McCain blasts White House for failed Middle East strategy

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain blasted President Obama and the Pentagon on Tuesday for lacking a coherent strategy in the Middle East to battle the Islamic State.

McCain aired a laundry list of what he called the administration's failed efforts to confront the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, deriding the failed $500 million Pentagon plan to train and equip moderates to battle ISIL militants in Syria and allowing Russia to gain growing influence in the Middle East.

McCain spoke in dismissive terms of Obama as leader of the U.S. military.

"If there is an opposite for commander in chief, this is it," McCain said in his opening statement at an Armed Services Committee, which he chairs. McCain of Arizona was the Republican nominee for president who lost the 2008 election to Obama.

The administration has deployed 3,500 troops to Iraq to train and assist forces there and has conducted more than 7,000 air strikes on ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared before McCain's committee.

Carter promised changes to the Pentagon's war on ISIL, including the appointment of Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland to lead the effort. The strategy will focus on confronting ISIL in Raqqa, Syria, its de facto capital, retaking Ramadi from militants in western Iraq and raids such as the one that freed 70 hostages in Iraq last week.

McCain pressed Carter on whether he supports establishing a no-fly zone in Syria to keep warplanes from the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad from attacking refugees and his opponents on the ground. He noted that a safe zone has support across the political spectrum, including from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

When the concept was raised several years ago, Pentagon officials dismissed a no-fly zone as too expensive and would require too many troops to implement.

Carter hedged in his response, suggesting establishing one was possible but not likely. Creating one would require the military to deal with Syria’s air defenses and to deny flight to warplanes and helicopters. Keeping the zone safe would also require ground forces.

“We have not made that recommendation to the president,” Carter said. “He hasn’t taken off the table.”

The challenges in setting up the no-fly zone are political and legal and would require diverting resources now being use to fight ISIL, Dunford said.

“From a military perspective, we can impose a no-fly zone,” Dunford said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a candidate for president, pressed Dunford and Carter on the strategy to remove Assad. They conceded that no credible force exists to defeat Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran.

Graham accused them of turning over Syria to Russia and Iran.

“This is a half-assed strategy at best,” Graham said.