Deception or ignorance? That seems to be the question every time John McCain makes a foreign policy gaffe. Whether its Sunnis or Shi'a or yesterday on the nature of Iran's government. Joe Klein reports:
At a press conference here, I just asked John McCain about why he keeps talking about Obama's alleged willingness to talk to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has no power over Iranian foreign policy, rather than Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who does. He said that Ahmadinejad is the guy who represents Iran in international forums like the United Nations, which is a fair point. When I followed with the observation that the Supreme Leader is, uh, the Supreme Leader, McCain responded that the "average American" thinks Ahmadinejad is the boss.Let's be clear: Iran has a very complex system of government with varying institutions, but at the top of it sits Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who essentially has only accountable to the Council of Guardians made up of clerics, many of whom are appointed by Khamenei. So, Ahmadinejad is not the leader. And as the Council on Foreign Relations explains, especially in the area of foreign policy, Ahmadinejad has very little influence.
On top of that as Klein points out, the president's job is to educate the public on questions of policy. So if the "average American" thinks that Ahmadinejad is the ultimate leader of Iran, it's up to the president to dissuade them of this notion -- not reinforce it. Back in 2002 more then half of Americans thought Saddam was responsible for 9/11 and President Bush did nothing to disprove this assumption (In fact, while never directly claiming that Saddam was responsible for 9/11 the administration did everything it could to reinforce the notion). That doesn't mean our policy should be based on those false assumptions.
Then there is the fact that in 2003 McCain and other conservatives dismissed efforts by Democrats to engage the reformist President of Iran Mohamed Khatami claiming that he had no real power. Now that the president is a hardline demagogue he is the sole voice in Iran that matters. That seems convenient.
Considering the bellicose language and all the speculation about war with Iran, you'd think the Republican nominee for president who consistently touts his foreign policy expertise should either get better briefings on the structure of Iran's government or start exercising that "straight talk" he is supposedly so famous for.
Update: Adam Blickstein has more on McCain's philosophy in 2003 to dealing with a moderate Iranian President:
So, for McCain, when the moderates held elective office, the religious clerics were the final arbiters of Iranian politics and policy. But now that a more hard-line president has control in Iran, he is characterized as the true leader and the religious clerics are marginalized. The ideology of Iran's presidents may have differed over the years, but this in no way changes the fact that the political structure itself over time doesn't change, and largely hasn't changed, since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
No Iranian can be President of Iran unless he is Khomeine Jihadist (KJs). Kjs are of two kinds: hardline and moderate. Their dIfference is over means not ends: the means for advancing Iran's radical revolution in both the region and the world-as stated in article 11 of their constitution: the unification of Islam (under Iran's banner of death). Moderates believe that Iran should have a more deceptively accomodating relationship with foreign powers, the hardliners believe in a more confrontational approach. Both are Jihadists, both support the covert funding of terrorist groups and Iran's covert nuclear weapon's program to further the mullahs' imperial aims.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3545840,00.html
Or just Google it.
"Facts, we don't need no stinkin' facts" to paraphrase a famous Western.
McCrazy is from the party of delusion not reality.
If he wants to believe that Ahmadinejad is King of France, who are you to criticize him?
Adding to your quote:
"The facts have a well-known liberal bias" , attributed to infamous right-wing hate radio announcer , scofflaw, and drug addict Rush Limbaugh.
Iran was on the way to becoming a moderate more secular country and even offered up peace accords to Bush Via the Swiss. Bush rejected these peace overtures even though they offered everything the US asked for and more.
The Iranian people then elected the current crop of hard line Islamic leaders.
Bush and the Republicans have made America and Freedom less safe by creating enemies .
McCain and the republicans will destroy American freedom and prosperity if they are not stopped now.
Those who believe that Freedom and the Constitution are important could never support any republican
WorldLeadership_101.
IN THAT LIGHT, others conjure up demons to concoct Hellishness, via discriminatory FalseGods they worship, excuses for it pre-memorized.
