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

[loax]

The Republicans wil say anything, do anything, and smear anyone to keep control. It is abouth time the people stood up to these "Terroists" and take our country back whabuse our Constitution, Steal our civil rights, and have turned this country into the "Big Bully" of the world. It is no surprise that mcCain and his rogues are flip flopping again. If you can't stand the heat...get the hell out of our kitchen!

[ProfessorDuh]

"Tell the truth?" McBush tells the truth only by accident, as when he admits that the Iraq war is about grabbing oil, and that he's eager to bomb Iranians.
If modern Republicans ever deliberately told the truth, they wouldn't be Republicans.

[Dr. Sam]

The Most DISAPPOINTING THING about Sen. McCain this season is his utter lack of principle in making allusions that he knows don't hold any water. He made statements about Obama and Hamas in the past that are clearly not true, just to score a political point. He wrongly and purposefully sought to make a connection between Obama and Hamas, even though Obama had in the past condemned Hamas and expressed his strong support for Israel. McCain is not honorable afterall--just a creature of the old politics Obama is campaigning against! Furthermore, Sen. McCain takes offence when he feels that Obama is alluding to his age; yet, he clearly makes a not-so-veiled reference to Obama's age by accusing him (wrongly) of being naive, "foolish" (a language from a politician who says he expects "respectful" debate), unwise, and inexperienced. In reality, Obama has demonstrated consistent good judgment (e.g., the decision to go to Iraq, analysis of geo-political issues, an approach in Pakistan not wholly predicated on a Musharaf’s Presidency) whereas Sen. McCain has shown unbelievable memory lapses (even during foreign trips), showing confusion on key issues and facts such as "Iran training Al-Qaeda n Iraq") and about "staying in Iraq for 100 years." And now this! Obama is right: we should make a clean break with Bush-Cheney-McCain foreign policy. Democrats must chart a new course , especially in the face of Bush dismal failure in international politics.

[WmC]

It should be remembered that McCain was instrumental in normalizing diplomatic ties with Vietnam, so he has shown streaks of moderation and good sense. Trouble is, there's no telling what he'll say from one day to the next: He'll repudiate a stance that he took in the past and deny that he's repudiating it. An awful lot like the current pResident.

[4wehttam]

The GOP is not capable of telling the truth. All they know is spin, fear mongering, lies, torture, war, tax cuts for the rich, anti-immigration, anti-women's rights, anti-civil rights, and more SPIN.

Thank you Mr. Rubin for not backing down on this. We need democrats to start emphasizing that we will not be cowered, we will not be labeled, we will not back down from truth.

All democrats, independents and disenchanted republicans: This is OUR time to show the world that we will no longer stand for corruption, lies and fear mongering. UNITED WE STAND.

[Evelyn]

"Democrats want to "negotiate with terrorists" while Republicans want to fight terrorists." Well given that, I will vote Democratic. What is unbelievable about statements like that is what is happening right this minute in Iraq, led by a Republican Commander in Chief: we are actively working hand in hand with terrorists. We are training and giving weapons to insurgents who were shooting at our own troops. And we're probably right to do that. You can't kill enough people to teach people to stop killing people.

[JackW]

You know, you're right. I remember when one of Obama's current foreign policy advisors, Z. Brzezinski, gave accolades to Osama Bin Laden back when they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. He said it was their country, not the Soviets and gave arms to Bin Laden and his men, allies of the U.S.! No negotiations were called for then by the U.S. administration (Democrats) between the Soviets or Bin Laden, so why do it now. I mean, everything turned out fine!

[Obama08Supporter]

Check out Bush's ties to the Bin Laden family and you will realize why Osama is still alive and well. There are family friends, oil babies.

USA created Osama and gave him the strength he has right now. Now, we are creating and empowering the next enemy in Iraq by giving them our weapons and intelligence.

[sophistwatch]

McCain is just following in the footsteps of the greatest names in the Republican party. McCain is learning from Bush and Bush learned from Regan. It would seem McCain is a good student.

The top stars in the Republican party are/ were appeasers. It was Reagan who appeased the Iranian's when he knowingly negotiated with terrorists and traded arms for hostages. 11 Reagan officials were convicted of crimes.

