Obama tells McCain and Graham to come after "me" not UN Ambassador Rice

Jonathan Karl, ABC reporter, in the Presidential press conference today,  gave a preamble to a question that included the commitment from Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham to do everything they could to block an appointment to  Secretary of State of current U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice.
The senators do not "trust" Ms Rice because of her presentation of the events in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, one of them the Ambassador to Lybia.
The president reviewed the facts that Rice had presented the details as they were known to the administration on a Sunday talk show, and then he exploded,"If Senator McCain and Senator Graham have a problem with Ambassador Rice who has done an outstanding job on behalf of the United States, because I guess they perceive her to be an easy target, that's outrageous, and they need to come after me! If I decide that she would be the best person to assume the office of Secretary of State, I will put her name in nomination!"
Talk about that backbone of steel that was reported by several observers during the recent campaign!
Talk about a president who is prepared to draw a line in the sand to protect those who merit his protection!
Talk about a Republican position, by both McCain and Graham, that demonstrates intransigence, insensitivity, boorishness, and simply bullying!
Let's watch to see how this part of the Washington drama unfolds...including the appointment of Susan Rice to the cabinet office of Secretary of State.