Senator John McCain thinks the 2012 GOP nominating contest is "the nastiest I've ever seen." He later continued, "It's gone way too long, and it's gotten way, way too personal."
Senator McCain, a staunch advocate of campaign finance reform, called the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that gave birth to Super PAC's "one of the worst" decisions the court has made. He cautioned, "There will be scandals, David. There will be scandals, and then maybe we'll reform again."
Plus after a turbulent few weeks in the war in Afghanistan, we looked at the outlook of the conflict there.
Senator McCain's message was one of longevity, saying "We have succeeded on the ground," but added, "All we hear about is plans withdrawal, plans for withdrawal, how quick the withdrawal will be. How about a commitment to victory?"
This morning, Senator McCain also broke the record for number of guest appearances on MEET THE PRESS, which was previously held by Bob Dole. Senator McCain reflected on his 64 appearances , saying "I've been frankly privileged to be on this program as many times as I have, because it's my opportunity to talk to the American people. And I'm grateful."
Plus, in a special roundtable discussion, I was joined by Afghanistan War veteran Wes Moore; author of the bestselling book “Where Men Win Glory” about the death of Pat Tillman, Jon Krakauer; Founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff; the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward; and the New York Times’ Helene Cooper.
Paul Rieckhoff warned Americans to not let the recent shooting of Afghan civilians tarnish their impression of our troops. "We all, as Americans, have to take a deep breath to make sure that we don't let this man represent so many who have to so much for this country."
The roundtable also discussed the harsh reality that so many American troops are facing. The group discussed issues like multiple deployments, brain injuries and Post Traumatic Stress disorder and the effect they have on the morale and life of the troops.
Finally, I spoke with George Clooney about the crisis in Sudan and what influence he can have as an actor and an activist.
"There's no Super PAC has given me money... there is no outside influence for me," Clooney said. "I can actually have an opinion, and it may not fit what the UN wants, and it may not fit what other people want, and I can tell you 'this is what I think is right,' and stand by it."
You can watch our entire program on our website.
We'll be back next week. It it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
