U.S. Sen. John McCain issues a joint statement with Sen. Lindsey Graham on President Barack Obama’s decision to consult Congress before taking military action against Syria:
We believe President Obama is correct that the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons requires a military response by the United States and our friends and allies. Since the President is now seeking Congressional support for this action, the Congress must act as soon as possible.
However, we cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes in Syria that are not part of an overall strategy that can change the momentum on the battlefield, achieve the President’s stated goal of Assad’s removal from power, and bring an end to this conflict, which is a growing threat to our national security interests. Anything short of this would be an inadequate response to the crimes against humanity that Assad and his forces are committing. And it would send the wrong signal to America’s friends and allies, the Syrian opposition, the Assad regime, Iran, and the world—all of whom are watching closely what actions America will take.
UPDATED: Talking Points Memo has details of McCain’s comments following today’s meeting with Obama:
After meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he supports the need to intervene against Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime over its alleged use of chemical weapons.
He said if Congress votes down the resolution, it would be “catastrophic because it would undermine the credibility of the United States and the president of the United States.”
McCain said U.S. credibility would be “shredded” internationally if Congress thwarts a president after he has already committed to military action.
This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2013.
Fine, you warmongers who keep selling us these conflicts on a foundation of lies go fight the latest conflict you’re salivating for. But for my money, our soldiers should not be fighting on the side of Al Queda vs. Hezbollah in a Syrian civil war, no matter who dropped what on whom.
The rationale for entering this conflict rests on the logic that a dictator winning his war against the rebels would invite UN inspectors into his country and then drop internationally-banned weaponry not on the leaders of the resistance but rather innocent civilians. Go sell that fiction to someone who’s buying!
RJFletcher: You assessment of McCain is correct. His solution to all International problems facing this country is the use of military action. McCain and his supporters will not stop until the United States is in a full blown war, a possible Third World War, initiated in the Middle East. He needs to be booted out of the Senate!!!!
Isolationism does not work most of the time. The great war (WW1)
started in 1914, We entered the war in 1917. If We had entered
earlier Millions of lives would have been saved.
WW2 started in 1939, We entered the war in 1941 only
because that idiot Hitler declared war on America. The Brits
begged the US to enter the war. More millions of lives would
have been saved (6,000,000 Jews in particular). Sometimes
We have to do the right thing.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned
to repeat it (as I recall the words).
@Peter Heaton. The USA entered the Second World War after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941. Hitler was obligated by treaty with Japan to declare war on December 8, 1941.
We need to stay out of it. If Obama, McCain and Graham want to get into a war let them go fight it right along with all that agree with them and leave the rest of us and our military out of it.
McCain and Graham want total war all the time. Obama knew that and he’s using them to get out of the corner he painted himself into. The people of Arizona should be embarrassed to have a senator who is so inept he’d let himself be used that way.
Mr. Heaton, the situation in Syria in no way resembles the circumstances in 1941; it’s as if Hitler and the Japanese declared war on one another and now people with a vested interest in selling weaponry to all sides are insisting we insert ourselves into it. You would do well to remember the George Santayana quote you posted.
As regards isolationism, I will note that the US entered the war on false pretenses in WWI as the Lusitania was indeed carrying munitions (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldw…), our involvement in WWII via Pearl Harbor was engineered by Churchill and Rooselvelt (Read Robert B. Stinnet’s excellent book Day of Deceit for confirmation) and that trend has not ceased. Vietnam was justified to this country by Johnson based upon the nonexistent Gulf of Tonkin attack (he was quoted in 1967 as saying, “Hell, those damn stupid sailors were just shooting at flying fish.”) and our current conflicts were sparked by 9/11, the official report on which is a thin tissue of lies draped over outrage at the attack. (http://www.serendipity.li/wot/571-page-lie…) How long will the world’s citizens continue to believe falsehoods from the same people who lied to them repeatedly in the past?
Follow the money, it has nothing to do with people–war is big business.
Good ol McCain, never met a war he didn’t like.
And the bottom line is that those chemical agent canisters were stamped “USA”… (via Suadi-Arabia I hear)…
It’s HIGHLY probable that one of the multiple factions of the “rebels” set off the gas but it’s DEAD CERTAIN that the US military-security-industrial-complex(tm) will reap the treasure…
@RJFletcher.
You have managed to lump a lot of conspiracy theories into one big basket, most of which have been proven false many times over. That being said, I do agree that we should not go into this, and President Obama should have measured his early comments so as to give him an out. We should not go in just to salvage his image.
Both sides in this civil war are sworn enemies of the US, and aiding or supplying weapons to either side will not cause them to like us.
If they want to kill one another, let them. It’s time our nation becomes peace mongers.
McCain’s support for any war is a given…even an Obama war. And Barber is probably going for it, too, since it will boost his bottom line with Raytheon and the two military bases he represents. But the profit motive is never a good reason to send missiles, no matter whether it is in net profits or campaign contributions. Smart bombs are not morally superior to chemical bombs.
looks like warmonger mc’senile is back doing what he does best, saber rattling when not playing pocket poker.
@Ic69hunter, I’m glad we agree on the upcoming debacle in Syria, but I’m curious as to how it’s a theory that the Lusitania was carrying munitions and thus a legitimate military target or that NSA documents prove there was no attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, etc.?
False pretenses for war are nearly as old as war itself. The idea that our wars should be any different is naive and ignores history.