McCain in 1992: Christianity and Oil Drive US Wars in Middle East

From “Larry King Live,” August 3, 1992: McCain gave two reasons for US military involvement in the Middle East. We are a “Judeo-Christian nation” [so it really is a Crusade?] and “as long as the world’s energy resources come from that part of the world . . .”

‘ [Larry] KING: Quickly – El Paso. We’re running out of time. Go ahead.

10th CALLER: [El Paso, Texas] Yes, Jim Hagan [?], and my question is, why should we start with the assumption that the United States should send any force into Iraq or Yugoslavia, when the Western European nations, the Arabs, have more wealth, more manpower, the Russians-

KING: All right, John, quickly, tell us why we do help them?

Sen. [John] McCAIN: Very quickly, Jim, that’s one of the reasons why we have not gone into Bosnia-Hercegovina, because of that very reason. And the Europeans should lead; although, over time, we may be forced, as a Judeo-Christian nation, to intervene. But in the Middle East, my friend, as long as the world’s oil resources come from that area of the world, we have to be vitally involved.”