Another McCain Foreign Policy Gaffe
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.
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Well, let's put it this way. Probably neither McCain nor the "average american" knows who is the leader of Ecuador, or what is his title. So what? Why this obsession on Iran? Why is the presidential election so focused on these tiny issues, apparently completely irrelevant to the lives of U.S. citizens, such as who is in charge in Iran? Who cares? Iran has never attacked the U.S. To the contrary, they have assisted the U.S. until Bush decided to start name-calling. And until Hillary said she planned to annihilate them. Exactly what has Iran done to the U.S.? That would be nothing. Absolutely nothing.
This whole Iran obsession is just a diversion from the real issues. How about instead of focusing on these trivial issues of no consequence to the U.S., why don't we instead have major in-depth analysis of the jobs program of the candidates. What do they have in mind to bring good jobs back to the U.S., re-instate health care, pensions, job security for American workers? What's the plan? There is none because they figure we can all flip burgers while they spend their time in Dubai hanging out with the sheiks drinking cocktails.
Every time we get another analysis of Iran, I just think how successful this campaign has been to divert Americans from the real issues: jobs, education, end the war, health care for Americans. Leave Iran alone. They've done nothing to us.
"And until Hillary said she planned to annihilate them. "
She said she'd do that if they attacked Israel, not just for fun.
I assume she was trying to be very clear just to avoid an April Glaspie moment [AG was delegated the blame for Bush I's leaving Saddam Hussein uncertain re what the US would do if he attacked Kuwaitt].
No, she was pandering to ignorant voters who have no idea that Israel has enough nuclear weapons of it's own to annihilate 1/2 of the Middle East populations before noon. Israel certainly doesn't need our arsenal to guarantee Mutual Assured Destruction in the Middle East. But Hillary DID (note the past tense) need votes and used the context to paste on some toughness.
For anyone interested in a great article about the drumbeat to war, and a concise explanation of the current status, Barbara Slavin has one in today's San Francisco Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/20/ED3R10MCVD.DTL
That was a great article EbenAbbaan, thanks for the link.
I boggles the mind that our major news media paints such a dumbed down view of the world and the way we are all connected.
McCain's gaffes are not that so much as they are a lack of concern about the issues. He has been trained as a warrior at the USNA, not as a thinker, diplomat or concilliator. Now a politician, he is certainly more interested in catering to popular notions than disabusing us of any errors in our understanding.
What I would like to hear Obama start to discuss as to McCain's foreign policy is his equating Iran to the threat of the Soviet Union in his hey-day. It echoes Bush equating Hussain to Hitler. There is a definite want of a sense of proportion here as there was then, and that will both resonate witrh the American people and confirm the ties between the Bush and the McCain mindset. He has no sense of proportion when he sees Iran's posturing as being as grat a threat to the United States as was the very real military threat that the Soviet Union with its vast nuclear and conventional forces presented to us.
It is totally imperative that our political leaders actually have knowledge of the world they engage. Let's cut the slack and face the truth: these people are not committing gaffes, these are not slipups, they are ignorant of the world, and they are revealing their ignorance.
This is a nightmare senerio, but it seems fairly clear that the Bush administration is working with the McCain campaign to goad Obama into polarizing his pro-diplomacy position with Iran, while they start to roll out evidence, whether contrived or real, about Iran's nuclear program. Of course this will be evidence that supports the notion that you can't deal with tyranical regimes with diplomacy. This will of course be Bush's justification for bombing Iran later in the summer or in the early fall.
While in the midst of another military campain, America will be asked whether they trust McCain's or Obama's foreign policy experience to handle this new crisis. The GOP will be betting the American people choose McCain.
You are not alone in fearing this scenario!
I believe it's called "The October Surprise." The big question, nuclear or conventional?
Nuclear, of course. Did not Cheney claim a couple of years ago that a controlled nuke
attack on Iran is justified? We don't have the equipment nor the soldiers for another
war, but we do have nukes and I am sure Bush and the Middle East already worked
it out about the fall out. Swines they are!
The National Intelligence Estimate of Oct 31, 2007 states:
"We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons
program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop
nuclear weapons.
• We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently
have a nuclear weapon."
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20071203_release.pdf
If the Bush admin. or McCain start "to roll out evidence, whether contrived or real, about Iran's nuclear program" we'd all do well to be EXTREMELY skeptical of it!
Bottom line is that Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons and isn't going to attack Israel with those imaginary weapons. It's a made-up controversy designed to discredit anyone who wants the US to withdraw from its occupation of Iraq and to keep Americans scared.
McCain is sucking up to the average American by making them his authority on what's fact. But the average American can't even name all 50 states. The reason we have leaders is because they're supposed to be smarter and wiser than the average American. Do we really want someone average as President? We already got below average.
"There are only 3 people I want to be smarter than me - my lawyer, my doctor, and my President". What is tha Joe Sixpack doesn't understand about that? Does he shop around for a doctor he want to have beer with?
Whats your point? Who cares if ackmadiajob is not the SUPREME leader? If your looking for something to criticize McCain for, try harder.
