John McCain Indicates Softening Stance On Susan Rice UN Nomination

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., indicated Sunday morning a softening of his opposition to a possible promotion of United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice to secretary of state.

His remarks came during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” hosted by Chris Wallace, during which McCain reversed his previous vow to block Rice's potential nomination to replace Hillary Clinton, according to the Huffington Post.

McCain and his ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had accused Rice of taking part in "coverup" of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, which Mitt Romney and the Republicans made much of in the closing weeks of the 2012 presidential campaign.

"Sure, she can give everyone the benefit of explaining their position, and the actions they took," McCain said Sunday, referring to what it would take to drop his opposition to Rice', according to CNN. "I'll be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her."

McCain did, however, reiterate his continuing concerns with Rice and handling of the situation in Benghazi.

"Why did she say that al Qaeda has been decimated?" McCain said. "Al Qaeda has not been decimated. They are on the rise. They are all over Iraq. Training camps are in Libya. They are all over Syria and are on the rise in the Middle East, and there's a lot of questions for Ambassador Rice. And I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to discuss these with her."

McCain took a rather different line during remarks on Nov. 14.

"I will do everything in my power to block her from being the United States secretary of state," McCain said. "She has proven that she either doesn't understand, or she is not willing to accept evidence on its face. There is no doubt five days later what this attack was and for."