The Obama administration surprised a lot of folks late last week when it announced it was sending around 100 American troops to Uganda to help regional forces take out Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. But could the United States ultimately end up sending more troops?
While invoking the memory of American operations in Somalia and Lebanon, Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain warned the White House Sunday to not allow the mission in Uganda to spiral into something bigger.
“First of all, I think as you described, one of the most horrible groups ever to inhabit the earth is this Lord’s Resistance Army,” McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And I think it is appropriate for us to do what we can to prevent and eradicate them. It is a big part of the world. We don’t know any of the details. I remember Somalia. I remember Lebanon. We’ve got to be very careful about how we engage. This slippery slope thing could happen there. I think it’s mainly humanitarian in this case.”
McCain went on to criticize President Obama for not consulting with Congress before announcing the operation.
“This guy [Joseph] Kony and this Lord’s Resistance Army are guilty of unspeakable behavior and the human rights organizations all over the world want this to stop,” McCain said.
“I worry about with the best of intentions we somehow get engaged in a commitment that we can’t get out of, that’s happened before in our history and we need an explanation. And I’m very disappointed, again, that the administration has not consulted with members of Congress before taking such action. I’ve been under four presidents, and this is the least communicative with Congress of any administration that I’ve ever seen. And maybe it has something to do with the polarization of politics, but it is unfortunate.”
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