Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Thursday that President Barack Obama would run the risk of impeachment if he were to put “boots on the ground” in Syria.
McCain spoke to Phoenix KFYI radio host Mike Broomhead after getting grilled by constituents for supporting missile strikes on Syria at a pair of town halls. McCain specified that he did not favor sending American troops into Syria, however.
The Arizona Republican said he understood his constituents’ skepticism in the wake of the Iraq War, but urged they “look at the facts.”
“The fact is [President] Bashar Assad has massacred 100,000 people. The conflict is spreading … Iraq has now become a haven for al-Qaeda and the violence is greater than in 2008, the Russians are all in, the Iranians are all in, and it’s an unfair fight,” McCain said. “And no one wants American boots on the ground. Nor will there be American boots on the ground because there would be an impeachment of the president if they did that.”
He added that the president has “bungled” the response to Syria “beyond belief” by consulting Congress after anouncing he would strike Syria.
Listen below, courtesy of KFYI: