McCain and Graham: US failed to get rid of Gadhafi fast enough

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praised the end of the Gadhafi regime in Libya on Sunday but criticized U.S. leadership for not removing Libya's leader more quickly.

"We regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower," the senators wrote in a joint statement.

McCain and Graham, senior members of the Armed Services Committee, both pushed for the U.S. to impose a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace in March following violence against pro-democracy protesters.

Graham warned at the time that if President Obama delayed too long to act decisively, he would "own" the consequences. Graham predicted it would be considered a "great mistake" in American foreign-policy history. 

Obama announced a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace, enforced by the U.S. and allies, in March.

McCain had pushed in March for the U.S. to supplement the no-fly zone with efforts to jam Gadhafi's communications systems and by sending more aircraft carriers and providing weapons to Libyan rebels.

“This conflict didn’t have to last this long,” McCain said on CBS’s "Face the Nation" Sunday. “U.S. airpower could have shortened this conflict dramatically.”

The senators asked in the statement for the U.S. to continue to take the lead in Libya post-Gadhafi.

“While Libya's future will of course be made by the Libyan people themselves, the United States must lead the international community to provide the support that our Libyan friends need," the statement reads.

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