Hawkish senator cheers neocon shift, says president 'is growing and he is listening'
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told NBC News Meet the Press host Chuck Todd that he hoped President Donald Trump was being drawn into the so-called Washington establishment during an interview Sunday.
Ever since Trump ordered an airstrike in Syria in retaliation for the chemical attack that killed more than 80 Syrian civilians earlier in April, he has received increasing praise from the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party.
Weve got to have strategy. And Ill give them some more time, but so far that strategy is not apparent.
When Todd pointed to those who say the Washington establishment sucked [Trump] in and compromised his conservative populism and America first agenda, McCain unequivocally expressed his glee at the prospect.
I hope so! McCain said before laughing.
Todd, appearing a bit taken aback, laughed before replying, Oh, ok!
Both McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), frequent critics of the president, cheered the action against the Syrian regime and have called for expanded U.S. intervention in the messy Syrian conflict. In a joint statement released April 6, both senators said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must pay a punitive cost for this horrific attack.
In addition to other measures, the United States should lead an international coalition to ground Assads air force, the pair of hawkish GOP senators said. Ultimately, the grounding of Assads air force can and should be part of a new comprehensive strategy to end the conflict in Syria If the President is willing to take the necessary action, he deserves broad bipartisan support, and we will help build it.
Graham went even further during an appearance April 10 on Meet the Press, telling Todd that the U.S. must send five or six thousand more troops to Syria.
I want more American troops, five or six thousand, like we have in Iraq, to help destroy ISIL, Graham had said. That means that well accelerate the demise of ISIL.
Neither McCain nor Graham voted for Trump, and both senators have been notoriously vocal critics of Trump throughout his first few months in office.
I think that [Trump] is growing and he is listening to some very wise, intelligence people, McCain said. But I do believe that we do not have and I support what he did and I support the bunker-buster bomb but weve got to develop a strategy. There is still not an overall strategy that he can come to Congress and his advisers and say, Ok, this is how were going to handle Syria. Heres how were going to handle post-Mosul Iraq.'
Weve got to have strategy. And Ill give them some more time, but so far that strategy is not apparent, McCain said. Because I dont think hes absolutely sure what he needs to do.
Noting that the war crimes in Syria are horrendous, McCain insisted that to just say were only after ISIS, in my view, rather than regime change, is something that we have to rethink.
The Arizona senator expressed his confidence that the president had assembled a strong team on national security, and his belief that Trump is very appropriately listening to them.
Todd noted "not everybody thinks the Washington consensus on foreign policy has worked in the Middle East over the last 25 years," and that this fact provided some of the impetus behind Trump's "America first" platform and his ultimate Election Day victory.
Although McCain admitted that U.S. foreign policy over the past 25 years hasn't worked, he still called for more foreign intervention.
"For eight years we basically did nothing in response to some of the most horrendous war crimes in history. At least [Trump] did something," McCain said. "Now, I hope that there will be a strategy to follow that up. And America is about a moral superiority and our willingness not to fight every fight but at least respond to horrendous acts of inhumanity and war crimes, and also, by the way, Syria will continue to have the spread of al-Qaida if we don't take care of Bashar al-Assad."
When forming your opinion from the information presented in this article, remember this article is authored by Karhryn Blackhurst.
Do you know who Kathryn Blackhurst is? No, you dont? And you never bothered to check before, while, or after reading her article? Nope, you didnt? You just read the article and formed an opinion. Okay! Now, was the opinion you formed really your opinion, or was it the opinion that Kathryn Blackhurst, The Blaze, NBC News, Chuck Todd and Hondo [by posting this article] wanted you to form?
Since you dont know who Kathryn Blackhurst, I will tell you .she is an Assistant Editor for TheBlaze and a free lance writer. She also authored this article: Republican Voters Are the Ones Rejecting You in The Blaze. Do you see a trend here .No? Then let me suggest one to you. This article today is not really about McCain, it is another anti-Trump hit piece in disguise. Maybe you will share that observation when factor in consideration that The Blaze and Chuck Todd are decidedly anti-Trump.
In her article on this thread, Kathryn Blackhurst was quick to call attention to
When Todd pointed to those who say the Washington establishment sucked [Trump] in and compromised his conservative populism and America first agenda, McCain unequivocally expressed his glee at the prospect.
I hope so! McCain said before laughing.
Todd, appearing a bit taken aback, laughed before replying, Oh, ok!
[Kathryn stopped the quote at this point].
Now folks, right there is contentious yellow journalism at its very best. Kathryn wanted to leave you with those words and that picture in your mind. When being an objective journalist, she would have continued with: After saying I hope so in jest [obviously it was, as emphatically evidenced by McCains laughter after saying it], McCain laughed even louder than Todd .then McCain went on to complete his answer, by saying
[Again, remember there was strong laughter in jest by McCain as a lead in. Then, notice the key word No as McCain completes his statement].
No .on national security I do believe he has assembled a strong team and I think very appropriately tha he is listening to them and thats the area of course where I am [at this point, McCain was intentionally interrupted by Todd because Todd realized that McCain was moving back to again praise and support Trump for his selection of Mattis and McMasters]
Folks, I ask that you carefully consider what you read and always give due thought to why it was written or posted on LF.
I will now leave you with two thoughts:
You need to form you own opinion, whatever it may be. You should never let different people with a mutual agenda join together to lead you down primrose path and cause you to form an opinion they want you to form.
Remember to become objectively suspicious each and every time you see an article posted by Libertys Post resident Disinformation Specialists, Hondo or Deckard.
Ive have my say about this, thank you Now, its your turn
Didn't take long for you to come to this thread to defend your "boy" - traitor and ISIS lover McStain, did it?
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American POW's Against John McCain. Plus a hard core look at John McCain's cozy relationship with radical muslim terrorists and the military industrial complex.
Colonel George Bud Day, a recipient of the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross, and John McCains POW cellmate at the Hanoi Hilton strongly disagreed with those POWs who spoke poorly about John McCain.
Also, Orson Swindle, 71, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who shared a cement pad with McCain at the Hanoi Hilton prison, said that McCain had character beyond what most of us can understand.
Furthermore, Robert Timberg, author of John McCain: An American Odyssey , who has interviewed many POWs who served with McCain, said there's no evidence that he ever collaborated with the North Vietnamese. "I've never known of any occasion in which Sen. McCain provided the North Vietnamese with anything of value," Timberg said.
Believe what you will, you are free to do that in America.