Sen. John McCain said today on ABC's This Week that Libyan ruler Muammar el-Qaddafi is “insane” and should step down.
McCain told host Christiane Amanpour that he hopes Qaddafi understands the “inevitability” of his ouster and should step down immediately. He added, however, that the U.S. cannot interfere or appear to dictate any reforms and should instead offer investment and assistance.
“Perhaps the biggest thing we could do in the long run is investment,” said the Arizona Republican, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He added that new trade pacts and preference programs are the quickest way to encourage that investment.
He also said he fully supports imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.
“This would send a signal to Qaddafi that the president is serious when he says Qaddafi has to go,” McCain said.
McCain has been outspoken in his demands for the United States to play a more significant role in Qaddafi's removal. However, McCain's demands are at odds with recent statements by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that a no-fly zone would require bombing Libyan air defenses.
“I have great respect for Secretary Gates and the job he has done,” McCain said. “We cannot let Qaddafi massacre people.”
White House Chief of Staff William Daley continued to defend the Obama administration's reserved approach to intervention in Libya on NBC's Meet the Press.
“Lots of people throw around phrases like ‘no-fly zone’ like it’s just a game; some of those people who throw that line out have no idea what it takes,” he said. He added that Gates knows the difficulty and challenges of going to war and stressed that Obama is acutely aware of the gravity of military decisions.
“The president knows that ultimate decision he has to make sometimes is to put men and women in harm's way,” he said. “As the president said, all options are on the table.”
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