Republican strategist Ana Navarro said Friday that GOP Sen. John McCain's opposition to the latest Republican plan to repeal Obamacare despite his longstanding collegiality with one of the bill's sponsors evidenced "the type of friendship we should all be blessed with."
"They can deliberate about issues," Navarro told CNN's Pamela Brown of McCain and South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. "They can agree and disagree.
"That's what true friendship is all about."
McCain said that he "cannot in good conscience" support the Obamacare repeal bill introduced by Graham and Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Graham, who is in his third term, has served on several committees with McCain over the years — including the Senate Armed Services Committee in this session. McCain, a six-term senator, chairs the panel.
In a statement after McCain's announcement, Graham said that he "respectfully" disagreed with his colleague's decision — adding that "my friendship with John McCain is not based on how he votes but respect for how he's lived his life and the person he is."
Navarro, who supported former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush during last year's election, told Brown that "too often in today's political world, we expect friends to align themselves 100 percent with what we believe.
"That's not what John McCain and Lindsey Graham are all about.
"They are individuals," she added. "They respect each other and love each other endlessly.
"The friendship between these two is a joy to watch in action, but at the same time they respect each other.
"I am not surprised Lindsey couldn't convince him," Navarro told Brown. "I think he would not want to persuade John McCain to do something that's against his convictions.
"Today, what we saw was McCain acting consistent with his conscience."
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