Sen. John McCain said Monday that he and Sen. Lindsey Graham had “a candid exchange” with President Barack Obama on Syria, and warned that “the consequences would be catastrophic” if Congress voted against a military strike against President Bashar al-Assad for his use of chemical weapons.

“The consequences would be catastrophic because it would undermine the credibility of the United States of America and the credibility of the President of the United States. None of us want that.”

“We had a candid exchange,” the Arizona senator said, noting that he was encouraged by the Obama meeting. “We found some areas where we can work together, but we have a long way to go.”

Graham, who represents South Carolina, also expressed optimism about the session but added: “The president has to fix this. We urged the president to up his game. If we don’t get Syria right, we don’t want endless war. We want sustainable stability.

Urgent: Should U.S. Strike Syria? Vote Here

“A degrading strike limited in scope could have a beneficial effect to the battlefield momentum,” Graham added. “There will never be a political settlement in Syria as long as Assad is winning.”

McCain and Graham met privately with Obama as part of the White House’s extensive effort to lobby Congress for a military strike against Assad.

The senators, who have long pressed for a stronger U.S. response in the country, said over the weekend that they might vote against a resolution authorizing military action in Syria because they considered Obama’s plan as too limited.

And as many more lawmakers said they were wary of a strike on Syria, no matter how limited, the White House stepped up its lobbying effort.

Earlier Monday, the administration held a 70-minute telephone briefing with the House Democratic Caucus that included Secretary of State John Kerry; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Susan E. Rice, national security adviser; and James R. Clapper Jr., director of national intelligence.

The call included 127 House Democrats, nearly two-thirds of their total number.

Outside the White House, McCain said the administration’s plan now could be more difficult because Assad “is moving his forces around.” Both senators questioned the wisdom of President Obama publicly signaling in advance its intention to strike.

Obama had said earlier this year that any documented use of chemical weapons by Assad against his own population would amount to a “red line” that the international community would not let him cross.

The president now has called for a military response to Assad’s purported use of chemical weapons in the civil war that has lasted more than two years — and the administration said on Sunday that it had evidence he recently used sarin gas in a Damascus suburb.

McCain said on Monday that he believed lawmakers awaiting a critical vote on Syria “must be assured that this is different from the past two years of neglect” on the part of the administration.

He also said he differed with the administration’s view that there was sufficient time to seek an authorization from Congress.

“I am not satisfied that the timeline is of no consequence — and I am astounded when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says it doesn’t matter,” McCain said, referring to Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Both senators said that Obama now has to work harder in persuading the Congress and the American people that a strike is necessary against Assad.

Urgent: Should U.S. Strike Syria? Vote Here

“They have to work very hard,” McCain said. “Americans are very skeptical. They have a selling job to do.”

“There is a credibility gap with many of us,” he added. “Many of my colleagues on Congress are going to have to be convinced either way.”

“It is not surprising to me that many of us in Congress are reluctant to engage in Syria because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Graham said. “‘OK, we’ve struck Syria. Now what?'”

“What can I sell to people in South Carolina?” the senator asked. “I can’t sell another Iraq or Afghanistan, because I don’t want to. What I can sell to the people of South Carolina is that if we don’t get Syria right, Iran’s surely going to take the signals that we don’t care about their nuclear program.”

The senators also emphasized that any prolonged U.S. effort in Syria would not include American troops.

“There should be no American boots on the ground,” McCain said. “They are tired of it and weary of it.”

He Arizona senator added that a U.S. strike would be most effective if it targeted Assad’s air operations.

“We have to bring Bashar al-Assad down,” he said. “If we take out his air operations, he would be at a great disadvantage.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

• Firewalker72

  • 2 hours ago

  McCain is dangerously mentally disturbed. He would attack Iowa if he could.

  • GQ4U Firewalker72

    • an hour ago

    • −

    I don’t know about Iowa but he could get BO to declare war on the evil empire of North Dakota for daring to produce oil.

    • gerald granger GQ4U

      • 9 minutes ago

      People of North Dakota need to tell odumbcray to kiss their azzes. Idiot-in-chief needs to GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 44685 Firewalker72

    • an hour ago

    Make that Illannoy and I’m good with it!

    • the old goat 44685

      • 31 minutes ago

      I’ll agree with that

• Joanne Orr

  • 2 hours ago

  We need to stay out of the middle east, mind our own business.

  • Robert Moore Joanne Orr

    • an hour ago

    I wholeheartedly agree. Obama placed us all and himself in a terrible bind. No matter what is done, it will be wrong. It is a lose-lose situation for this country, and there is everything to be gained for that criminal regime in Syria. Obama’s mouth, when off tele-prompter, is as much a disgrace to him as it is to this country. He is a dilettante mixing in hard-ball foreign affairs, and he comes out on the short end every time.

