McCain on Egypt: Strong U.S. stand needed

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday on two television shows the United States must do a better job of encouraging democracy through its foreign policy.

The former presidential nominee said on CBS's "The Early Show" President Barack Obama should take a strong position on Egypt, regardless of any possible dangers.

"I realize the influence of extremist organizations, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, but I don't think the status quo is something that could lead to anything but much more violence," McCain said.

"I do think that what a lot of us should be advocating for is an orderly transition, a government composed of the army, pro-democracy forces and individuals that would keep things calm, and an open and free election process for the elections in September.

"We will ... have to understand that there is the radical Islamic element out there that is bent on our destruction."

On ABC's "Good Morning America," McCain responded to former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticisms of him in his new book saying, "(Rumsfeld) and I had a very, very strong difference of opinion about the strategy that he was employing in Iraq, which I predicted was doomed to failure. And thank God he was relieved of his duties and we put the surge in, otherwise we would have had a disastrous defeat in Iraq."