McCain: Al Qaeda May Intervene To Tip Election Towards Dems

"Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he fears that al Qaeda or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election against him," Reuters reports.

McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq might ratchet up their activities in Iraq to try to increase casualties in September or October and tip the November election against him.

"Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications ... The hardest thing in warfare is to counter someone or a group of individuals who are willing to take their own lives in order to take others."

TPM's Greg Sargent notes: "You know, I keep hearing from Republican pundits and operatives that the specter of terrorism inevitably bolsters the electoral prospects of Republicans. But here McCain says that Al Qaeda would amp up their attacks in Iraq to hurt him. Hard to keep track of this stuff sometimes."

Comments

[tumblewind]

We are in for a long haul this election! It's only March and the fear mongering has started already!

[biwee]

AS a retired officer of the USN, I know of McCain, and his father and grandfather (his father was up to his eyeballs in the LBJ ordered coverup of the deliberate Israeli attack on the USS Liberty in 1967).
McCain, and his Democrat Party twin McClinton, are EXACTLY what this country DOES NOT NEED.
We will never regain our footing lost during the NeoCon, Israel FIRST Bush years under a McCain or a McClinton presidency. Obama is our only hope. Obama is flawed, but not fatally. McCain is a
Hagee operative.

[ErikW65]

Thanks for your service, and the info. on the USS Liberty. I think that incident proves that simply having been in the military does not necessarily connote intelligence. The military need to be given orders which make sense. I don't trust McCain to do that. Here is a man who will lie to us on live video, as he did in the Baghdad marketplace just about a year ago, and tell us everything is perfectly safe, when he knew the area was artificially protected. McCain has poor judgement, and very little credibility IMO.

[BluGrrl]

Everyone knows al-Qaeda works for the GOP, and everyone knows if al-Qaeda tips an election it is for the Conservatives.

[A Meat Beetle]

I've never bought this image of McCain as a man of principles and integrity, but if he DID have principles and integrity, they just turned into a little puff of smoke and blew away. This guy is unworthy of being the President of the United States. Too bad there's nobody good running against him.

[transendentilist]

I'll take another Clinton presidency, in a heartbeat, over any neo-conservative piece of trash.

[Stirner]

What the hell is wrong with the Republican Party? It used to be a rather sane group. Now it features a war-hungry Zombie and a first-class Zionist -- that "On to Iran" fellow, Lieberman. Really, is there any real policy differences between Bush/McCai­n/Hillary/­Obama? The war will go on, the failed social programs continued, the debt increased -- "Change"? "Change you can Trust"? -- Come on, who's fooling who? There is only one candidate who seeks real change -- but his name, just as the "N" word, is unmentionable. Hint: he was earlier known, by the neoconned war-spend-tax crowd, as "Dr. No".

[nerakami]

I ask one question of Mr. McCain...

If your Presidential candidacy is dependent on AlQaeda's actions...­.. who then is in control of your future?

Bin Laden

[karmafriend]

mccain's 'lust for power' has been amazing to watch..

just when you think he can't sink any lower...

[riverhouse]

Goerge Bush and his neocon enablers, Hillary and McCain, have been the best thing that could have happened to bin Laden. He will best be served if McCain or Hillary wins and the USA continues on the madness of a bombing frenzy, as McCain and Hillary voted to do to Iran. The entire Middle East is in flames and Muslims in allied countries are furious with the United States. Every single person who voted to invade and occupy Iraq has to bear responsibility for all the death, destruction, and debt arising from this colossial misjudgment. The invasion of Iraq will go down in history as one of the monumental blunders of all time. The worst thing that could happen to bin Laden is for Barack Obama to come into the White House and begin to remedy the damage done by the neocons.

[Marlyn]

"extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election" ???

What a stupid statement. Now we are supposed to assume that attacks in Iraq are some how meant to influence the US election? One thing is for sure. There will be more attacks in Iraq.

But WHO are these attackers? We are told they are Al Qaeda. You know what? I don't even believe Al Qaeda is in Iraq. These so called extremists are actually Iraqis, Sunni and Shia. AND John McCain is a war monger, continuing the GW Bush reign of fear and terror.

[WIpatriot]

What is it about senile old coots that trips the trolley of Repubs?

[pheepher]

Now why would "terraists" want to ramp up operations to help the Democratic party? It appears the McCain-Bush policies has done more for their cause then anyone else on the planet.

[kallopolis]

And McCAIN is a communist agent.

Doesn't everyone know that he was BRAINWASHED by Ho Chí Minh when he was captured in the Vietnam war?

If he is elected, he is programmed to turn this country over to the communists!

GEESH!!!

[LeaderofMen]

A repeat:

Hey McCain. On 9/11...

President: Republican
Governor: Republican
Mayor: Republican
Senate Majority: Republican
Congressional Majority: Republican

Hey McCain: Now tell me how this fits in to your LIE.

[dogboy]

"And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications . . "

Sorry, McBush. Do you have proof of this?

Fool me once . . .
. . .Don't get fooled again!

[Elkanah]

In 2004 Osama bin Laden helped George W. Bush get elected after he made a speech criticizing him just before the election.

In 2008 according to McCain, Osama will rev up his killing machine in September and October and help get a Democratic President elected.

According to Judge Judy, "If it doesn't make sense, then it can't be true". Not that she is such a maven.

I haven't been able to keep up to date with the news out of Iraq as the news is quite sparse. Eliot Spitzer, Atlanta tornado, a little old lady who foiled a thief. etc. seem to have the attention of the media.

The last I heard, heat, electricity and clean water are still scarce in Iraq.
Iraqis and American soldiers are still being killed and wounded (3987 Americans killed in Iraq as of last week).

The Iraqi government has still not been able to take over the security of the country. The Shia government of Iraq has not been able to bring the Sunnis into the government.

Most Iraqis except the Kurds would celebrate if American forces left the country. If the U.S. forces left Iraq the civil war would continue. Is all this still true?

If it is true then it is more likely that before the November election fighting will erupt in Iraq due to the Shias and Sunnis continuing their struggle for power and not due to the small number of foreigners led by al Qaida.