John McCain softens rhetoric on Nigerian schoolgirls situation, still ignores their national sovereignty

The horrible tragedy in Nigeria, 200+ Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the brutal Islamic terror group Boko Haram to be sold for $12, should be considered abhorrent to anyone that hears the story. It apparently offended Arizona Senator John McCain to the point that he referred to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan as “some guy”. It appears that Jonathan doesn’t want outside assistance in finding the kidnapped girls.

Caricature by donkeyhotey, donkeyhotey.wordpress.com (cropped)

McCain appears to have toned down his rhetoric slightly since his previous statement; however, Nigerian national sovereignty is still irrelevant to the former presidential candidate. In a statement Friday he says, “I continue to believe the United States should take every necessary and appropriate action to free the young Nigerian girls that the terrorist group Boko Haram has kidnapped and is threatening to sell into slavery. We should devote more of our national capabilities to help our Nigerian partners in locating the girls. And if we get actionable intelligence about where they are being held, we should send U.S. Special Forces to rescue them – with the approval and cooperation of the Nigerian government and security forces if possible, but without them if necessary.

“Tweets and hashtags are appreciated. They may make people feel better, but they do not liberate prisoners. That duty rests with those that have the power and influence to make a difference – none more so than the United States.

“We should help our Nigerian partners to fulfill their responsibilities to their own citizens. But we must also recognize that our great power confers a special responsibility on us. If the most powerful nation in the history of the world has an opportunity to prevent a crime against humanity and save more than 200 young girls from lives of certain misery, what would it say about us if we did not act?”

McCain is not alone in his disregard for Nigeria’s borders. Fox News TV host, Sean Hannity said earlier this week:

“I would suggest we only use overwhelming force. We’d need the element of surprise somehow – and that means our intelligence, which is already, as I understand it now, being used there. And (if) we had a reasonable (expectation) that our guys aren’t gonna get hurt in the process, I think it would be a worthwhile exercise because it is a battle against terrorists that are not only against these Nigerian schoolgirls, they are declaring war on the entire world, advancing their ideology. But that understanding seems to be missing in the administration.”