Washington, Oct 21 : Republican Senator John McCain (Arizona) has termed the death of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as a “victory” for US President Barack Obama.

“This is a victory for the president, the Obama administration but most importantly” for the Libyan people, the Politico quoted McCain, as saying.

In a statement released earlier in the day, he said that Gaddafi’s death “marks an end to the first phase of the Libyan revolution”.

Senator Mark Kirk was another Republican senator who said that it is a ‘great win’ for

the Obama administration.

Washington, Aug 8 : US Senator John McCain has said that the continuation of Inter-Services Intelligence's (ISI) cooperation with the dreaded Haqqani network and the Taliban in Pakistan would make it difficult for the US win the war against terrorism.

"We have to have a realization that the present sanctuary situation in Pakistan cannot continue. Otherwise, it places enormous burdens on our ability to succeed," The Nation quoted McCain, as saying.

McCain said the fact that these networks are getting a safe hideout in Pakistan is making situations much more problematic.

Washington, July 4: US Senator John McCain has said that the ties between Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), and Afghan insurgents needed to be acknowledged.

"We have to deal with Pakistan on a basis of realism, that there are connections between the ISI and the Haqqani network and the Taliban," The News quoted McCain, as saying.

Earlier, an Afghan district governor had accused the Pakistan government of protecting Taliban insurgents fighting US troops and the government in Afghanistan.

Washington, July 4 : US Senator John McCain has warned that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi still remains a "direct threat" to American national security.

"This notion that we should fear who comes after or what comes after Gadhafi ignores that if Gadhafi stays in power, it is a direct threat to our national security," Politico quoted the Arizona Republican, as saying.

Washington, May 30 : US Senator John McCain, who was President Barack Obama’s GOP opponent in the 2008 election, has said that new tensions in US-Pakistan relations were contributing to a rapid decline in American’s support for the Afghan war.

“Americans are war weary. They see the President of Afghanistan appearing ungrateful. They see the government of Pakistan in a very aggressive fashion in many ways towards us,” McCain told Fox News.

“Pakistan`s continued relations with the Haqqani network and others also worried the Americans,” he added.

New York, May 30: Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain has said former Alaska governor Sarah Palin can defeat Obama in the 2012 elections.

"She can. Now, whether she will or not, whether she''ll even run or not, I don''t know," he said.

McCain comments came in the wake of Palin kickstarting a national bus tour from Washington, which has stoked speculation of her entering the bid.

He said that though Palin''s opponents attacked her mercilessly, she continue to inspire great passion among her supporters, particularly Republicans.

Washington, May 13: US Senator John McCain has said that waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques were not a factor in tracking down al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

In an impassioned speech given on the Senate floor, McCain said people who supported those kind of measures were wrong to claim that waterboarding al-Qaeda’s No. 3, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, provided information that led to bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

He said he asked CIA director Leon Panetta for the facts, and that the hunt for bin Laden did not begin with fresh information from Mohammed.

Washington, May 2 : Arizona Senator John McCain has said that Donald Trump cannot be perceived as a "serious" Republican presidential contender.

He argued that while the business magnate seemed to be "having a lot of fun," the GOP had "very serious" candidates in the field who would be focusing on more serious issues.

"I think Mr. Trump is having a lot of fun. It''s "pretty clear he enjoys the limelight,” the CBS News quoted McCain, as saying.

"We have very serious candidates. I think that if Trump wants to run, he''s welcome to run," he added.

Washington, May 2 : Senator John McCain, who was President Barack Obama''s GOP opponent in the 2008 election, praised the president Sunday night for approving a military raid that took out Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates briefed McCain on the news before Obama''s address.

“I am overjoyed that we finally got the world''s top terrorist," Politico quoted McCain, as saying in a statement.

Washington, Mar 16 : The best way to persuade Pakistan to ‘end its support for terrorist groups’ is to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, senior US lawmaker and former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has said.

“Perhaps the most effective way to end Pakistan’s support for terrorist groups that target our partners and our personnel in the region is to succeed in Afghanistan,” the Dawn quoted Senator McCain, as telling the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

Washington, Feb 28 : Arizona Senator John McCain has said the United States or international forces could provide support to Libyans seeking to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi regime.

On being asked if there is “a military option in Libya” for either the U. S., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the United Nations, beyond a no-fly zone, Politico quoted McCain as saying: “I think there possibly could be.”

Washington, Jan 28: The concept of approaching people ahead of elections through social networking might have been popularised by the Democrats in 2008, but the Republicans voters and tea party activists caught up with them in 2010, according to a new Pew report.

The Christian Science Monitor quoted the report as saying that only 29 percent Republican or John McCain voters were active on social networking sites in 2008 compared with 44 percent of Democrats or Barack Obama voters.

Washington, Jan 24: John McCain, the Republican Arizona Senator who was placed opposite Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential polls, has praised the latter as someone who has "learned a lot" in the first two years of his presidency, and improved his politics following last year's mid-term polls.

CBS News quoted McCain, as saying that Obama "has learned a lot in the last two years," creating a situation that could see Republicans working with him.

New York, Apr. 21 : Senator John McCain has said that illegal immigrants are intentionally causing car accidents along state freeways.

Defending the tough new Arizona immigration bill against the possibility of racial profiling, McCain told Bill O’Reilly on his television show that while he’d be “very sorry” if a Hispanic person suffered the indignity of racial profiling, the law would punish illegal wrongdoers.

“It''s the people whose homes and property are being violated. It''s the drive-by that -- the drivers of cars with illegals in it that are intentionally causing accidents on the freeway," the New York Daily News quoted McCain, as saying.

Washington, Feb. 16 : Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain has once again sought the help of his ex-running mate and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to defend his Arizona seat.

According to The Telegraph, McCain is facing the strongest challenge yet to his 24-year tenure in the US Senate.

"I''m looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail with my former running mate, and I know my fellow Arizonans will welcome her as well," said McCain.

"Sarah energised our nation and remains a leading voice in the Republican Party," he added.

McCain is battling against a right-wing challenge in the Republican primary from J D Hayworth, a former Congressman and talk radio host, who officially started his campaign with a rally in Phoenix on Monday.