    • Robert Moore Robert Moore

      • an hour ago

      What is also just as bad, it occurred to me, is that Obama undercut his own Secretary of State Kerry with his reversal and “let Congress do it”. How embarrassing it must have been to John Kerry to come before the public and make a strong statement for retaliatory action, when his boss “pulled the rug out from under him” and left him standing there with “egg all over his face”. I don’t care for Kerry any more than I do Obama, but those two need to get their act together and then stand by their beliefs. But, then, they are politicians and today’s truth is tomorrow’s lie. A sad state of “affairs”.

      • 14USA Robert Moore

        • an hour ago

        It is possible that Obama simply got a bit concerned that the GOP meant it when they threaten possible impeachment for Obama’s unilatteral action in calling for an attack on Syria. Obama does nothing, makes no decision without first looking at it through a political lens. Somehow, he is using Rham Emanuels direction to “let no crisis go to waste”. Obama must see a way to embarass the GOP with his latest action. He is indeed one sad, pathetic wannabe.

      • Beamer Robert Moore

        • an hour ago

        Oh come on. If he hadn’t asked for a congressional vote you would have been all over him for that too.

    • Beamer Robert Moore

      • an hour ago

      You’re full of it. This is a president who has had the courage to change his mind in the past when facts warranted it and I only hope he will do it again. It isn’t Obama who has “placed us in a bind,” it’s McCain and his mouth and sneaking off to Syria to embrace the rebel who ate the heart of a Syrian soldier. What did the media say? Nothing. What did he say? Nothing. What did his office say? “Regrettable if true.”

      • awizard Beamer

        • 21 minutes ago

        Nope, “o” went off prompter and ‘waggled his finger’ at Syria with his ‘red line’ … Now he’s stuck and wants cover from Congress … McCain is just dumb enough to try to give it to him … “Courage” from “o”?.. naw, he’s cowering in fear … ‘must be the effect of the dog he ate, “Regrettable but true” …

    • the old goat Robert Moore

      • 28 minutes ago

      In this level you can’t just vote present

    • Jesse Robert Moore

      • 7 minutes ago

      When it comes to Foreign Policy, Obama is a loose cannon, as ready to wipe out Congress as anyone else. Obama will under cut anyone to cover his own Butt!
      Hey, Obama had a landslide, 51%, mostly Morons, voted him into Office a second time. They was alookin for da freebies.

  • catd257 Joanne Orr

    • 15 minutes ago

    Sorry, but it is islam that is the problem and they are here as well as in the Middle East and MUST be totally defeated! The Syrian debacle is not part of that since we have two enemies busy killing each other so we should stand back and let them go out it. Apparently the historical actions like total defeat of Japan and WW2 or Jefferson’s actions against the Barbary Pirates keep being ignored when entering into and completing military actions. Get involved when it is in your interest and FINISH THE JOB when you do!

• SATCitizen

  • 3 hours ago

  Sell out McCain strikes again.

• Bubba Grump

  • 2 hours ago

  “We want sustainable stability.” says Lindsey Graham. Won’t happen. Never did and never will as far as middle east is concerned. Best just to let them kill each other.

  • Firewalker72 Bubba Grump

    • 2 hours ago

    I’m praying that the good people of South Carolina will show this clown the door.

    • Zircon Firewalker72

      • 2 hours ago

      I’m praying the good people of Arizona will show the other clown the door. I’m gonna do my part.

      • Veteranasm Zircon

        • an hour ago

        What happen to the recall petition for him and flake ??

      • Beamer Zircon

        • an hour ago

        Rumor has it this will be his last term, but you should see the crazies lining up to replace him!!!

      • Beamer Zircon

        • 42 minutes ago

        Count me in. He didn’t used to be such a ……

      • WhatMeWorry Zircon

        • 5 minutes ago

        I hold Sarah Palin responsible for getting this Bozo re-elected in 2010. I know part of it was payback for selecting her as his running mate, but she went way beyond payback.

  • Wolfman Bubba Grump

    • an hour ago

    kill them all and let God sort them out

    • Beamer Wolfman

      • 40 minutes ago

      God would be more likely to sort you out. I think punishing the sorter outers is said to be God’s job and he has this thing about all of us being his children.

      • awizard Beamer

        • 17 minutes ago

        Alright then … “Let ‘them’ kill each other, and let allah sort it out” …

  • Frank Bubba Grump

    • an hour ago

    I totally agree with Bubba Grump !!!!!!!!

• Joninokc007

  • 2 hours ago

  Hyperbole much, Mr. McCain. I am fairly certain if we do nothing, it is very likely we will not start WW III. You can hyperventilate and rage til the veins pop, but I do not see disaster, if Obama looks weak, because Bengazi ALREADY made that ship sail…

  • Beamer Joninokc007

    • 30 minutes ago

    I believe we sorted out that Benghazi being an Obama failure was a fig newton of Issa’s imagination, just like the IRS, and all of his fairy tale scandals. Only the media like the “looks weak” crap. They are like broken records, quoting Fox because they are too lazy to do their job these days.

• scasey

  • 2 hours ago

  Leave Syria to the Syrians! STAY OUT OF SYRIA! Repeat, STAY OUT OF SYRIA! Stop “poking the bear!”.

