Sen. John McCain called into question President Obama’s airstrikes in Iraq, saying the military strategy is hardly what’s needed to stem the tide of violence that’s erupted from the hands of Islamic State terrorists in recent weeks.
“Launching three strikes around a place where a horrible humanitarian crisis is taking place, meanwhile [the Islamic State] continues to make gains everywhere — yes, is clearly very, very ineffective, to say the least,” Mr. McCain said during an appearance of the “State of the Union” on CNN.
“This is turning into, as we predicted for a long time, a regional conflict which does pose a threat to the United States’ security,” he said, The Hill reported.
Mr. McCain also said Mr. Obama’s approval of targeted airstrikes and air drops of humanitarian aid to refugees in northern Iraq was “far from sufficient to meet the growing threat ISIS poses,” he said, The Hill reported. “That’s not a strategy. That’s not a policy. That is simply a very narrow and focused approach to a problem that is metastasizing as we speak.”
His final thoughts, The Hill reported: “We could have avoided it. It’s not like an earthquake or a hurricane. These things happen because of decisions that are made.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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