After meeting with President Barack Obama this Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) repeated his warning that a Congressional vote against military action in Syria would be “catastrophic.” In fact, he thinks the president needs to up his fervor regarding war in Syria, referencing Obama’s intention to initiate action “limited in duration and scope,” something McCain sees that could “send the wrong signal.”
“[W]e 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,” the senator said in a statement on Saturday.
Though the president sought to “seek authorization from the use of force from the American people’s representative in Congress” before attack, McCain questioned the wisdom of publicly announcing America’s intentions to strike, as this allowed Assad to gain time in “moving his forces around.”
Given that a congressional refusal for war would be “catastrophic,” McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) believe this is the time for Obama to make lawmakers confirmed that America will be dedicated to achieving our stated goals, that they “must be assured that this is different from the past two years of neglect” by Obama’s administration, as the AP reported.