McCain: U.S. should continue active role in Libya

The U.S. should continue to take a very active role in Libya through airpower and assistance to anti-Libyan military forces, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said.

Speaking on Fox News on Thursday night, McCain said that even though the Obama administration "dithered," the U.S. can provide useful support to help remove Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi from power.

"I think that we can through humanitarian assistance, I think that [through] providing arms and some intelligence and other things, to the anti-Gadhafi forces, that they can succeed," McCain said. "And I believe that American military power in the air and with other kinds of assistance, they can still prevail, despite the dithering back and forth that has been going on."

Since the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution instituting a no-fly zone over Libya and authorizing military airstrikes, McCain has been an advocate of U.S. involvement. Right after the resolution was passed, McCain, along with Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), praised its passage and urged "swift and decisive measures necessary to stop Gadhafi.”

McCain's support contrasts with that of other lawmakers who have criticized President Obama for not going to Congress before authorizing U.S. involvement and not clearly defining the American mission in Libya. Critics have also said the U.S. should not be taking the lead in the multinational effort.

On Thursday NATO agreed to take the lead in upholding the resolution and waging the effort in Libya.