Senator John McCain (R-AZ) took his fight against the Republican Party’s “wacko bird” crusade to destroy the Affordable Care Act into hostile territory on Friday, reminding Fox News that the government shutdown is actually the GOP’s fault.

Appearing on America’s Newsroom, McCain was asked about the Obama administration’s handling of the suspension of death benefits for military families. While the Arizona Republican did not hesitate to blast the White House for a response that he described as “terribly mismanaged,” McCain made sure to remind host Martha MacCallum who is ultimately responsible.

“Let’s have a little straight talk, Martha,” McCain said. “[The Obama administration] wouldn’t have had the opportunity to handle it that way if we had not shut down the government on a fool’s errand that we were not going to accomplish. The whole premise of shutting down the government was the repeal of Obamacare.”

“If we hadn’t shut down the government, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Towards the end of the interview, McCain listed a number of issues on which he believes the GOP could negotiate with President Obama, but reiterated that “defunding Obamacare is not one of them.”

“Well, we’ll see,” MacCallum replied.

“I guarantee it,” McCain shot back with a laugh. “Not only will you see it, I guarantee it.” The dose of reality prompted an audible sigh from MacCallum, who quickly transitioned away, lest Fox News’ bubble get burst any further.

Both public polling and common sense back up McCain’s assertion; the Republican decision to withhold funding for the government unless the Affordable Care Act gets delayed or defunded has done nothing to halt the law’s implementation, and has actually made the law more popular with the American public.

H/t: Talking Points Memo

Photo: Medill DC via Flickr