Sen. McCain urges U.S. airstrikes on Syria

WASHINGTON -- Frustrated by a diplomatic logjam and a bloody Syrian offensive, Republican Sen. John McCain urged the United States Monday to launch airstrikes against President Bashar Assad's regime to force him out of power -- a call for dramatic military intervention that wasn't supported by the Obama administration or its European or Arab partners.

McCain's statement on the Senate floor came as the U.S. and European governments pleaded for Russia's Vladimir Putin to rethink his anti-interventionist stance on Syria, in what appeared to be an increasingly desperate effort for consensus among world powers to stop a crackdown that has killed more than 7,500 people. Hundreds fled to Lebanon yesterday.

The calls for Russia to abandon its opposition to strong UN action were delivered a day after Putin won re-election as president, showing how limited the diplomatic options were despite ongoing violence.

McCain's strategy would be more direct, though it's unclear how popular it would be. His statement was as much a critique of President Barack Obama as a call for an international military campaign, accusing the president of being too soft on Assad.

McCain said the United States should arm Syria's rebels and spearhead a military effort to support them. -- AP