  President Bashar Assad is winning the civil war in Syria, Sen. John McCain said Thursday, saying the United States must rethink its policy there and in the rest of the Middle East if it wants to avoid a regional war that would weaken many of America's closest allies.  President Bashar Assad is winning the civil war in Syria, Sen. John McCain said Thursday, saying the United States must rethink its policy there and in the rest of the Middle East if it wants to avoid a regional war that would weaken many of America's closest allies.  