By Rebecca Shabad
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Thursday called President Obama “the most naïve president in history” because of his foreign policy tactics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “played us so incredibly,” McCain said on a Phoenix radio station.
“This is the most naïve president in history,” he said.
“The naïveté of Barack Obama and [Secretary of State] John Kerry is stunning,” he added, citing the administration’s plans for Iran and Syria.
The comments came one day after McCain and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced they were preparing legislation that would impose sanctions against the Ukrainian government because of a crackdown on protesters this week.
In December, the two senators traveled to Ukraine to meet with government officials and opposition leaders.
Obama said Wednesday that the administration is prepared to join the European Union and install sanctions there to mitigate the growing conflict. As of Thursday, at least 50 protestors in the capital of Kiev have been killed, and hundreds have been injured.
“This thing could spiral out of control into a major international crisis,” McCain warned on Thursday. “The first thing we need to do is impose sanctions against people in leadership positions, including the oligarchs who control this collapsed economy.”
McCain said military intervention in Ukraine is not an option.
“We’re not going to intervene militarily; we’re not going to send a single troop over there; we’re not going to put a single person in harm’s way,” he said.
Later in the radio interview, a listener asked why McCain is “pro-Obama” on certain issues and “anti-Obama” on others.
“Tell me when I’m pro-Obama,” McCain said. “Friend, you are totally misinformed. … You’re lying.”
