Sen. McCain continues push for Syrian intervention

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continued his campaign Thursday for the United States and its allies to use airstrikes in Syria to stop the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

McCain, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote an op-ed in USA Today urging the Obama administration, European Union, Arab League and NATO to get involved militarily in Syria, reiterating the calls he’s made for weeks as the violence escalated in Syria.

“At this late hour, the only realistic way to end the killing in Syria and force Assad from power is by exercising a variety of options, including foreign air power,” McCain wrote.

McCain said in October that the United States should consider military action in Syria, and he’s become more vocal in recent weeks, pushing the Obama administration to arm the rebels and then calling for airstrikes earlier this month in a Senate floor speech.

McCain made the comparison of Syria to Bosnia and Kosovo, where President Clinton intervened in the 1990s, a line he also used while Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey testified on Syria last week.

The Obama administration is opposed to getting involved militarily and arming the rebels, and President Obama said Wednesday that he continues to support a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

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