John McCain: Kim Jong-il in 'Warm Corner of Hell' With Hitler
Arizona Sen. John McCain says that former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is now “in a warm corner of hell” along with Hitler, Bin Laden and other controversial rulers, after the Asian dictator's death was reported this week.
"I can only express satisfaction that the Dear Leader is joining the likes of Gadhafi, bin Laden, Hitler and Stalin in a warm corner of hell," the Republican senator said Monday, according to The Associated Press.
He is not the first politician to express his opinion on Kim Jong-il’s passing, who occurred Saturday at 8:30 a.m. from a heart attack while traveling on a train outside of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in a statement on his website that “Kim Jong-il was a ruthless tyrant who lived a life of luxury while the North Korean people starved. He recklessly pursued nuclear weapons, sold nuclear and missile technology to other rogue regimes, and committed acts of military aggression against our ally South Korea. He will not be missed.”
Jon Huntsman, the former U.S ambassador to China and another republican presidential candidate, also had some harsh words for the former leader, which he released on his website:
“Kim Jong-il was a conscienceless tyrant. His death closes a tragic chapter for the people of North Korea and offers them the best opportunity to get on a path towards a more free and open society and political reform.”
The comments come as millions of North Koreans are still mourning Kim Jong-il’s death, a man they referred to as “Dear Leader.” The population now faces an uncertain future, and there are questions whether his son, Kim Jong-un, will be given full control of the isolated country, the AP reported.
Intelligence committee members projected on Monday that a regime under Kim Jong-un would be very much like his father’s, although the 27-year-old would have to fight for it, revealed two anonymous U.S. officials briefed on the intelligence.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said in an interview that not even family members who helped run the country know what is going to happen in North Korea.