John McCain: We Need a Strategy for the Middle East 10/25/2017 9:52:36 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print The chairman of the Senate Arms Services Committee, Senator John McCain WASHINGTON, New York Times, October 24, 2017   — Clashes this month between elements of the Iraqi security forces and Kurdish fighters around  Kirkuk  are deeply troubling, in particular because of the United States’ longstanding friendship with the Kurdish people. These clashes are also emblematic of a broader, more troubling reality: Beyond our tactical successes in the fight against the Islamic State, the United States is still dangerously lacking a comprehensive strategy toward the rest of the Middle East in all of its complexity. This is the unfortunate legacy that the Obama administration left for its successor. President Trump’s  call this month  for a broader strategy to confront Iran’s malign influence across the Middle East was an en...