Audio By Carbonatix
There’s no love lost between Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Senator John McCain.
The two went after each other during a heated back-and-forth at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing this morning.
The issue: border security.
Check out some video after the jump.
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McCain threw the first jab, telling Napolitano that not enough was getting done by the federal government to prevent spillover violence from Mexico.
“I know that you are very busy, but from my visits to the southern part of my state, they don’t see this kind of improvement Madame Secretary,” McCain said. “In fact, they are more worried than they have ever been.”
Napolitano tried to respond, but McCain stayed on the attack.
“They see continued home invasions,” McCain said. “They don’t have the same security that other people do in other parts of our country. They’ve not [seen] any improvement, they’ve seen conditions worsen.”
Napolitano responded, “We’re in constant contact with those very citizens.”
McCain tried to squeeze in a word in but (this time) Janet wasn’t havin’ it.
“All I can say is, look, I measure what we’re doing by results and a lot of numbers and
what should be going up is going up and what should be going down is going down. However, the situation is very, very serious, and it does demand our utmost attention and you are correct about that.”
Then, without any notice, an impromptu game of I Know More about Arizona Sheriffs Than You Do broke out, with Napolitano, apparently, coming out on top.
“Let’s get [Cochise County] Sheriff Larry Dever and sheriffs that Secretary Napolitano says she’s in contact with, and they’ll tell you,” McCain said. “They’re law enforcement people, they’re down there on the front lines, and they’ll tell you that they have not seen an improvement.”
Napolitano fired back, “Let’s get [Pinal County] Sheriff [Paul] Babeu and Yuma County Sheriff [Ralph] Ogden and some of the other sheriffs, as well,” said Napolitano.
The room erupted in laughter before McCain left about halfway through.
