McCain Delivers Moving Speech On How Politics Should Be; McCain Makes Dramatic Return Amid Political Storm.
KING: Arizona Senator John McCain's emotional return to Washington adds a compelling human drama to the high stakes political debate over ObamaCare repeal and replace ideas. Senator McCain's vote was critical to moving forward. But the senator, just days removed from a brain cancer diagnosis, made clear he has giant doubts about his party's ideas on health care reform and more broadly about its ability to get much of anything done.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: We're getting nothing done, my friends, we're getting nothing done. And all we have really done this year is confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Our health care insurance system is a mess. We Republicans have looked for a way to end it and replace it with something else without paying a terrible political price. We haven't found it yet and I'm not sure we will.</s>KING: His lecture included this McCain prescription for improving the country's polarized politics.</s>MCCAIN: Stop listening to the bombastic loudmouths on the radio and television and the internet. To hell with them. Let's trust each other, let's return to regular order. We've been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle.</s>KING: It's a fascinating speech, most of us had to watch it on television. Dana Bash was in the Senate Chamber when they played out. You've been there for number of remarkable moments over the year. You've covered Senator McCain for quite a bit there. A lecture to his colleagues there. Some would say hypocritical that he claims to be the maverick and vote against with the Republicans. But take us inside the room.</s>BASH: It really was remarkable. First of all, it was obviously up against the backdrop of legislative drama. The question of whether or not they would be able to go to debate. And that all have just kind of evaporated from the moment when Senator McCain walked on to the doors of the Senate Chamber and everybody applauded which you could see on T.V. What they couldn't necessarily see was, that there was an impromptu kind of receiving line that happen. And that McCain, you know, we have covered them both for so long. He was so happy to have, you know, the respect, and he has such friendships that he really cherishes. But you can tell he was a little uncomfortable because, you know, he knew why this was happening because of his very bad prognosis. But for me, watching that was one thing but then I looked up at the visitor's gallery just above, and his wife Cindy McCain was sitting right in the front row and she was looking over watching that scene before he even spoke. And she's wearing this bright yellow dress, as if she was trying -- hoping that that would kind of make her feel better but she couldn't help that. I mean, she was pushing back tears, she was clutching a tissue. And, you know, it was really, really emotional to see that especially, you know, people who have gotten to see their relationship and their partnership through all these years of politics.</s>KING: And we don't see here in Washington that often. So she's sensing as well the scope of this moment, the gravity of the moment. Thanks for joining us in the INSIDE POLITICS. We'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. Wolf Blitzer is up after a quick break. Have a great day.