Sen. John McCain doesn’t need friends like this.
The former GOP presidential nominee on Sunday uncomfortably laughed off a compliment from Hillary Clinton, who had called McCain her “favorite Republican.”
“I hope this part of the program is blacked out in Arizona,” he joked on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I respect Secretary Sen. Clinton. I respect her views. We have had disagreements on a number of issues.”
Without any prompting, McCain acknowledged Clinton’s frontrunner status — among all candidates — and accidentally, for just a second, put her in the White House.
“I think it’s my job to work with every president,” he said.
The Arizona Republican quickly walked that back, adding an “if” to his comment.
“If she is — regrettably — if she attains the presidency,” said McCain, comically contorting his face with mock fear, “I worked with her in the Senate. I just worked with [liberal Vermont] Sen. [Bernie] Sanders on a Veteran Affairs bill. We got to fix the VA, how do you do that? You got to reach across the aisle and work together on certain issues.
“And I’m not only not embarrassed about that, I’m proud of it and I respect Hillary Clinton though I may not agree with her.”