The United States needs permanent military bases in Afghanistan to protect its "vital national security interests" in the region, Arizona Sen. John McCain said Tuesday after talks with the Afghan president. McCain's remarks were the latest indication of American and British aspirations to cement their influence in this former al-Qaida stronghold on the doorstep of Iran, China and nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India. McCain, part of a five-member Senate delegation that met President Hamid Karzai at his palace in the Afghan capital, said he was committed to a "strategic partnership that we believe must endure for many, many years." "Not only because of our appreciation of Afghanistan, but also we believe there will be vital national security interests in this region for a long time," McCain said. Asked by reporters what such a partnership would entail, he identified "economic assistance, technical assistance, military partnership including -- and this is a personal view -- joint military permanent bases and also cultural exchanges." McCain, the No. 2 Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, did not elaborate on what kind of American military presence he was advocating. [more]