President Trump’s sudden announcements to pull U.S. troops out of Syria and dramatically reduce combat forces in Afghanistan have Republicans wondering who will fill the void left by the late John McCain, a prominent authority on national security willing to speak for the nation’s military commanders.
McCain’s absence was strongly felt last week when Trump unexpectedly announced his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. While there was general pushback in the Senate, some observers said the GOP’s criticism of the commander in chief did not match the authoritative voice of McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
“We miss his voice and his actions,” said John Weaver, a longtime political adviser to McCain. “Can you imagine if John was still the chairman of the Armed Services Committee? It would have been rather dramatic.”
View the complete December 27 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.