McCain raises impeachment - if boots hit ground in Syria
WASHINGTON (CNN) - After endorsing President Barack Obama's plan to launch military strikes against Syria, Sen. John McCain warned the president would face impeachment if he were to put "boots on the ground."
McCain told Phoenix radio host Mike Broomhead on Thursday that the president had "bungled" the entire handling of the Syria crisis and would open himself up to impeachment hearings if he overstepped the limits of the authorization before Congress.
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"No one wants American boots on the ground," McCain told the KYFI audience. "Nor will there be American boots on the ground, because there would be an impeachment of the president if they did that."
While McCain said he still supports the current plan to intervene in Syria, the Arizona Republican's statement seems to reflect his contentious Thursday town hall meeting with some Phoenix constituents. At the meeting, McCain, who has favored a more robust American response to the Syria crisis, faced intense criticism.
"We didn't send you to make war for us. We sent you to stop the war," one man said.
Despite his warning to the president, McCain spoke out in favor of the Syria authorization again Saturday, endorsing former Army Gen. David Petraeus' endorsement of the administration's plan in a tweet.
Only one of three Republicans in the Senate Foreign Relations panel to approve the measure, McCain has vocally advocated for a stepped-up American response to alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. He even refused to pass the White House resolution out of committee until it included provisions to bolster Syrian opposition forces deemed moderate.
McCain's support for action hasn't stopped the Arizonan from blasting his former 2008 presidential rival for inaction.
In an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room" on Tuesday, McCain told Wolf Blitzer the president needed to "explain to the American people" why urgent action in Syria is necessary. The Republican senator also said President Obama made a mistake by consulting Congress instead of immediately launching a bombing campaign against the Syrian government.
"It's common sense you don't warn them and give them plenty of time to disperse," McCain said.
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Mr McCain...What does your online poker game say are the odds of President Obama being impeached? 6 to 1 odds?
My Senator, Senator McCain must be off his rocker giving President Obama a warning about impeachment. He and President Bush are the ones that should have been impeached by starting this whole mess in the Middle East. Getting us involved in Iraq. The President has been trying to undo all what they have done without any help from the GOP. I feel sure the President does not want to go to war again but someone should raise their voice about a tyrant gassing innocent people. Just imagine if countries had pulled together to stop Hitler in W.W.II when he gassed millions of people we might not have to see all the white crosses in Britain and France of fallen American soldiers who were involved in W.W.II.
McCain must have stock holdings in companies that make smart bombs and not boots.
Who in their right mind would listen to loser John McCain. He should retire and leave the politics to someone younger and much smarter.
There's no more justification for this upcoming war than there was for going into Iraq in 2002. We *did* put boots on the ground there, all on the basis of lies, not bad intelligence. The Bush Administration knew there were no WMDs in Iraq because that is what they had been told, but they relayed a different message to the public. 5000 of those troops were killed and 35000 maimed for life, because we the people, Congress, and the troops had been LIED to. According to McCain's standards, Bush and Cheney should have been impeached, b as we all know McCain is a duplicitous traitor.
I am wondering who McCain thinks he is. He wants it all done his way....or ...impeachment. HIs name is John McCain and he is NOT the President.
So why wasn't Bush impeached for putting boots on the ground in Iraq an Afghanistan and charged with the deathd over 5000 American soldiers? McCain must be the most idiotic person and statements like this one makes me wonder why is she still in congress. He needs to retire somewhere with his wife and enjoy that 5-10 years he has left to live.
McCain you are now becoming a caracature. First pro-war at the drop of a hat... Now diametrically opposed to anything the president says. If we don't go in we are weak... If we do go in its a quagmire. You are now an irrelavent old man.
He should stick to video poker.
Man this old goat needs to be put on the front lines...with NO BOOTS!
Good grief, McCain's the one who said that Obama's plan for limited involvement wasn't going far enough.
Good grief....why don't you voters in Arizona vote for a new senator and get rid of this old fossil? This guy is politicizing a WAR. The senate is full of outdated, out of touch politicians. God bless the guy in the town meeting who criticized him for making war instead of stopping it. Arizona is a beautiful stat but your representatives leave something to be desired.
Classic case of "damned if you do and damned if you don't." And there's McCain, front and center playing politics with Obama's foreign policy. McCain is a weathervane. Whither he points, there be dragons.
So McCain (like everybody else) is trying to have it both ways. "I'm a hawk, but not beyond the point that my constituents will tolerate." The apparent hypocrisy is understandable. Nobody wants to fight in Syria, but nobody wants Syria or Iran to believe they can flout international accords and get away with it either.
Really McCain foaming at the mouth again someone get his meds please.....
Senator Warmonger wants limits – who would have thought?
Mccain, and every other politician in washington should be impeached
Let them deal with their own problems. We have enough here. Besides, this is just deflecting attention from the disasterous Affordable Care Act that is poised to doom our economy. Are we all blind or just stupid?
McCain need to shut up!! I agree should face recall lol
Mc Cain love money and will do anything for it
McCain is really a mess
McCain is still upset he lost the election. If Obama doesn't do something to Syria McCain is upset. and if troops end up on the ground McCain is upset. McCain retire please! You're not helping the US with anything you're never positive; you've become the voice of dissent with everything that comes to the president no wonder he doesn't talk to you racist pigs. I'm sure half of you politicians want war anyway, because you're looking to benefit from the natural gas pipeline. Tell Prince Bandar Bush I said hi. For those of you who don't know who runs our country, well we bow to the Saudi's for oil, and our politicians rule us by oil, so reserach Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, because he's the force pushing this war. We will end up in war with Russia, Iran, and Syria. America is not hated for democracy; America is hated because we're bullies and we're demonic and corrupt, and we will be punished for our sins. Our leaders our leading us to Satan's doorstep trust me.
Words cannot express the degree to which I hold McCain in contempt.
McCain has totally lost. Go back to playing poker McCain. By the way, John McCain, were you connected to the federal network when you were playing poker... that's illegal.
I do think that we should do anything in Syria. Democracy sounds like a good word to us but in those countries it may be that they need a dictator. Do you really want to rebels to take over Syria? I don't think so. Serin gas is unacceptable but perhaps let Saudi Arabia with their American made F-16 should take care of their own region.
Here, Mr President. Hold this warning sign while I get the truck that will run you over!