Republican senators use Gaza to hit Obama on foreign policy

By Julian Pecquet - 11/21/12 02:55 PM ET

A trio of hawkish Republican senators said Wednesday that the recent violence in Gaza was a wake-up call that the United States needs “stronger, smarter American leadership.”

“Above all, the recent fighting in Gaza underscores that this is a moment in history when the future of the Middle East has never been less certain – and when the actions or inaction of the United States will be critical to determining what path this vital region takes,” Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said in a statement.

“From the worsening civil war in Syria to the security vacuum in Libya, and from Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons to heightened tensions in Iraq, what happens in the Middle East will impact America's vital national security interests for the foreseeable future, and stronger, smarter American leadership is desperately needed. There is no pivoting away from that fact.”

The three senators have been the president's staunchest foreign policy critics in the Senate. While they applauded the newly announced cease-fire in their statement, they urged Egypt to do more to stop Iranian weapons from entering into Gaza.

“One of the main obstacles to this better future is the malicious and destructive behavior of the Iranian regime,” they said. “We urge President [Mohamed] Morsi to act swiftly to stop the smuggling of weapons to extremists in Gaza and Sinai, which is a threat to Egypt's own sovereignty, stability and national security.”

The statement, however, goes on to praise the Egyptian president's “responsible leadership” during the week-long conflict.

The three Republicans are advocates of more American engagement in the Middle East and are among the most vocal critics of proposed cuts to foreign and military aid to the world's largest Arab country.

“President Morsi deserves credit for successfully bringing an end to the violence and preventing further loss of life on both sides,” they said. “These actions are befitting the commitment to peace and security that Egypt has traditionally upheld as a leader of the Arab world.”