Should Republicans win control of the Senate in November, Sen. John McCain wants to be chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
Asked in an interview on Phoenix radio station KFYI's
"The Mike Broomhead Show" what he sees happening in the event of a GOP takeover, the Arizona Republican said, "I would be so happy to be chairman of the Armed Services Committee."
McCain, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explained that he thinks he could help fill a leadership void.
"There is no American leadership in the world, and that's just a fact," he said.
Republicans say they have a chance of winning the Senate in midterm elections, with at least six of the Democratic incumbent senators considered vulnerable, according to
The Hill.
Meanwhile, McCain is making his position on world affairs known, warning that the United States needs to be wary of former foe Russia.
"Watch out for Vladimir Putin because he will try to make mischief, because he believes that Ukraine is part of Russia," McCain told CNN's
"The Lead with Jake Tapper," referring to the
violence in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
"We have to side with the protesters, and the power has to be dispersed from the hands of [Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych, who changed the constitution and put virtually all power in the hands of the president," McCain said.
He also called on the White House to take clear action, saying, "The president should be working with Congress to prepare a set of sanctions against Ukraine that would be put into effect unless this comes to a halt."