Washington, D.C. – Jan. 12, 2016 – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight President Obama decided to start the ‘lame duck’ portion of his presidency early and use his State of the Union address to shape his legacy instead of seriously addressing the challenges we face at home and abroad.
“Ten American sailors have been taken into custody in Iran. But President Obama completely omitted this latest example of Iran’s provocative behavior so as not to interfere with his delusional talking points about his dangerous nuclear deal with Iran.
“As we’ve seen in Paris and San Bernardino, ISIL’s threat to our homeland is real, direct, and growing. But President Obama squandered yet another opportunity to articulate a coherent strategy to achieve ISIL’s lasting defeat.
“The murderous Assad regime is still barrel-bombing the Syrian people and fanning the flames of extremism and sectarianism that gave rise to ISIL.  Nearly 10,000 Americans are still in harms’ way in Afghanistan. Russia still occupies Crimea and is destabilizing Ukraine. North Korea just conducted its third nuclear test under this Administration. Yet these topics barely earned a mention in tonight’s address, if at all.
“Our nation does not need lofty words. It needs bold action. Our nation does not need abstract calls to hope. It needs a concrete strategy to confront the challenges of a more dangerous world. Unfortunately, it appears these tasks will be left to the next president.”