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

[TarAndFeathers]

Wow! McCain would be like a third Bush term and a third Reagan term all rolled into one.

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

FeedingTube vs YouTube...­..........­..........­.....anybo­dy seen Nurse Vicky lately

[zyx]

It's the perennial Bush question: is he lying or just dumb? Of course, it's a combination, but in today's America, you can re-condition the public by repeating any statement. Maybe there are secret messages in old Beach Boy songs. Maybe it's time to punish Iran for its despicable harboring of Al-Qaeda

[AmericanNation]

Senator McCain should simply fire his staff advisors, I mean, several hundred comments have already been posted with the attempts at humour from the juvenille to the inane so I will not revisit that arena, I think that the thousands of dead and injured service personell and civillians in Iraq should be afforded more respect than ever being made part of any joke. But, returning to the issue at hand, the reality is that the vast majority of Americans could not tell the difference between a person of the Sikh faith and a Muslim, their only frame of reference is head dress. So the outrage and intellectual shock expressed in regards to Senator McCain's misstep is quite disingenous on the part of those posting to this article. The state of the American educational system is in such decline that we are graduating more illiterates than we have at any other time in our nations history. Most Americans would be lucky to name all of the states, let alone the provinces and territories of Canada, and the countries in South America - and forget about the rest of the world, religions, or languages. Senator McCain simply needs to hire better more alert educated intelligent political operatives. Yes, this is embarrasing, but it is not fatal politically. Everyone makes mistakes, these candidates have been campaigning non-stop with very little sleep.

God Bless.

.01

[Rog49Thomas]

Time to increase the dosage on the Mellaril.

The body develops a bit of tolerance after long term use.

[RnR]

He's dropping b.s. in order to confuse and soften up the sound of "Iran/Al Qaeda". He's a son of a bitch of the highest order. There will be some people somewhere who don't realize he was corrected and just accept Iran/Al Qaeda.

We'd better get some serious legislation going to hold these bottomfeeders accountable for every one of their "mis-speaks". It is their duty and obligation to tell the truth - the actual truth and not try to bullshit their way out of it with "the truth as I knew it then". They know. It's deliberate.

What's he doing travelling around the globe at our expense anyway???? That alone is an indication of the "straight talk express". Give me a break.

[bigirlsdontcry]

McCain is suffering with a life long struggle to "win a war" since he was shot down in Vietnam and held as a POW. He was on the losing side and needs to prove to himself he is a winner. Psychological issues. No different than Bush Jr. who had to prove that Bush Sr. had b*lls like a real man-- .

All personal psychological issues needing a couch to resolve- not a battlefield.

Go Obama.

[ErnestineBass]

"Hello, my name is John McCain.

I'm not wearing any pants and I have no idea where I am.

Please vote for me for President.­"

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

ROFLOL

[GenXer]

He is just setting up his plausible deniability early. He brings a tear to my eye, he reminds me of the great Ronald Reagan. You know, the last 2 years of his Presidecy. I lovingly refer to them as the, " I can't recall", years.

[DMcD]

This geriatric old fart is exibiting serious signs of "senility" and to top it off , is using Lieberman (of all people) as a crutch to cue him , the same way Nancy (& her astrologer) used to do for Reagan.

I hope the consistantly disappointing collective intelligence of the American voting public can for once , face reality and "pass" on McCain ----- but I wouldn't count on it (Nixon 2X / Reagan 2X / Bush 2X) ----- pitiful.

.

[SocialistDistortion]

I want to dedicate this post to McCain supporters as well as those who say "if my democrat doesn't get the nomination, I'm voting for McCain" I want to dedicate this little song to you:

If you're stupid and you know it, vote McCain
If you're stupid and you know it, vote McCain
If you're stupid and you know it, hate your life and wanna blow it
If you're stupid and you know it, vote McCain

If you want to go to Baghdad, vote McCain
If you want to go to Baghdad, vote McCain
If you want to go to Baghdad, and you feel like getting drafted
If you want to go to Baghdad, vote McCain

If you want to bomb Iran, vote McCain
If you want to bomb Iran, vote McCain
If you want to bomb Iran, and watch things get out of hand
If you want to bomb Iran, vote McCain

If you want to go bankrupt, vote McCain
If you want to go bankrupt, vote McCain
If you want to go bankrupt, and want the rich to get their cut
If you want to go bankrupt, vote McCain

If you want to relive the cold war, vote McCain
If you want to relive the cold war, vote McCain
If you want to relive the cold war, and kick sanity out the door
If you want to relive the cold war, vote McCain

If you want to vote McCain, you need help
If you want to vote McCain, you need help
If you want to vote McCain, then you haven't got a brain
If you want to vote McCain, you need help

[SpaceCadet]

At first I thought this was a gaffe by an ignorant jerk, but it's clear to me now, after McCain has repeated this nonsense several times, that McCain's "gaffe" is really a deliberate lie.

[geg]

SpaceCadet--I agree. He s helping "catapult the propaganda," as Bush would say. If his "mistakes" weren't deliberate, his handlers would correct them.
'

[wanked]

A lie repeated enough becomes the truth, at least in our govt.

[The 13 Colonies]

oops thats potato....­..for a moment I thought I was Dan Quale

[The 13 Colonies]

potatoe thinks everyone is al-qaeda..­..........­.maybe even his own guys.

[treadway123]

If I don't starte finding my comments, I'm going somewhere alse to blog. This stinks!

[dogman44]

Just be very careful of what you say and you'll be posted. Remember, you are being monitored
and judged .