Sen. John McCain said he disagreed with former Vice President Dick Cheney on the comparison of drone strikes to the use of enhanced interrogation methods.
Cheney said Sunday that he thought the killing of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in a drone strike was effective, but he slammed the Obama administration for its critique of interrogation methods used during President Bush's administration.
"They [the Obama administration] in effect said we had walked away from our ideals or taken policy contrary to our ideals when we had enhanced interrogation methods. They clearly have moved in the direction of taking robust action when they feel its justified," said Cheney on CNN's "State of the Union."
When asked if he thought drone strikes and enhanced interrogation methods could be equated, McCain said, "I cannot; those are two entirely different things."
McCain told CNN the drone strike was a specifically authorized action by Congress against a declared enemy of the United States. He blasted the use of enhanced interrogation, saying it never yielded useful information and was used as a recruiting tool for enemies of the U.S.
"I, along with I think almost every American, congratulate the administration, congratulate the president and his team for carrying out this elimination of an avowed enemy of the United States who was bent on our destruction," said McCain.
Awlaki was killed by a drone strike in Yemen on Friday.
