Extended Interview: Mark Buse Describes 17 Years of Working for McCain

JUDY WOODRUFF: Just to recap quickly the evolution of your time working for him [John McCain]. You started in 1984as an intern when he was a member of the House?

MARK BUSE: Senate Chief of Staff to John McCain: House. Freshman in the House.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And what over time what have your jobs been?

MARK BUSE: Started as an intern, worked in the mailroom, answered the phones, legislative correspondent, legislative assistant -- anything that he wanted you to do, I did. You know, sort of just plugged away in the trenches for year after year. And that's sort of the way that he runs things. You know, just, if you are willing to work for him and stick around, he believe in that sort Navy mentality of you work your way up in the ranks.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What kind of boss is he?

MARK BUSE: Open. He's extremely open. He wants you just to talk and say what you think. He doesn't want you just to answer yes. He doesn't want you to say how high. He wants you to push back.

And it's what he does when there is an important issue before him. He'll bring three, four, five people in, and he literally calls on you one by one. You know what do you think? What do you think? What do you think? And he has the staff engage in a debate, and then he makes the decision. He always makes the final decision. He's the commander on the brig sort of concept but he doesn't view himself necessarily as above them. So he has pizza, he has pizza in the office. He's a nice person. He interacts. It's a very open, free discussion with him.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So how does he collect information? What does he do?

MARK BUSE: You know he reads the papers, he reads the Internet, he talks to other members, and then he tells the staff I want more information. He comes back from meetings with other members and says these guys, these women are talking about this. Fill me in. Give me all the info.

But more than that, the staff has free access to him. So the staff comes in and says, I just read about this, did you see about this problem on TV, I was watching the cable news networks and they are talking about something that's happening, and he engages in this free-for-all with the staff where he lets them present their views, and it's very casual.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How does he pick the people, how has over time, how has he picked the people around him. How do you see that process work? The people he trusts.

MARK BUSE: It's a combination. I mean he has, you know, he has people, the old-timers those of us who have been around him for a while and then he has people who he meets and he just admires. He likes what they say, he likes what they do.

I remember when he was working on campaign finance reform and had gotten into a large debate with Russ Feingold, Sen. Feingold from Wisconsin. First time he ever met him over a military program and decided this guy is a reformer. This guy is somebody I like. I like what he's saying and decided to do campaign finance with him. It's a lot based on first impressions. You know if you don't make a good first impression with him you're going to have a hard time later.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What about the people who he relies on either on staff or off staff -- who does he rely on most for advice.

MARK BUSE: You know he has a staff of course so he depends on them, and there is the people who've been there but he's open to anybody -- the scariest thing in the office is when you phone rings and it's somebody that he's met on the road. I remember when he was running in 2000 and he was doing town hall in New Hampshire and this woman talked about her problems with the medical system, and he stormed back into the office, John McCain did, and said we have to do something. It's why he likes town halls. Because he really gets that interaction.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How does he, what does he expect from the people who work for him?

MARK BUSE: He expects you to keep the hours at least that he does. And he likes to get there are 7:00-7:30 in the morning, which is ungodly early to me at times, and then he stays till the last vote when he's in the Senate. You know he stays all day. He doesn't go home. He stays in the office.

He attends everything. He listens to everything. He's one of the few members who are both a member of the Republican steering community, which is the conservative caucus and the moderate caucus. And then he'll gladly go sit on the Senate floor with Ted Kennedy on one side and Russ Feingold on the other and you know talk and have a good time but also listen to their views.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How many other senators do both the conservative and the moderate?

MARK BUSE: Not many. Not many now days.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What would you say are the main moments of adversity that you've seen him deal with at top times during when you've been working for him, you've been close to him, when you've seen him deal with a really tough thing.

MARK BUSE: You know it's those decisions where you have to buck either the leadership or your party or when he has to buck senior members that he respects. From either party, and take a position that he knows might jeopardize his own friendships. And those sorts of decisions, they don't come easy, and they don't make you popular.

When he criticizes his colleague's pork barrel spending, he upsets a lot of people. They don't always say it directly but there is a concept there of retribution. He's going to go after my project, I'm going to kill something that he likes. But he believes in it. And he's gone after projects in his own state. He thinks that's important. And it's not easy. It doesn't make you popular. I mean it's a lot of times walking away from the Senate floor by yourself.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Do you see him lose his temper? I mean, we're talking about temperament, and you've said he's passionate ...

MARK BUSE: No, not really. I don't really think I've ever seen him lose his temper. I have seen him become passionate. I've seen him disagree with people. Strongly, disagree with people. But you can disagree without be disagreeable, without losing your temper.  I mean I've heard him tell staff, I've heard him tell members, I've heard him tell governors, I disagree with you. I'm going to fight for what I believe in. I mean does he show that passion? Sure he does.