John McCain calls Rolling Stone’s Dzhokar Tsarnaev cover ‘stupid’

Sen. John McCain has called the Rolling Stone cover featuring Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev "stupid" and "inappropriate."

McCain said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union': "I thought it was stupid, and I thought it was inappropriate."

Stopping short of calling for a boycott, he continued: "For me to tell them to pull their magazine from the bookshelves and newsstands, it's not up to me to do that."

Critics of the decision to place a shot of Tsarnaev in a spot typically reserved for rock stars came thick and fast, with several stores banning the issue.

Walgreens and CVS, which have a big presence in Boston, were among them, according to USA Today.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner over its decision to offer Tsarnaev "celebrity treatment." He called the cover "ill-conceived, at best," and supportive of the "terrible message that destruction gains fame for killers and their 'causes.'"

Separately, a tactical photographer for the Massachusetts State Police, Sgt. Sean Murphy, leaked graphic photos of the moment Tsarnaev was captured in response to the Rolling Stone cover, which he said glamorized the suspected bomber.

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