If you agreed with him, you were on the side of righteousness. But if you disagree with him, it didn't matter if it was a legitimate other point of view, you simply had departed from righteousness.

FRANKEN: One McCain loyalist understands the animosity.

SEN. FRED THOMPSON (R), TENNESSEE: He has a lot of friends, but he has crossed some people, and some people are still angry at him about some of those high-profile fights that they've had. There is no question about that.

FRANKEN: McCain argues, his approach is a plus.

MCCAIN: Obviously, the establishment continues to become more and more desperate as they face defeat. As I continue to threaten an incumbency protection racket.

FRANKEN (on camera): One Bush supporter says, a president must be a unifier, a consensus-builder. Of McCain's style, one Republican senator says, his good points are fabulous; his bad points are horrible.

Bob Franken, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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