McCain: Ground troops in Libya ‘out of the question’

McCain said he was heartened to see Predator drones now being used as part of the NATO airstrike, but he said the United States must still ramp up its contributions to the effort in light of the absence of sufficient support from NATO, noting only six of the 28 NATO countries are actively engaged in Libya.

“I think you can do it with air power and a sufficiently trained and equipped liberation forces,” McCain said. “Look, these people hate Gadhafi. That’s why I think there’s still hope and a chance he may crumble from within.”

But, McCain warned, the longer the United States delays, the more likely a stalemate will emerge.

“If you’re worried about al Qaeda entering into this fight, nothing would bring al Qaeda in more rapidly and more dangerously than a stalemate,” McCain added

On the topic of Iraq, McCain said it is important for the United States to leave enough troops to provide training and other technical capabilities to help Iraqis maintain stability.

He said he has very little confidence the State Department can handle the situation by itself and predicted the American public wouldn’t object as long as the casualties to U.S. soldiers cease.