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

[Bobby]

You think that is SCARY? Wait until you see this clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y395Tftgz0E

McCain is the Nutjob Express!

[AnnArky]

"Who controls the past", controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." - George Orwell

Who controls the truth controls the media - AnnArky

[armadillious2002]

McCain - you dumb bastard! If you can't get this right - then what the hell can you get right?

[Jacky1]

At first I was giving him the benefit of the doubt by thinking he was going senile but three days in a row takes away the senility factor. He is intentionally trying to stir up trouble between the U.S. and Iran. Wow, that is a really smart idea to instigate another war when our own military is stretched so thin and when we are already fighting two wars, one in Aphganistan and one in Iraq, both of which we are not doing too well at.

[nofltwlt]

All members of the GOP are lying about the war, the economy, illegal wiretaps - you name it. They can't help themselves. How are they different from fiery preachers who only seek to put fear in the hearts of the public.

[BarryChamplain]

Understand what is happening here.

It's only a "gaffe", while it is new, and while peripheral websites and critics call it a gaffe. Mainstream news media will simply ignore it.

When the tried-and-true Nazi/Rove "Big Lie Technique" kicks-in, it will take on what digby calls the Cokie Effect: "It doesn't HAVE to be true, but it's OUT THERE".

And that's the ballgame. It becomes ACCEPTED WISDOM.

Get real, my friends. THIS is what McCain is doing... NOT making a stupid "gaffe"! It won't be long before every AP story and opinion columnist refers rather sanguinely to Al Qaida's border-hopping to Iran and back, to engage in terrorist training. While here in the reality-based world, we will still be Observing How They Act And Then They They Will Act Again.



(Jesus, does anyone EVER figure this crap out???)

[KeysDan]

McCain is dangerous. He is a warmonger, hypocritical, a flip-flopper and serious panderer on issues. Despite his straight talk baloney he really is ethically compromised. He was reprimanded by the Senate ethics committee for his role in the Savings and Loan debacle for which taxpayers are still liable, essentially, for requesting favors for his criminal supporter, Keating. His political corpse was resuscitated by a fawning MSM who for some reason have a crush on him, including guys like Chris Matthews and Jon Stewart. The NY Times was on to something with his being in bed with lobbyists, but the sex angle of the story was too much to bear and even the NYTimes was scared off. After all, suggestions of infidelity and call girls are verboten to bring up about politicans, right? Apparently, he is affable enough and accessible enough (both qualities important when a candidate is broke and cannot buy his own message time and media friends can help out)--the kind of guy to have a beer with (where did we hear that before as a basis for chosing a president?). Moreover, he throws a helluva barbeque at his wife's "cabin" for the starving media. Never underestimate the value of free food and drink for these guys. During his 2000 race for president he did release some aspects of his medical records, but none have been forthcoming of late, even though he looks old, even for his age, and has had melanoma surgery. The so-called al-Qaeda blunder, in my view, was intentional in that it is a well known and emotinally-charged name for Islamic extremists that can readily stoke fires for Iranian war plans. Facts must give way when a good lie will work better. Maybe, Lieberman did not get the memo and almost blew it by his correction.. However, McCain re-grouped for the next day just fine. Democrats, please get your act together or we will, incredibly given the past seven years, wind up with Bush continued and then some.

[MikeMidCity]

Not good, not good at all.

He would be Reagan without the charm.

[Toerag]

A sports equivalent would be like saying (three times, mind you), "The Boston Raiders beat the St. Louis Devil Rays, a team lead by Tiger Jordan, to win the Stanley Cup, which goes to the team that wins the World Series in football."

[betz55]

see john.
see john dodder around.
john has something.
it is a microphone.
john likes to say, "my friend" a lot.
do you want to be john's friend?
if bad people come, john will make them go away.
john is a good friend.

[TXfemmom]

This idiot is just like Bush and Cheney....tell a lie over and over again and he thinks people will believe it because they keep hearing it....or he has Alzheimer's, ala Reagan, or perhaps, even brain mets and he shouldn't be permitted to make any decisions for himself, much less this country.

[helonias]

I wonder if he's allowed to drive a car?

[helonias]

Couldn't his handers just write the correct answer on his cuff

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

McSame isn't even your father's Oldsmobile.

[j0e]

This isn't a gaffe, it's Orwellian. There is no coincidence that Bush, Cheney and McBomb are all out there pushing this garbage at the same time; it's planned. They know that it's a game of percentages, and they are hoping to persuade enough people to allow them to continue. Clearly a reprise of 2002. With a(yet again) complicit media, they will probably succeed.