Senator John McCain, the US Navy veteran who was tortured during his years in a Vietnam prison, joked about the prospect of a colleague being held hostage in Afghanistan and another being waterboarded.   McCain made the remarks just days after a hostage drama in Algeria left dozens of hostages dead, including three Americans.

He was speaking at a bipartisan press conference with four other senators as they discussed their recent congressional mission to Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel and Jordan.

Senator “Lindsey Graham was with us. He remains in Afghanistan doing his active duty as a colonel in the Air Force reserve,” McCain began. Then he turned on the dark humour.

“We hope that he is not held hostage for — well, some of us hope that he is,” said McCain, the Republican nominee who lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama.