Benghazi, Libya (CNN) — Libyan opposition leaders received a major morale boost Friday when a top U.S. senator made a surprise visit to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and urged greater American involvement in the bloody campaign to oust strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
The visit from Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, came a day after the United States said it was deploying predator drones to Libya.
McCain said the drones would increase NATO’s capability in the war-torn North African country, but not enough to make up a shortfall in assets needed to break a “significant degree of stalemate.”
He said he was against U.S. troops on the ground — echoing Obama administration policy — but argued that Western powers need to do more to “facilitate” the delivery of weapons and training for the rebels.
