"I feel badly about the British. They are our dear friends but they are no longer a world power, it's just a fact of life," Mr McCain told NBC's Jay Leno, shrugging off the British absence. "My heart breaks for these people who are being massacred. "We have stood up for people all over the world and shed our blood in defence of somebody else's freedom. We're an exceptional nation, and only we can lead. I know American's are war weary – Iraq, Afghanistan – but I believe we can prevail without putting American lives in danger," he added.