  • greyhound scasey

    • an hour ago

    I poked/petted a “bear” last night.

    She and I were +/- friends, but I should have known better.

    Insane Hussein has NO CLUE!

    fmr LCDR MC USNR NUKE

    • Debbie greyhound

      • 7 minutes ago

      Hussein has one thing driving him, the obsession to get rid of Israel!

  • Rippie scasey

    • an hour ago

    Lives are stake… we aren’t interested in deciding the fight, just taking the gun away from a knife fight so it’s less lethal and not illegal. Entire families are being erased from the earth. Probably relatives of yours, no matter how distant… of all of ours! How can you be so callous about indiscriminately slaughter civilians… men, women, children, pregnant women, kids in schools, hospitals, with a gas that simply kills every creature it comes into contact with, no matter who or what it is?

    Is that okay with you? If so, YOU go live there and wait to see when your last safe breath will be!!

    • Conservative Rippie

      • 29 minutes ago

      You just described South Side Chicago, L.A. and Detroit. Want to bomb them ?

      Again. Americans are not appointed to CARE. Except about Americans. Take the slobbering Liberal garbage and stuff it.

      • Rippie Conservative

        • 18 minutes ago

        You’re a sick excuse for an ape… not even human.

  • jnap9243 scasey

    • an hour ago

    You are a POS, you don’t care if women and children are killed with gas. Perhaps you would care if they were your wife and children?

    • Veteranasm jnap9243

      • an hour ago

      dumbass both sides in the fight is our enemy, if you live with them DIE with them !!!!

    • Mark jnap9243

      • an hour ago

      You are missing the point. Look when we got involved with Iraq and Afghanistan. The enemy uniforms came off and they blended with civilians and planted IEDs to kill our guys. Maybe you could answer a question that I don’t know the answer to??…..How many of the Middle East Countries are united for any kind of a Democracy and are not wanting to kill all Americans? Look at our guys that have been over there trying to help the General Population…they smile at you… then as soon as our soldiers pass by they are out to shoot you in the back. Don’t think it was that way in WW2, Korea or Nam!!

      • tompro97 Mark

        • 6 minutes ago

        Nam was eaten up with people who would kill you in 2 seconds if they had the chance, and I am sure WW2 and Korea were similar. Wars are that way.

      • RussHaas Mark

        • 11 minutes ago

        ‘..Help the General Population…’?
        In Viet Nam all that eventually mattered was the ‘body count’.
        The same logic applied to the Viet Namese civilians, thus justifying their wholesale slaughter.
        Please read Nick Turse’s new book on that subject: “Kill Everything in Sight”.
        How many civilians have died wherever the American War Machine has gone?

    • A MARINE jnap9243

      • an hour ago

      No we dont care the only good muslime is a dead one, what part of that do you not understand, people like you will be the first to be eleminated when the muslime in chief lets them take over this country , you will get what you deserve, good riddance

      • Evelyn A MARINE

        • 21 minutes ago

        Thank you for serving and I agree with you wholeheartedly

      • Beamer A MARINE

        • 39 minutes ago

        Get a little mental therapy. This is way over the top.

    • Conservative jnap9243

      • 32 minutes ago

      Certainly he would care if it were his wife and children. That doesn’t mean he has to give a rip if its a Syrian. We , Americans, are not appointed to care about anyone , anywhere but in America.

    • RussHaas jnap9243

      • 22 minutes ago

      Yes I do, but the question now is: Who is responsible for the gas?
      Have you never heard of a ‘False Flag’ operation?
      Don’t you know that now the consensus for the Aleppo gassing is that the terrorists ( who share our values, of course) are now the guilty party?

      • wanderlust RussHaas

        • 4 minutes ago

        Either side could have used the Saryn gas.Remember our news is very slanted no matter what network you listen to.Maybe it’s time to look into the nation behind the Start of the Rebel orginization and who is arming them,they just did not fall out of the sky.

• Zircon

  • 2 hours ago

  Like Palin said, “Stay out and let Allah sort it out.”

  I don’t get what our interest are in Syria. Congress keeps talking about national security but based on my observations, every time a dictator is removed the country becomes destabilized and less secure. Those folks don’t understand a democracy, much less a republic. They do understand a boot on their throats, and it seems that is what is required to keep them in order. The various Muslim factions have been at each other’s (and the Christians and the Jews) throats for the past 1500 years and they’ll be at their throats for the next 1500 years.

  • Archie1954 Zircon

    • 2 hours ago

    The definition of “National Security” as understood by the political elite is simply the freedom of American corporations to carry on business in foreign lands with impunity and no need to adhere to such countries’ laws.

    • Rippie Archie1954

      • 44 minutes ago

      I’m pretty sure that gassing civilians with Sarin is not part of anyone’s written “law.”

      • Ole-Teabag Rippie

        • 28 minutes ago

        Yes, but it is only common sense to know for sure just WHO is doing the gassing before you rush in there and involve the US in yet ANOTHER Middle Eastern SINKHOLE.

 

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