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McCain urges US to live up to duties as a world leader
Republican presidential candidate John McCain called on Wednesday for the United States to work more closely with democratic countries and live up to its duties as a world leader.
- AP
- Published: 19:06 March 26, 2008
Washington: Republican presidential candidate John McCain called on Wednesday for the United States to work more closely with democratic countries and live up to its duties as a world leader.
McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, has staked his candidacy on his national security experience, but has been criticised by Democratic White House hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton as offering the same foreign policies as President George W. Bush.
Mindful of the need to lay out his own vision for the future and distance himself from the unpopular incumbent president before the November general election, McCain is proposing a more collaborative approach.
Speaking a few days after returning from a trip to the Middle East and Europe, McCain said, "Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed."
He added, "We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies."
McCain says that the US "cannot lead by virtue of its power alone."
"If we lead by shouldering our international responsibilities and pointing the way to a better and safer future for humanity ... it will strengthen us to confront the transcendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism," said McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who has decades of experience in the Senate on foreign affairs.
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