Following President Obama's remarks at the National Defense University on Thursday. Senator John McCain was "dumbfounded that the president would say we must strengthen the opposition in Syria". McCain went on to say the Middle East is in a state of turmoil, and is is desperate need of American leadership.
JOHN MCCAIN: I am dumbfounded that the president would say we must strengthen the opposition in Syria when again we are banking on the goodwill of the Russians and some kind of peace conference that may take place, may or may not take place next month. There’s a number of other comments about the president lost speech that I would be glad to go into, but maybe it is better addressed in the question and answer period. The Middle East is in turmoil. The Middle East crisis out for American leadership. American leadership is absent in the Middle East, and that is the price, that is the price we have paid in Iraq, that’s price we have paid in Libya, that’s price we are paying in Syria and other countries today. I asked the president to lead, be involved, be engaged, and that does not mean troops on the ground, but it means an exercise of leadership including providing a safe zone for the people who are struggling against Bashar Al- Assad and taking out Assad’s assets and giving the resistance the weapons that they need.