McCain Repeats Iran-Al Qaeda Gaffe Yet Again

Sen. John McCain has done it again.

For the third time in two days, the Arizona Republican has pushed the definitively false statement that the terrorist group Al-Qaeda was getting assistance from Iran, even though he was publicly ridiculed for the same false assertion on Tuesday.

This time, in a statement from his campaign honoring the fifth year anniversary of the war, McCain wrote:

"Today in Iraq, America and our allies stand on the precipice of winning a major victory against radical Islamic extremism. The security gains over the past year have been dramatic and undeniable. Al Qaeda and Shia extremists -- with support from external powers such as Iran -- are on the run but not defeated."

On Tuesday, the senator, appearing in Israel, made a nearly identical assertion that al-Qaeda was leaving Iraq to retool and regroup in Iran.

It was, he said, "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who was accompanying McCain on the trip, was forced to lean over and whisper in McCain's ear that it was Shiite extremists, not Sunni al-Qaeda, that was going to predominantly Shiite Iran.

The repeated gaffes, which now appear to becoming something of a pattern, have already become fodder for McCain's Democratic opponents.

"Either John McCain is purposely playing politics with the facts on the ground or he doesn't understand the threat facing Iraq and our brave troops," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "Either way, after five years of the Bush Administration's incompetence and deception on Iraq, the American people don't want four more years of a president who will cherry-pick the facts."

And speaking today, Sen. Barack Obama, used the misstatements as evidence that McCain's claims of foreign policy experience do not give him a superior understanding or judgment of the terrorist threat or Iraq policy.

"Just yesterday, we heard Sen. McCain confuse Sunni and Shiite, Iran and Al Qaeda," said Obama. "Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had no Al Qaeda ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America's enemies than any strategic choice that we have made in decades."

Comments

[260Parkway]

And to think he had the nerve to call out Senator Obama on his gaffe.

[PragmaticProgressive]

This has gone from a gaffe to something that is becoming more disturbing.

Either 1). McCain actually believes that Iran (Shia) and Al-Qaeda (Sunni) are working together and will try to spin this into an offensive on Iran or 2). He actually can't keep his facts straight.

Either one is bad news if this guy becomes president.

[Lilybart]

I think he is losing it and we can't have yet ANOTHER REPUBLICAN WHO IS NOT ALL THERE: REAGAN, BUSH AND THEN MACCAIN.

[MizLiz]

Of course he's got his eye on Iran....wh­o do you think has been whispering in his ear for a long time now? I'll give you a hint: He's doing some sport fishing off a really really expensive yacht.

[rain39]

Agreed with PragmaticP­rogressive­. There is no up side to this behavior for anyone, including McCain.
If times were a little less chaotic, we could drift through the downward spiral of a president with possible dementia or couldn't ever keep his facts straight. However, THIS year, we need a truth-speaking, critical-thinking politician who can bring us together to work on the greater good and these horrendous problems we have which must be evaluated and acted on by good people right now!

For the good of the USA and the world, I sincerely pray that Mr. McCain be evaluated by specialists to determine if he has any medical problems causing this which will worsen over time. If so, his advisers need to be patriotic and get him to step down! If not, the Republicans must do it.

[lwaxanatroi]

This isn't a gaffe; it's Fox News dogma. Anything evil in the world is caused either by iran or Bill Clinton (now that Saddam is gone). Do you think Joe Sixpack cares whether it's Sunnis or Shiites who are the enemy? Heck no, so long as we kick their asses. it's all football to them; our team must win and we'll stay in overtime until we do.

[Mike169]

When is a "gaffe" not a "gaffe"? When it's an out and out lie.

[brwnizofmine]

Gosh, he's too old to be President, he's senile!

[FogBelter]

It's the old "repeat a lie enough times and people start believing it" game.

Well, the stupid people at least.

[PaulRaymond]

Lie, rinse, repeat.

[ChiGuy]

Watching McCain and his camp torpedo their own chances has been entertaining, and at the same time disturbing.

How can the American people trust someone who demonstrates such complete ignorance of long known, CRUCIAL facts like that?

[blackpope]

give the man a break...he­'s having an elderly moment....­!!!!

[MizLiz]

I have elderly moments all the time, but nobody's life depends on me.

[desmirl]

Look at his age, look at his physical condition. Think about medical conditions like senile dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. McCain is not a healthy man, and if the Republicans can't find anyone else to run for President, they'd better pick a great vice-president candidate. Four years is a long time for an old, sick man.

[Mike169]

I think you're mistaken - what you're seeing is the "Straight Talk Express". Please don't forget that.

[MizLiz]

No wonder Mitt Romney is hot to be chosen for V.P. He sees the handwriting on the wall for sure.

[Sloane7]

Oh no...they'­re not planning anything in Iran at all...why would we think that? This is like Subliminal Man.

[akoop]

Iran is certainly a concern, but it is not al Qa'ida. Not being able to deferentiate between the two, or to deferentiate between Sunni/Shia/Kurd is to be ignorant of all of the potential progressions of this endeavor. Viewing everyone with a grievance against America as the same, is to limit our ability see any legitimate resolution.

[VOTER]

McCain is an Old Man will forget his lies and surprise himself and his team

when he speaks the Truth. Wait and watch. It will become the CAMPAIGN VIDEO OF 2008!

[MizLiz]

Heh. Obama should be able to put it to good use.

[mcfried]

Wow - McCain really wants to go to war with Iran. This guy is over the top. I'm not really sure what else to say.

[bmermaid]

Surprised? Not.
They'll keep repeating the lies as long as 20% or so still believe them. And pretend to the rest of us that it was a mis-speak.

[dwillisno1]

Absolutely right. McCain has two enemies to connect, Iran and Al Qaeda. He will continue to mis speak just as Cheney did in regard to Al Qaeda and Saddam connection because its just confusing enough that your 20 % or more will accept and believe. Be assured that in addition, false email messages similar to the "Obama is a Muslim" messages will continue to be circulated by the Republican campaign.

[rpence]

Right, why are people acting surprised? Cheney continues to do it and millions still believe it. The truth stopped mattering in this country years ago, but in 2001 it became genuinely dangerous to value facts and in 2004 Bush-Cheney proved that there are lavish political rewards not just for lying, but for committing mass murder based on lies.

Republicans, not Democrats, are the masters of getting Americans to believe what they want to believe, regardless of reality. The Republicans are the party that will do and say anything to get elected and the Iraq fiasco-farce is only the most extreme example of that.

[bogananda666]

The Republican strategy is to win the election and that's their end game. Governance is not even a consideration. All they do is rant about how bad government is and then proceed to govern badly or not govern at all and proclaim they are right about government being bad. Their plan is bad governance. What Republican has ever said anything about governance or governing good? Republican use deficit spending, public debt, to give the proceeds to their conies with the principal and interest paid back by individual American taxpayers. Reagoon, Bush's 1 &2 together have run up $8,000,000,000,000 trillion of the $10,000,000,000,000 public debt. They have never in my life paid down on the principal. Eisenhower may be an exception. Before Clinton, Johnson was the last to pay down on the principal.