Hannity Shoot-out With McCain Over Tea Party 'Hobbit' Smear

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And tonight in the great debt debate, it is House Speaker John Boehner versus Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who are pushing dueling plans to solve the deficit crisis as the clock ticks towards zero.

Now, Prince Harry Reid's plan of course, increases the debt ceiling through 2012, ensuring that this thorny issue will not interfere with the president's campaign for reelection. How convenient.

Now, Speaker Boehner's plan slashes almost $1 trillion from the federal budget, and this morning, he warned fellow Republicans to quote, "Get your ass in line and rally behind this bill."

In typical fashion, the president threatened the Boehner bill with a veto and Senate Democrats have sent a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him that no Senate Democrats will vote in favor of his plan.

But the greatest threat to the Boehner bill may not come from Democrats, but from the Tea Party, which is refusing to back it. Now my next guest, Arizona Senator John McCain, he came out swinging earlier today against the Tea Party stance reading from a Wall Street Journal editorial on the Senate floor. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-ARIZ.: The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue and the public will turn en masse against Barack Obama. Republican House had failed to raise the debt ceiling which somehow escape all the blame. Then Democrats would have to choice but to pass a balanced budget amendment and reform entitlements and the Tea Party hobbits could return to middle earth having defeated Mordor. This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell into GOP Senate nominees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Joining me now is Arizona Senator John McCain.

Senator, you know, I read the Journal editorial. And I'm against the editorial. I read the Weekly Standard today, I'm angry at them. The Tea Party didn't cause the death crisis we have. The Democrats and Obama did. They didn't spend all this money to bring us on the brink of default losing our credit rating, the Democrats, the president brought us to this point. Why are you attacking the Tea Party?

MCCAIN: Well, first of all, I was reading from a Wall Street Journal editorial and not exactly --

HANNITY: Well, one that was attack in the Tea Party.

MCCAIN: No, it was basically attacking the idea that somehow if we shutdown the government that then Obama would get the blame and Republicans would triumph. I disagree. I think that the fact is, that if we don't act in the Republican House, and I believe by the way, that they will, at least I certainly hope though that they will, then the ball will be in President Obama's court and Harry Reid who has, as you pointed out, one of the most flimsy, transparent, phony spending cut things -- proposals that I've ever seen. So, I wasn't attacking the Tea Partiers or anybody. What I was trying to point out as the Wall Street Journal was, that we need to act with our own spending cuts, with our own legitimate spending cuts, in that way, then all the pressure will be on the president and the Democrats under Harry Reid.

HANNITY: You know, I take a different position, I see the Republicans, you know, literally were competing against themselves which infuriates me a little bit. This president has not put forward a plan. The Tea Party saying, wait a minute, this is why we hired you guys. And they're just saying, we wanted "Cut, Cap and Balance," a reasonable, responsible bill and they are asking for, you know, the Republicans to stand firm on it.

So, look, I found this as an attack on the Tea Party. And if you are agreeing with it, and mentioning Christine O'Donnell or Sharron Angle, it sounds like an attack on the Tea Party.

MCCAIN: No, primarily if you read the whole editorial which an attack on President Obama in the way that they are trying to shift the blame on to Republicans. And that's also what I said on the floor of the Senate. The president has not come forward with a plan, that is unconscionable. That's the worst aspect of leading from behind. But that doesn't mean that Republicans are relieved of their responsibilities.

Look, I've got to tell you this, Sean, there is no way that there are 67 votes in the United States Senate to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Now, I'll put my conservative fiscal record up against anyone, Tea Party, non-Tea Party, anybody's. I fought against the Bush spending proposals. I voted against my own party, time after time. I'm proud of my record. That's why I was designated the taxpayers' hero.