IN THAT LIGHT, the SPIRIT OF THE LAW, the Truth is the Law, that which is verifiable with your five-senses as it unfolds, UltimateTruth, all FalseGods slain before it as there are zero rebuttals to truth, the spirit of the law dwells within me.
Let that light shine on you.
In the language of our Founding Fathers which is the language of our Ancestors, all whom were, all whom are, all whom will be, equally, regardless of how I word it here, the words meaningless in that context, applicable to not only your population, but all of them.
Obama forgot the OBVIOUS, and proved he is NOT QUALIFIED.
So did the others.
John McCain did NO SUCH THING.
I walk with John.
Kind Regards,
3Ons
PS> ShiningOfLight, "Philadelphia Freedom," and that's it's EXACT root, and everybody forgot. Remember now, please. This is why John McCain's AGE is an ASSET, obviously.
PS>
But there are communication 'translation-errors' along the way; you'll take words out-of-context, and so will his own generation, but without his experience and wisdom, we wouldn't be able to reach understandings.
I can explain your generations' 'group-think' and his, while the two 'talk-over-the-heads' of each other, punching holes in the whole message, which become as though "FalseGodsBeforeThee" consuming all resources, including human resources, derailing understandings, derailing conversations, hindering communication.
President Ahmed-Nijad of Iran is the authorized representative to present all positions of Iran's government to foreign entities, including John McCain.
Kind Regards,
3Ons
There are the following two reasons why U.S. would like to attack Iran:
(1) Iran has the world’s third largest known oil reserve and second largest natural gas reserve. U.S. would like American corporations controlling their oil and gas.
(2) Israel would like to maintain its immense military superiority in the region, and be able to attack any country at will, without major repercussions.
There have been three major charges against Iran:
(1) Nuclear weapons development – Recently debunked by our NIE.
(2) Weapons supplied to insurgents in Iraq – Debunked ( http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8957 )
(3) Support of “terrorist” organizations – this is nebulous for two reasons. First, one has to define what “support” means. Second, it mainly refers to Hezbollah and Hamas. It is highly questionable to label either of those as “terrorist” organizations based on their opposition to illegal Israeli occupation in the Middle East.
Even if (3) is accepted, it does not by itself justify militray action against Iran. And neither does Ahmadinejad’s dislike of Israel.
Overall, the whole Bush-McCain case against Iran is bunk. It is just another fraud, like the Iraq fraud, being perpetrated on behalf of U.S. corporations and, in this case, to please Israel.
is of no consequence.I'm sure he belongs to the same church as Obama.
McCain follows the rehtoric that Bush puts out about the threat Iran
poses to the Middle East, and we watch as the buld up to an even
costlier war happens. Why hasn't Obama asked Bush why Iran
is such a threat to the world community, why sitting down with
diplomats is such a waste of time when a war with Iran would
cripple our nation even more. Bush just recently made it seem
as though he wants to remind the world he is still President. But
the real question is, why is he. McCain is a weak candidate for
representing the Republican party. Maybe one of the weakest.
said, that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth. Is not a threat . A country that is
pursuing nuclear capability, after making these statements. You don't think that's a threat?
Did you hear Osama bin Laden's latest message? Funny, there seems to be a lot in
common there with Iran. You don't think Iran supports Al Queda?An organization that is
dedicated to our destruction?
I guess you think O.J. was innocent.
Additionally, McCain is far more in the pocket of the Israeli lobby than Bush ever has been. Israel considers Iran a greater threat than even Iraq and the more extreme of the Israeli lobby want to do all they can to remove threats but most importantly take the international heat of their treatment of Muslims and encourage conflict with other Muslims to justify their "security measures" against Israeli Muslims. So if you want a DRAFT and even greater cluster f*** Middle East policy based on purposeful misinformation, then McCain's your man.
Very perceptive!