Sen. McCain: It's time to arm Syria's rebels

Rebels inside Syria say the dictatorship of Bashir al Assad is massing tanks and troops outside the city of Homs.

Homs has been under artillery bombardment for more than two weeks. It's a city of 1.7 million. Homs is one of the centers of the freedom movement that has been fighting for a year to overthrow the four-decade-old dictatorship of the Assad family. The rebels are civilians for the most part, and badly out-gunned.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He spoke with CBS News anchor Scott Pelley about the situation in Syria.

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PELLEY: Senator, you think the United States should play a role in getting arms to the rebels one way or another. How would that work?

MCCAIN: Well, I think there's a number of ways. For example, in Libya, without our direct involvement, there was arms that were obtained by the Libyan rebels. One of the ideas that's been floated is a kind of sanctuary that would allow people to train and equip. We don't need to do that directly. But I think that there are ways to get arms to the resistance and the Turks in the Arab League can play a great, a very significant role.

PELLEY: Senator, why should the United States have a role? Why is this our problem, if you will?

MCCAIN: I think it's world's community problem, and America leads. Here is an unchecked massacre using artillery, tanks and most horrible means, massacring his own people by Bashir Assad. It's the same rationale why we went into Bosnia. It's the same reason why we went into Kosovo. It's the same reason why we involved ourselves in other parts of the world on behalf of people who can't help themselves and that's a role and a mission and a tradition of the United States of America. It has to be carefully done. I'm not calling for an invasion of Syria, but I am calling for practical measures which can be of assistance to them, which would break this stalemate, which would allow the Syrian people to achieve the aspiration that we hold for all people.

[remant]

I think it is past time that someone removes a bullet from Sen McCain's brain.

[ProgressNow]

So when the gay sheriff (Romney's former AZ Co-Chair) said in a commercial for John McCain, "Senator, your one of us!" Was that gay-cope?????

[nirak2-2009]

Bomb Bomb Bomb McCain is at again. I like to know if he knows who the rebels are and where to find them in that hornest nest.
Time to retire McCain, you don't make sense anymore

[jd2408]

Please Please Arizona, get rid of this war monger. Its time to retire Senator.

[themooniac]

Thank God Sen McCain was not elected. God only knows how many more wars we would be involved in.

[ImaJWalker]

USA will take out 7 countries in 5 years The NWO Plan since 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Jo_tD0448

Can you say this plan has come to a screeching halt because other countries (Russia, China and Iran) are starting to see the real picture. Of course Mcain has to make the speech.. he's probably still on their payroll.

[TnMuse]

I think there are quite a few "old dolt's" calling the shots on our behalf. There were only 7 senators who voted against 1031 of the NDAA . Our problems in America go much deeper than the executive branch. We don't need to get involved in another civil war in the mideast. Aren't Iraq and Afghanistan a big enough picture for our government to see that these wars are un-winnable? We are now in a sticky situation with China since we have mortgaged our souls to them. China supports Assad Does our warmongering leaders think China is going to lend us the money to start something in Libya now? ...and then Iran from whom China gets oil? We need to put them all out to bake in the Arizona sun.

[TnMuse]

whoops, I meant Syria not Libya..too many wars.

[usunus]

It is actually time we stopped taking Sen.McCain seriously.

[nearl451]

Imagine if you will, the clamor, no the outrage, if Obama had suggested such an action.

Goodness, even air support or humanitarian supplies to the rebels would be castigated as evidence of more Mulsim radicalist leanings.

Yet, McCain is perfectly comfortable in promoting any armed conflict.

[myopinionpal]

Sen. McCain: It's time to arm Syria's rebels so that the U.S. can fight the very rebels we gave the arms to in a few years or sooner.