2008 GOP presidential nominee Senator John McCain took to the Senate floor Wednesday to lambast five of his House colleagues and defend Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin. The House members have questioned if Abedin, who comes from a Muslim family and is married to former Rep. Anthony Weiner, has inappropriate ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups. In an unusual intra-party rebuke, McCain harshly criticized the members, including former 2012 Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann.

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It’s not just defending Democrats on the Senate floor–McCain has caused a bit of a trouble for Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney recently. When Republicans accused President Obama of excessive celebration with his surprise visit to Afghanistan on the one year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, the legendary Vietnam POW defended the President, saying he should be spending as much time as possible in Afghanistan while the U.S. is fighting a war there. And McCain also came under fire this week for saying Sarah Palin was a “better candidate” to be his running mate in 2008 than Romney was. McCain hastened to clarify that he had no issue with Romney’s off shore accounts or Bain Capital issues, which have dominated campaign coverage this week. On foreign policy, a weak spot for Romney, who heads this week to Great Britain and Israel at McCain’s urging, McCain remains an important figure in the Republican Party. Though, thus far this cycle he’s been more maverick than party loyalist. Betcha Romney’s not glad the Mac is back.