Talking with Our Enemies: McCain Should Admit The Truth and Stop Attacking the Messenger

There they go again. The old John McCain would just admit he changed his position and move on. But the new John McCain campaign is incapable of that. Instead, they are reverting to an attack on the messenger.

The question and answer I released yesterday was a full question and a full answer. Nothing was left out of the question or the answer. Nothing is taken out of context. But in order to avoid further controversy and distraction, I have dug out what I believe to be all of the discussion on Hamas during our interview. The full interview is in a DVD being shipped to me. But a British journalist transcribed what she said was all of the discussion of Hamas. Here it is:

Rubin: Do you think the American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?

McCain: They are the government, sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations have such antipathy towards Hamas - it is because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse to but practise, so...but it's a new reality in the middle east, I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah never gave them that.

Rubin: Should the US be dealing with the new reality through normal diplomatic contact to get the job done for the United States?

McCain: I think the US should take a step back and see what they do when they form the government, see what their policies are and see the ways in which we can engage with them and if there aren't any then there may be a hiatus but I think part of the relationship will be dictated by how Hamas acts, not how the US acts."

Then I go on to ask him about his statement that the only thing worse than using force against Iran is an Iranian nuclear weapon. That's another story altogether.

As you can see, there is no conditionality in any of his answers. Nowhere does he say what Senator Clinton and Senator Obama say: that is, Hamas has to renounce terrorism, recognize Israel and accept the previous agreements of the Palestinian authority before we could deal with them. Instead, Senator McCain is talking about engagement with Hamas and how it could come about.

I remember at the time being struck by how unusual his response was for an American politician. European politicians say that sort of thing all the time. And that's why I dug out the question and answer after McCain declared that Hamas is rooting for Barack Obama and that he would be their nightmare.

The reality is that in Davos Senator McCain was expressing the views of the realist camp in the Republican Party. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a close friend of the Senator, has said directly that we should engage with Hamas in an interview with National Public Radio last year. In Davos, we saw the charming maverick that the Washington Press Corps are so fond of. But last week we saw the other McCain, the one who would attack Senator Obama in a crude and unacceptable way. When called on it, instead of admitting that he changed his mind, the McCain campaign is determined to continue the politics of personal destruction.

There is a war going on in Iraq. This fall's election will be a virtual referendum on the war. That is a real issue. Instead of debating that, President Bush and Senator McCain are determined to attack the character of their political opponents. As a Democrat, I am tired of having our patriotism attacked. Yesterday, the Democratic Party leaders were unified in denouncing these kinds of attacks. Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Joe Biden and the Majority Leader Harry Reid all spoke in unison to defend Senator Obama.

So I say to the McCain campaign, just admit the truth, either he made a mistake or he changed his mind, then let us return to debating the issues as Americans.

Related:
McCain Said He'd Talk To "Rogue Regime" Hamas [VIDEO]

Comments

[FollowTheLeader]

A history lesson in US diplomacy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHliQNZcmi8

[pizzmoe]

McSame doesnt know what he's saying from one minute to the next, so I don't take it seriously

[bobo209]

PEOPLE WE CANT KEEPING ARABS FOR ISRAEL PLEASURE WE NEED TO STOP THIS MADDNESS..

[Binx101]

McCain is telling the truth.

One thing Ive learned about John McCain - is that he is honest.

Now I don't necessarily mean truthful. That denotes speaking of a truth in a world that's greater than ones self. But honest means that you mean what you are saying at that moment, whether or not it is, in fact, based in truth or even 'truthiness.' (TM. Colbert Report)

McCain though, as anyone can plainly observe, is no mental giant. He doesn't have the capacity to manage 4 thousand concurrent alibis. That's what liars do. But an honest man can contradict himself because - not unlike Homer Simpson - that what makes sense to him at that present moment. While not necessarily an homage to Truth - it is - honest.

Honest Ole McCain. He's honest as hell !

