Sens. McCain, Graham join Mourdock for roundtable talk

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Libya and Republican leadership were up for discussion among prominent Republicans on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined U.S. Senate hopeful State Treasurer Richard Mourdock for a roundtable with Indiana business leaders. If elected, Mourdock will fill one of four key seats needed to create a Republican
majority in the Senate.

Their brief session at the Easley Winery was focused on economics but circled back many times to Mourdock’s potential role in securing a Senate majority.

Others seated at the table asked about economic concerns while McCain, Graham and Mourdock addressed what all gathered referred to as the “fiscal cliff,” the change in tax and business regulation created by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

“We know what’s going to happen if the Democrats stay in charge of the Senate,” Graham said. “We’re not going to pass a budget. We’re not going to give you the long-term budget you desperately need to make good business decisions.”

Graham said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will produce a budget and that Republican leadership coupled with a Republican majority will help ensure its passing.

“We’ve had four years of talking about this,” Graham said. “Richard gets here, the talk stops and the hard work begins.”

Graham and McCain, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees, also criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the recent assassination of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya.

McCain said Obama maintained that the Libyan attacks were part of a demonstration rather than a terrorist attack either because he “willfully wanted to deceive the American people” or his administration is incompetent.

“This is probably the worst I’ve ever seen it in all the years that I have been involved in the issues of national security and especially in issues of national intelligence,” McCain said.

McCain and Graham emphasized the importance of Indiana’s Senate election in determining the course of national policy.

Mourdock added that he’s committed to passing a budget and creating a “renaissance” and rebuilding of economic investment. He said he would not vote for Democratic leadership in the Senate, a fact McCain and Graham said sets him ahead of opponent Joe Donnelly, D-2nd District.

Mourdock unseated long-time Republican Richard Lugar in the May primary. Both Graham and McCain currently serve with Lugar.

McCain said Lugar served the state with “honor and distinction” and that he respects his service.

“But we also respect the will of the people, and that’s so important,” McCain said. “And we hope that some of Sen. Lugar’s supporters would understand that, one, it’s over, and second of all, this race could determine as to who is in the majority in the United States Senate.”

McCain said the election represents a choice larger than the one made during the primary.

“It’s a choice that the people of Indiana have to make that is part of the larger issue of who sets the agenda for the United States Senate,” McCain said.