McCain Won't Say Obama Is On Iran Reformers' Side

Either Sen. John McCain didn't hear Joe Klein tell him to "be quiet" or he doesn't care, because the former presidential candidate went right back at his ex-rival Tuesday afternoon for President Obama's decision not to insert himself into the Iranian crisis.

McCain wouldn't say which side of the struggle he thought Obama was on.

"Between Ahmadinejad and the reformers, do you think there's any doubt what side President Obama is on?" McCain (R-Ariz.) was asked by the Huffington Post. "What would be the advantage...?"

"I know what side I'm on," McCain cut in. "I'm on the side of the people. I'm not on Ahmadinejad's side or Mousavi. I'm on the side of the Iranian people and I'm on the right side of history. And I'm not going to walk on the other side of the street while people are being killed and beaten in the streets of Iran."

McCain said Obama's reaction wasn't equal to the situation. "We can't sit by and watch a film clip on television of a young woman bleeding to death and say that we're worried about the Iranian reaction or our ability to negotiate with them. We have to stand up for those people," he said.

Time magazine's Klein had taken McCain to task for his position on Monday night. "Be quiet," said Klein. "You don't need to do this. You know? You know what you're doing is a self-indulgent at this point. Sen. McCain, if he's going to talk about this, should also talk about the fact that the United States supported Saddam Hussein in the Iran/Iraq war for eight years. Every one of those protesters out in the streets, every last one of them believes the United States supplied Saddam Hussein with the poison gas that has debilitated tens of thousands of Iranian men."

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[Brian Rabble]

02:33 PM on 06/24/2009

Citigroup is apparently doing pretty well.

[dontomas]

12:32 AM on 06/28/2009

Sorry, guess I am slow. Could you tell me what Citigroup has to do with this story regarding the Iran protest?

[DSOTM]

12:21 PM on 06/24/2009

Johnny, your not running in 2012, stop acting like the world would be so much better if you were in charge, trust me, it wouldn't.

[hrc04]

12:20 PM on 06/24/2009

Its time for your nap, Senator. And no more butterscotch, it makes you hyper!

[nuclearmonkeys]

12:15 PM on 06/24/2009

You lost old man. Go yell at clouds.

[djgonebad]

12:13 PM on 06/24/2009

Somebody needs to change his depends. His rash is coming out in his political stance; or, is his political stance coming out his A$$.

[Piatt]

12:08 PM on 06/24/2009

Suppose he wants to go back to "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran"? That was certainly productive.

[JamesA1102]

12:05 PM on 06/24/2009

McCain is just falling on his sword by showing the American people that they made the right choice last November.

[Bailey Reynolds]

12:03 PM on 06/24/2009

McCain needs to GO AWAY.

Go home. Retire. Give the rest of us a break!

[SeattleNick]

11:54 AM on 06/24/2009

This from the man who used the saying of 'Bomb, Bomb Bomb, Bomb Iran'

[Whitley2009]

11:52 AM on 06/24/2009

Mr. McCain, we both have the incurable disease of old age, and we must ask if we will complete our lives gracefully, or be pains to our families and country. Your age exacerbates your well-known narcissism and temper. And, your Naval family has a tradition of glorifying your failures. You negligently crashed a plane in the Gulf of Mexico, and glorified it. You negligently crashed another in Spain, and glorified it. You crashed another on a joy ride to an Army-Navy game, and glorified it. You disobeyed established protocol over Viet Nam not jinxing the missile coming at you (which you admitted in one of your books), and were shot down. Understand, we Americans hold you dear as a heroic pilot and heroic POW; but, let's look at the glorification. With your grandfather and father both being Admirals, the Navy bestowed more awards on you than any man or women who ever served in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, CIA or SOG forces in the Viet Nam theater. There were Americans who served multiple tours, who were awarded multiple Purple Hearts, including Medals of Honor, yet you walked away with more awards and commendations than any of these people? Now, you have failed again. This time the ghostwriters cannot glorify you. Please curb your rage. We Americans would like to remember you as a wise senior statesman and hero, rather than an old, angry, spiteful and jealous man who is hurting his country.

[medic628]

11:39 AM on 06/24/2009

What would you do old man? You keep running your mouth about what is being done. Go home and get lost in one of your many homes, if you can find them

[dlvme2]

11:34 AM on 06/24/2009

What is going on in Iran is horrible and a gut reaction is to step in and do something just like for Dafur, but how people feel about the US is touchy. If we step in then we are accused of forcing our own agenda. As hard as it is to watch most of these countries need to work out their problems. We would not want thier country stepping in over here. I hate it that we cannot step in. It seems that life is very unjust - look at Iran, Dafur and the list goes on - it is not the Unites States job to step in to correct everything, but the world in general needs to stand up and say enough is enough - not just one country but the world.

[HHarvey]

11:33 AM on 06/24/2009

This is why I am pleased McCain did not become president. We have enough freakin' problems in our own country to be worried about Iran's voting outcome. I'm tired of us meddling in other countries while the U.S. burns out. This reminds me of the time McCain couldn't understand fiscal crisis during the primaries. His strengths were never toward fixing problems within his own country, but worrying about others.

[Samlas]

11:26 AM on 06/24/2009

WTF does he want Obama to do??????

[digdeeper]

11:25 AM on 06/24/2009

Can someone please get the wheelchair out and take this guy back to the nursing home.
He's lost it!