McCain Defends Romney’s Russia Comments

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Sen. John McCain, a Mitt Romney surrogate, defended Romney’s recent criticism of President Obama on Fox News Wednesday. House Speaker John Boehner had chided Romney, suggesting it was inapporopriate to speak out against Obama while the president was overseas.

“Clearly while the president is overseas, he’s at a conference and while the president is overseas I think it’s appropriate that people not be critical of him or our country,” Boehner said Tuesday. Romney had bashed Obama’s “hot mic” incident by insisting that Russia is a “geopolitical foe.”  

McCain countered on Fox (via the Huffington Post):

Well, I understand John Boehner’s point and I respect that. But this is a very serious issue. This is very serious. No matter where the president is, if he makes a statement that I think could endanger the United States’ national interest, I have to respond no matter where the president of the United States is. I spent too many years in efforts working with Republican and Democrat administrations to try to protect this nation and missile defense — and it is a defensive system, not an offensive system. Why would the Russians object so much to a defensive system?

 

All I can say is that I respectfully disagree with Speaker Boehner. When something that important is said by the president of the United States of America, we have to respond.

McCain also saw truth in Romney’s statements about Russia supporting the world’s “worst actors”:  “Look at what they’re doing in Syria. They’re supplying arms and equipment to Bashar Assad while he slaughters and massacres his own people. Look at what — they continue to prop up North Korea. They continue to — and obviously now there is now a president for life.”

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