G dubya is doing the same thing by paying US tax money to people he once called terrorists so they will temporarily quit making him look bad on CNN. You gotta appreciate his comments while in Israel. Good theater. Reminds me of the story of Nero playing violin while Rome was burning.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/15/mccain-obama-appeasement/

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/25/hersh-qaeda/

Now it's McCain's turn. Go ahead GOP put this man in office and see what you get.

[Queenhuh]

Why is it that Americans behave so much like children in a sandbox, kicking dust into their own faces? If McCain, actually meant what he said about dialogue with Hamas, then this is the only sane thing he has ever said. Not speaking to enemies creates enemies. And don't ever forget, the Osama Bin Laden of the 1970's, remember now? His name was Yasser Arafat, who ended up being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, addressing the UN and being at nearly every Mid East political table. There HAS to be dialogue at all times. But the reason there is not, is because politicians want torture, war and death. It feeds their personal coffers, their lifestyles, family fortunes, and keeps the rest of us cattle well in line. In the end, peace and what we do with this horrible world rests with we the people, who are too content with the status quo, mall shopping and SUV's to give a damn about the rest of humanity.

[edelmira]

H E FORGOT WHAt HE SAID!

[Gma11]

Partly it is because we are losing our economic power. When we have few carrots to offer, we rely more on the sticks.

power - from the Latin potere = to be able We tend to focus on power OVER rather than power FOR/power TO (empowerment)

The eagle on our seal/dollar bills - thirteen arrows (war bundle) in the talons of one claw, thirteen leaves in the olive branch in the talons of the other. Our eagle is turned toward peace, but will turn toward war when required. Bush/McSame have it backward. Their eagle turns toward war and only considers peace in the aftermath. Bad philosophy.

[NOLIESPLEASE]

Please note: any country or empire who has or had a EAGLE as the symbol of its nation ie. Germany , Roman Empire have all fallen from POWER.

George has completed the hat trick.....USA

[hopelessobama]

we had a president who did nothing but talk before. his name was jimmy carter, he talked to iran, to afghanistan, to russia, and what was the result??? the pro-western government of iran fell to radical islam, and carter did nothing to stop it. he sat and watched as the ayatollah stormed to tehran. we could have acted, could have destroyed the mullahs and the radicals, spared us all years of terror, but carter preferred chit-chat. then there were the soviets, preparing an invasion of afghanistan. carter, being so weak and unimpressive, posed no threat to the soviets, who ignored carter and steamed ahead with invasion. a stronger president with a harder line then 'we'll boycott the olympics' might have stopped the invasion. but the weakness of carter allowed the soviets to press on. as a result of the invasion, the taliban government and the terror network al qeada were born. you may think this foreign policy was a great idea, and you are thrilled that obama mimics it, but those of us who know history know that a repeat of carter is a disaster of epic proportion, and obama is heading there full steam ahead.

[CitizenE]

Two words: Camp David. The most significant historical act of diplomacy in the middle east since the formation of Israel.
On the other hand the Reagan response to Afghanistan was to set up Osama bin Laden, send Rumsfeld to Chamberlain up with Saddam Hussein (certainly invade Iran, here's some chemical weapons). Then there was the little thing of dealing with the Ayotollah in order to arm thugs in Nicaragua to go around the countryside to torture and kill. But who could forget Lebanon, eh? F..ked that country up for a good couple of decades. And has there ever been a more cost effective deterrent for utilitiy knives than Star Wars? Oh ho ho--the Brooklyn Bridge of old and neo con games perpetrated on the American taxpayer. Reagan was effective however in wiping out the Grenadian threat.
And oh yeah, by the way will it be your children or children's children that pay for Mc Cain's desire to cowboy up. Heaven forbid you pay taxes to support it yourself.