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[rain]

Yeah ,How can anyone believe that a man who would cheat on his wife is dishonest?

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

why isn't this video everywhere?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

[ResidentChimp]

The truth is that Obama is a terrorists supporter who is willing to bend a knee to enemies of our Country. He is no different from Carter and in fact most his foreign policy advisors use to work for Carter and ascribe to the same "appease our enemies and stab our allies in the back" that Carter implementeed as President. We don't need a president who was indoctrinated in an anti_american marxist church for 20 years leading our Country.

[pizzmoe]

Sure we do!

[mawrm]

You regurgitate old talking points without putting them into any sort of perspective. Review America's meddlings in Iran, the imposition of the puppet Shah government to get a bit of history behind the situation Carter faced.
Further, 3000 Americans didn't die on Carter's watch because he failed to protect America from terrorists his adminstration was specifically warned about. Carter didn't get an ADDITIONAL 4000+ Americans killed and 250,000 Iraqis slaughtered in an illegal, pointless war that did NOTHING to help capture the culprits who caused the deaths of the first 3000 Americans. If you're adding, that's over 7000+ Americans have died under Pres. Bush's watch. Now compare that to Carter's record!! I'd take a Carter over the likes of W anyday.

[BobEvansZombie]

Oh! But according to right-wing apologist and strategist Brad Blakemen, McCain was only give the newly elected Hamas the benefit of the doubt, he just wanted to give them a chance.

[cornflower]

It would be lovely if everyone would address the issues and leave the people out. Let McCain say why we shouldn't talk to enemies. Where has that approach gotten us? How can it be successful. May make us feel good - all self-righteous and righteously indignant, but does it help us achieve our goals? Has it helped us? When, where, how? And Mr. Obama can make the counter arguments. And then, just maybe, the public at large can consider the facts and the arguments and make a rational decision for a change rather than one based on inflamed emotions.

[timothe]

Mr. Rubin, the timing of the interview potentially has a lot to do with the answers given by McCain about Hamas. If I remember correctly, this interview was done right after the so-called democratic elections, which Hamas won. (fraudulently, it was discovered later)

Now I know you are an intelligent man, Mr. Rubin. So therefore, I am skeptical of your motives that you would not mention the timing of the interview as part of your analysis. Your blog comes across as many others on this site...heavily partisan and completely willing to leave out facts that go against the template.

[dadw5boys]

IF Mx Cain were to break down and withdraw then RON PAUL WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT!!!!!!!

BANK ON THAT!!!!

[noamjunior]

sorry dude, but the truth and the republican party haven't seen each other since Reagan took office

[TheVige]

How ironic. One of the few successes of the Bush presidency came about when General Petraeus sat down with Sunni terrorists, men who literally have American blood on their hands, and successfully convinced them to 'change their ways'. The result was a sharp drop in the violence in Iraq. Does John McCain still think general Petraeus is ‘an American hero’ or is he really now just ‘an appeaser’?

[hoodrat]

Naw, Gen. Petraeus comes from the warriors side of view, which is basically my stick is MUCH bigger than yours - so let's talk. That also happens to be what JFK, and now Obama is espousing. Even Reagan(ugh), saw a diplomatic opportunity for peaceful negotiations, and took advantage of it.

[timothe]

Those were terrorists...they were citizens turned insurgents. Big big difference.

[timothe]

*weren't terrorists"

[LinusBern]

The US repeatedly called them terrorists right up until they made friends with them and now suddenly they are "citizen's turned insurgents". Miraculous.

[wadenelson1]

Why I guess the WHOLE WORLD is our enemy except for a small oil-producing country which provided 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9-11.

[Msohio]

McCain is all over the map. The GOP has a bigger headache. A sitting president with approval ratings in the 20s and their presumptive nominee whose record doesn't match his right-wing talking points.

[LisainNYC]

Thanks, Jamie for your article in the Post and for this posting here, defending Obama even though you support Clinton and calling BS on McCain.

I always knew you were a stand-up guy.