McCain: "Next up, Baghdad"
Jan. 9, 2002 | ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- The United States should consider attacking Iraq and ousting Saddam Hussein after its campaign in Afghanistan, senior U.S. senators said Wednesday.
The comments came as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and several other senators visited this aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
"Next up Baghdad!" McCain yelled during a tour of the flight bridge.
Later McCain told a reporter that Iraq presents "a clear and present danger" to the United States.
"I think Iraq is going to have to be considered" as a target after Afghanistan, McCain said.
Before taking military action, the United States should give Iraq every opportunity to show it has disposed of weapons of mass destruction, he said.
Hawks have been pressing the Bush administration to take on Saddam. They say the Iraqi president is rebuilding the chemical and biological weapons programs he was supposed to dismantle after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
McCain is touring the region with eight other senators, including Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.
Lieberman said that for many Americans, the war against terrorism will not be over until Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks, has been killed or captured.
Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said the United States should have international backing for any military action in Iraq.
"I think it would be wrong, very shortsighted and very dangerous for the United States to unilaterally move on Iraq," he said.
However, he said, it is clear the Iraqi president is a threat and "is going to have to go."
Another Republican senator, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, said all states that harbor terrorists must be dealt with, not just Iraq. He mentioned the African nation of Somalia.
Whether or not Saddam is directly connected to the events of Sept. 11, he has ties to al-Qaida and "we have to address it," Thompson said.
The senators spent about three hours on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, meeting senior naval officers and addressing the crew from a stage in the giant hangar deck.
Later Wednesday, the senators arrived in the Gulf state of Oman for discussions with the country's leader, Sultan Qaboos.
Oman has been a quiet but crucial partner in the war, allowing U.S. forces the use of its bases to repair and refuel planes and to provide a point of transfer to warships in the region. |