Not knowing who the leader of the country he wants to bomb is not good enough for you, eh?
Idiots abound.
What's more incredible is that we had 8 years of a President which such a profound lack of knowledge that we've squandered a surplus, sacrificed 4000 American soldiers, hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and put us within shouting distance of a war with another Middle East country....
We do NOT need a Bush clone to continue digging in the same hole....
TAnd I even sadder point was that I foolishly voted for the man twice! Never again!
McCain DOES know who is in charge. Read the article. You are right about one thing it seems. Idiots do abound.
We have already had 2 presidents in my lifetime with defective brains, Reagan and the current brain fried one. Why do we need another one? How long does it take people to learn that these people are puppets of the neocons, otherwise thugs who,like characters in the James Bond series, want to take over the world and don't care who they hurt in the process?
Accuracy would be nice in a president.
Saying that Ahmadinejad runs Iran would be like saying that Dick Cheney is in charge of the Bush administration. Oh wait.....
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a lot to say about foreign policy and that's why he went to India in April via Pakistan. The Iranian -India pipeline is very important to a lot of people and Lobbyists and Diplomats are patting themselves on the back for the progress it has made. Legislation passed through Congress will enable the US to sell it's nuclear fuel to India and this pipeline needs to go through territory that isn't secure such as AFGANISTAN (hence more solider deployments). Swiss energy giant EGL signed a deal with Tehran, Russia does business with Tehran...lots of countries do business with Iran, so most of the things that go on is just noise. The public gets it's information from the media (unless they have the time to do independent research and cross references). Not a McCain fan but he did get it right, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the Supreme leader for the clerics and has great influence over unifying the masses to get the "dirty "work done, but Ahmadinejad is the business broker. The "Average American" can figure this out without the President.
I disagree when you classify most Americans can figure these things out for themselves. MOST Americans depend on their President for information and to the extent that the Media is willing to go to differ from the President's opinions. History clearly shows that the majority of Americans will fall in line with their President and his spin on foreign policy because it is so complicated. It is clear that McCain is like Bush in that he will over-simplify foreign relations to promote his policies!
Because most Americans can't get off the couch or think for themselves? I don't disagree with you regarding your assessment of Americans falling in line with the President but it is a failing on the part of the citizens for not thinking for themselves and doing their own research. Most people just can't be bothered because they might miss their favorite Oprah show.
Well, what do you expect from 'Most Americans' who routinely, and deliberately, plant their heads where critical thinking is blasphemy!
Let's look at what the last centuries most infamous democratic socialist, Hitler, said about politics and common people... which is of course what the liarticians & purveyors of gods & gov'ts believe today.
“I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few”
“What luck for the rulers that men do not think”
" The victor will never be asked if he told the truth”
"He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future”
"The man who has no sense of history, is like a man who has no ears or eyes"
"I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature"
"I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator"
"Who says I am not under the special protection of God?”
"The day of individual happiness has passed'
And my personal favorite: “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”
Welcome to western christian manifest destiny wrapped in machaveillian criminality... for the masses of asses!
Just Say NO to Gods & Gov'ts!
They are never the solution...
and always the problem!
Excellent and terrifying, all at the same time.
Good post.
And one of my favorites of the left: "The Constitution says that there is a clear separation of church and state." As people in Missouri are fond of saying, SHOW ME!
"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."
How for example, by agreeing to meet with him in person without any preconditions during the first year in office?
You clearly are so drowning in your bias.
It is a fundamental that the President of the United States knows the hierarchical structure of leadership within foreign countries.
Our next Administration already recognizes this, rather than McCain who does NOT.
Im a supporter of Obama, but lets not get ridiculous here. This post is nitpicking in the extreme.
When anyone says "sit down with Iran", its clear they mean Ahmadinejad. Im SURE Barack meant that and, despite the anal retentiveness of this article and the pride the author takes in fully understanding Iran, the reality is that Ahmadeinejad is the guy they have running around the world representing them.
Lets put it a different way... If Barack had been specific and said "I would speak with Ahmadinejad because I feel dialogue is the only way to get clear of the current situation" (a completely laudable and fair sentiment), do you REALLY think Ilan Goldenberg would have written this pointless article? No. Of course not.
This is the kind of double standard BS that does no one any favors and, in my opinion, just leads to more cheap shotting. Once the dialogue descends to this level, with academics parsing every word with a magnifying glass, all it takes is ONE slipup for ANY candidate to be lambasted as an idiot.
Meeting with the enemy I believe is not only smart but courageous. Because you have at least a clearer idea of what your are dealing with.
The poster's quote is not biased. It is definitely a president's duty to make sure that the people are well informed of the status quo (as long as it doesn't threaten national security) so that we don't support mistakes we would regret later as a country.
So, if the definition of a gaffe is when you accidentally tell the truth, then the actual gaffe would be that the "average American" thinks Ahmadetc. is the boss. So, he's not running for educator-in-chief. Reminds me of the old saying: Teach so you can learn.
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