[lainey]

no comparison between obama and carter. obama does not advocate talking with terrorists, as the republican nominee did. he would talk with iran, yet as we write, so is the current administration. did you forget that fact? furthermore, as bush sat with the saudis yesterday, not only did he get a resounding "no" to lowering the price of gas, his administration also advocated helping them develop nuclear power for "peaceful" purposes. this big fact eluded the american media and therefore you as well. or maybe you are ignoring it? the saudi's sent us 15 out of the 19 hijackers. the saudi government keeps the wealth from its people and teaches them to hate us. the saudi government beheads people. the saudis openly oppress their own people. and this adminstration, the one that mccain endorses, really believes that anything they do is for peaceful purposes? there will be no repeat with obama instead we will get someone who understands the ME...

[PioneerKing]

Wasn't it swell the way Reagan talked to the Iranians and Reagen didn't just talk he traded weapons for hostages.

[mheister]

The seeds for the fall of the Shah of Iran in the late 1970s were sewn by the US in the early 1950s when the CIA staged a coup in Iran, removing a democratically-elected populist leader (who happened to want to nationalize Iran's oil production, much to the chagrin of British Petroleum). When folks from outside replace the elected guy with a dictator, eventually blowback is a distinct possibility.

Iran's revolution would have happened regardless of who occupied the White House. Perhaps Gerald Ford might have handled the hostage crisis differently than Carter, but there was nothing he could have done - short of miring the US in another Vietnam, and remember, the US at the time was quite war-weary because of Vietnam - to prop up Reza Pahlavi.

And let's put the shoe on the other foot for a moment. If some foreign power or group of foreign powers staged a coup and kicked out George W. Bush, even if they replaced him with the resurrected corpse of George Washington, Americans of all political stripes would be justifiably outraged. And if a Pastor John Hagee came along and managed to embody and channel that outrage, a good number of those Americans would justifiably embrace home-grown theocracy - even one that engaged in a range of egregious acts - over a foreign-installed dictator.

In saying all of this, I am in no way defending Iran's tragic human-rights record, either during the time of Shah or post-1979.

[Obama08Supporter]

Amen, well said Queenhuh

[BinBaldwin]

Lou Dobbs took Rubin to the Shed and gave him a beating . Rubin lied about McCain and Hamas. I do have a suggestion. Liberals should convince their pals at Nobel to give Hamas and Hezzbollah a Peace Prize like they did for Arafat. That will appease them.

[mheister]

Dobbs' woodshed is tended by undocumented foreign workers. Doubt me? Look into who's hired to shovel the horse manure at his daughters' equestrian events.

Dobbs' credibility level is perhaps a hair above Bill O'Reilly's at this point, his Latina wife notwithstanding.

[controversy101]

Lou Dobbs? Isn't he the one who hates all mexicans who aren't related to his mexican-american wife? Wow, using him as a piece is a sign of ankle-level desperation.

[Obama08Supporter]

Lou Dobbs is a jerk and always will be. He takes everyone to the shed with his self righteous attitude. Please give me a break, this man should not be on TV at all. Both he and Pat Bucannon (spelling?)

[WWWexler]

This is a fact-free zone.

[CaseyBabes]

Much amused at all the hyperbole bein' shoveled at McCain by the Democrats not sufficiently intelligent to recognize he is one of them. This is not a tough guy anymore spitting in the faces of his wartime captors, no, he's a typical Liberal that's grown old and wearisome hiding behind a veneer of faux Republican. The "maverick" label he exults is somewhat descriptive, but only to the point of his resisting Republican colleagues and "reaching out" (an effete Democrat term if I ever heard one) to his fellow Democrats. Somewhere on HuffPo I recall seeing the question "Can McCain save the Republican Party?" For damn sure he can. The Party is in total shambles as witnessed by the arrival of McCain as the party's presidential candidacy. After the smoke clears this November with a waiting President Obama, worthy Republicans will emerge to push aside the Democrats like McCain within their misdst.

[Marlyn]

Why do I bother to respond to CaseyBabes?

I'm a liberal and I can tell you, McCane is not one. Oh I know, that within the GOP, he is the "maverick", but he is NOT one of us liberals. Bomb, bomb, Iran? You call that liberal? heh

[CaseyBabes]

Perhaps my labelling McCaina Liberal is a bit too far, but he has tendencies in that direction causing great distrust within the Republican Party. Yes, he did jive, "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran," revealing a willingness to do so -- if called for. Conversely, he also has called for an amnesty for illegals, and is leaning again. And I have a similar question for you, why bother to respond to me -- with such a weak example regarding McCain?

