(Washingtontimes).Sen. John McCain said Sunday that President Obama's tougher talk about fighting terrorism following the attempted Christmas airliner bombing does not match his decision to try the bomber in civilian court.
"That person should be tried as an enemy combatant; he's a terrorist," Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, said. "And if we are at war, then we certainly should not be trying that individual in a court other than a military trial."
He said Mr. Obama should not allow terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian, to get "lawyered up" for his day in court instead of handing him to intelligence officials to extract vital information.
"To have a person be able to get lawyered up when we need that information very badly, I think betrays or contradicts the president's view that we are at war," Mr. McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Mr. Obama has said that as commander in chief he ultimately bears responsibility for the failures and that no one will be fired over the incident.
"People should be held responsible for what happened," Mr. McCain said. "We can't go back to the old Washington kind of routine -- we are all responsible, so therefore nobody is responsible. Somebody has got to be held responsible."
Still, Mr. McCain, who as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee blasted Mr. Obama's weak stance against terrorism, said he appreciated the president's comments that "we are at war" with terrorists.
"They are a departure from his language before," Mr. McCain said.
"That person should be tried as an enemy combatant; he's a terrorist," Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, said. "And if we are at war, then we certainly should not be trying that individual in a court other than a military trial."
He said Mr. Obama should not allow terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian, to get "lawyered up" for his day in court instead of handing him to intelligence officials to extract vital information.
"To have a person be able to get lawyered up when we need that information very badly, I think betrays or contradicts the president's view that we are at war," Mr. McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Mr. Obama has said that as commander in chief he ultimately bears responsibility for the failures and that no one will be fired over the incident.
"People should be held responsible for what happened," Mr. McCain said. "We can't go back to the old Washington kind of routine -- we are all responsible, so therefore nobody is responsible. Somebody has got to be held responsible."
Still, Mr. McCain, who as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee blasted Mr. Obama's weak stance against terrorism, said he appreciated the president's comments that "we are at war" with terrorists.
"They are a departure from his language before," Mr. McCain said.
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