McCain misses vote on defense authorization bill.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Washington Pulse

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was so busy preparing to host the NBC comedy show Saturday Night Live, that he missed the opportunity to cast his vote on the $355 billion defense spending bill.

The bill passed 93-1, but in published statements, McCain indicated that he opposed the bill's contents. The legislation contained one of the largest defense spending increases in decades.

McCain, a longtime member of the Armed Services Committee and a U.S. Navy veteran, inserted a statement into the Congressional Record criticizing the bill's "wasteful...