Since Donald Trump took office in January, Arizona’s two US senators have been frequent critics of the president’s actions. Both Republicans are praising Trump’s decision to order an air strike in Syria early Friday morning.
Trump said the strike was in response to horrific images that were beamed out of Syria earlier this week – videos and photos of dead and dying people, victims of an apparent chemical attack, though the use of chemicals was denied by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
Senator Jeff Flake called the launch of nearly 60 US missiles at the Syrian airbase both appropriate and timely.
“It was proportionate, and I hope it degrades the ability of the Syrian government to use chemical weapons in the future,” he said. “I believe we accomplished that goal.”
John McCain also stands with the president. McCain said military action was “important.”
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I think it’s a signal that the president of the United States is listening carefully to the best national security team that I’ve seen.”
But there’s a long way to go when it comes to US involvement in Syria. Quoting Winston Churchill, McCain said this is end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end.
However McCain told NBC’s "Today Show" on Friday morning that much more needs to be done.
"We’ve got a lot more work to do to stop the slaughter that has driven Europe into chaos a flood of refugees and one of the great humanitarian refugee crisis in the last since World War II," McCain said.
McCain says the air strikes should also serve as a message to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