[bbbear]

CaseyBabes: "The Party is in total shambles as witnessed by the arrival of McCain as the party's presidential candidacy. After the smoke clears this November with a waiting President Obama, worthy Republicans will emerge to push aside the Democrats like McCain within their misdst."

Has CaseyBabes caught John McBush's, "Pie In The Sky" disease? Is that why he's so irratated with his fellow diviner? If so, don't fret. Become innoclulated by distancing yourself from the embrace of the neo con B Actor who hyjacked the Republican party, spent money like a drunken sailor, and made the USA into a debtor nation now on the verge of economic collapse. Walk away from the most distructive administration in the History of the USA, knowing they're Republicans in name only. Embrace the caring old fashion, real conservative message of Eisenhower, and even Barry Goldwater. Let 's all, of us, Republicans, Democrats, Greens, etc., once again become people who first and foremost defend our constitution and care about each other. Let's get out of the war business, return to the Rule of Law, catch bin Laden and try him for Crimes Against Humanity. Lastly, let's search for a new economic parradigm to replace the Great Ponzi Scheme which passes as The World Economy.

[CaseyBabes]

Nicely written, except I'm an Independent that believes the real problems of this country do not lie directly with the Bush Administration. It is the incredibly weak Congress filled with men & women in office far, far too long, who's priorities are reelection, their party, and somewhere down the line after benefits, the country. A strong Congress would have backing from the country's people preventing any foreign entanglements. I also ascribe to a form of America First governing within the world body, not isolationism but mere defensive protectionism. I'm an ex career Air Force zoomer who just happens to believe we've shed enough blood of our country's youth and emptied our national treasure, now filled with IOU's. Why my fellow citizens can't/won't catch on is puzzling to me. Don't mistake what I just wrote........this is a great country with wonderful citizens. But we are not the best or even #1. We are, however, amongst the best and stand with plenty of other #1s.

[watererbob]

Two years ago, I would have said I thought both McCain & Hillary were fairly honest Politicans. I can't say that now - and it's not from anything said about them (or reported to have been said - can't trust the MSM these days) it's because of the way they've campaigned!

[Shashi0224]

As a Jewish person, it is obvious to see what the Repulsive Republicans are attempting to do. They keep using buzz words to frighten the Jewish population about Obama. All I can say is, I truly hope it will not work. Hamas is a buzz word, Hitler, a buzz word, Nazi, a buzz word. FEAR, the buzz word of the decade! America has got to get over this. We have to start going beyond the buzz words....appeasement......and discuss issues. Barack Obama is the right person to be President of the United States. He is intelligent, calm, thoughtful and deliberate. I welcome his vision for the United States, one of peace and respect.
It's time to restore America to greatness. It's time for Barack Obama!

[popecorvo]

Why do so many Jews feel compelled to refer to themselves as "a Jewish person"? What's the problem with simply saying, I am a Jew.
And I am a Jew.

[Shashi0224]

Wow, talk about sensitivity! I have no problem saying I'm a Jew or I'm a Jewish person.....one's a noun, one's an adjective.....either way, I'm Jewish......

Sorry, I don't understand the issue here. I am also a liberal person, a democratic person, a proud person............I am each and all of these things. I am also a proud Barack Obama supporter!

[wadenelson1]

Grammatically I see no difference. I am white, I am a white person.

[lastams]

Just how hypocritical, or simply ignorant, does one have to be to pontificate this struggle against the evil empire of Iran, while our hand picked Iraqi government sneaks off to have the Iranians negotiate a cease fire with the Mahdi Army?
Just what planet do these people live on?

[brent777]

McCain clearly has dementia.

[aleco]

Yes, indeed, brent777. McCain displays all the symptoms and characteristics of someone who is mentally incompetent. And when it comes to taxes and economics, he is totally ignorant. God forbid he should become president.

[Obama08Supporter]

I also see signs of dementia and Alzheimer's, on a serious note. They need to have an independent doctor that specializes in Alzheimer's to evaluate him, he is slowing losing mental functions.