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In this case, Sen. McCain is absolutely right: Close Air Support is not even remotely the mission of a B1B, except in the minds of 4-Stars of the USAF. It's too large, too heavy and too easily hit for the precision fight. JDAMs are dandy for large targets not too close to the friendlies but useless for fast-moving targets in close proximity to the good guys.

The Air Force has tried to weasel out of true Close Air Support for decades except for the outstanding capabilities of the Warthog. The Taliban have very little in the way of effective air defense, so behemoths like the B-1B and B-52s can get away with bombing from way up on targets 1000m or more away from friendlies. Other wars, other enemies will not be so permissive.

McCain's right to make them support the army as they were required to do since 1947.

When a person loses their credibility, it no longer matters what they say or do unless they address sincerely and completely the cause of that loss, and then they are restored only if the community around them, and in this case the voting public, allow for that restoration.

McCain is a liar and a conniver. It does not matter at all what he says now. He is not and never will be the right messenger for any public activity.

I'll ask the same question to you...have you ever actually flown a CAS mission? These threads are always entertaining because the strongest opinions are often from people with no actual experience in what they are arguing. Kind of like listening to airsoft hobbyists argue how best to clear a building. Pew Pew Pew sort of sounds good in movies. And now on Internet forums.....

There is a reason the Marine Corps is perfectly happy flying CAS with hornets and now the F-35. Remember how hard they've fought for a slow moving fixed wing CAS platform in let's say the last 40 years? Neither do I.

Lots of old grey haired experts thinking about dumb bomb CAS against small caliber AAA. Guess what? All the rules have changed. The only thing that hasn't changed is the absolute priority of killing the enemy by getting bombs on time, on target, without killing friendlies. End of story. And if you aren't proficient in receiving a nine line via datalink, using a helmet mounted sight, or guiding the latest generation laser guided munitions with the latest generation targeting pods, you are probably not well qualified to write the newest manual on CAS operations. Or explain why the A-10 is the only effective CAS platform in the inventory.

“The Air Force has tried to weasel out of true Close Air Support for decades except for the outstanding capabilities of the Warthog.”

which would be fine if they would turn over the Warthog or other CAS fixed wing aircraft to the Army. But defending their turf is more important than the grim reality of defending the infantry.