McCain RNC Video 'Tribute' Links Iran to 9/11
Last night, while Americans sat quietly expecting to watch a video 'tribute' to victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001--John McCain took advantage of America's good will to showed a video falsely linking Iran to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
At 9:11pm (CST), the MSNBC coverage cut to a video being projected onto the main screen at the RNC. At that point, Tom Brokaw introduced the video as follows:
Tom Brokaw: OK, let's go now, Keith, if we can, down to the floor. We want to share with our viewers the 'Tribute To The Victims of 9/11.'
So, that was the introduction the networks gave to the video--no doubt lifted from a press release given to them by the RNC. Normal practice, I suppose. But here is the astoundingly immoral thing that happened next, rather than show a video 'tribute' to the victims of 9/11, the McCain team showed a video 'history' of 9/11 that began like this:
(Fade to black as ominous slow piano music plays)
(Fade in: iconic image of Iranian revolutionaries from the late 1970s holding American hostages)
Narrator: The first attack occured in Iran.
(MSNBC feed now shows picture of Iranian hostage crisis with title '9/11 Video Tribute')
Narrator: 444 days--America held hostage.
(Cut to: image of 1998 Al Qaeda bombings of Kenya and Somalia)
Narrator: Then again.
(Cut to: second image of 1998 Al Qaeda bombing of Kenya and Somalia)
Narrator: And again.
(Cut to: image of 2000 Al Qaeda bombing of USS Cole)
Narrator: At our embassies.
(Cut to: close up image of 2000 Al Qaeda bombing of USS Cole)
Narrator: Our navy.
(Cut to: image of generic crowd of Middle Eastern men waving machine guns)
Narrator: They grew ever more bold. Their call was, 'On those who believe in God, and hopes for reward--'
(Cut to: image of Osama Bin Laden firing automatic rifle)
Narrator: 'To obey God's command to kill Americans.'
(Fade to black)
(Fade in:slow motion video of smoke rising from top of WTC.)
Narrator: And kill us they did. This time on American soil. The date was September 11th--9/11.
(Violent burst of flames slashes through Tower 2--the second plane. Crash is punctuated by high-pitched flourish of music followed by slow rising fireball)
(Cut to: video images of towers burning)
Narrator: This enemy sword to our destruction has been at war with us for decades. This we now know.
(Cut to: video of Tower 1 collapsing)
The 'tribute' continued for several more minutes, showing video of firefighters and rescue workers, other scenes of destruction.
Everyone in the United States has inevitably seen dozens of actual tribute videos to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. In most cases, these videos overlay photographs of those individuals who died with the video of the burning towers. There is, one could argue, a familiar vocabulary for tributes to the victims of 9/11.
Rather than follow that standard and recognizable tribute format, however, McCain's video presented a political argument about Iran's links to 9/11.
Never before had a major broadcast video so blatantly attempted to connect the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 to the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Never before John McCain's night at the Republican National Convention.
Interestingly, Keith Olbermann responded to the imagery in the McCain video immediately after it was shown by apologizing to MSNBC viewers for imagery that could be construed as a political exploitation of the emotions of 9/11.
No doubt, showing a 9/11 video at a political convention was emotional exploitation. But it was also something much worse: it was blatant historical revisionism. It was a cynical attempt to claim attacks on Americans--1979 and 2001--were carried out by the same 'enemy.'
What Olbermann should have apologized for was MSNBC accidental transformation of their network into a mechanism of the most cynical kind of Orwellian propaganda.
John McCain did not make the link between 9/11 and Iran in his RNC speech, but we can be certain that the video 'tribute' is a sign of what is to come on the campaign trail between now and November.
The media's responsibility from this point forward is clear: either they can sit back and let McCain's historical revisionism stand or they can move quickly to debunk it.
Either way, it seems apparent that major broadcast outlets need to take a more proactive role in pre-screening for blatant historical inaccuracies any video a political party plans to show during a national broadcast--or at least preparing to immediately debunk politically motivated inaccuracies.
John McCain will no doubt continue to exploit the pain of 9/11 in some vain hope of political gain, and will continue to push historical revisionism about the links between Iran and 9/11. The media, if it does its job, can be a crucial counterweight that prevents false and militaristic propaganda from flowing freely on our public airwaves.
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Well to be fair it depends on who the enemy is. On the video was it a specific terrorist group or radical islam itself? I didnt see the video but if it suggested that only Iran was at the middle of it all then it would be a stretch of the truth. It just so happens that Iran was our first major experience whereas other countries had been dealing with it for years. The problem also is the suggestion that if Iran was gone then everything would be peachy.
The video and the Republican making 911 a political issue is shameful. And anyone who votes for these fools again is more shameful.
The Republicans need to be reminded the attack came under their watch. What is their excuse for that?
I tried to post this earlier. Someone sure doesn't want the truth to be known about these critters.
"Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran!"
Parents and young people, get ready for the draft to start ,and [yes] it will be necessary. McCain/Palin are going to attack Iran and have us close to nuclear war with Russia. There is a reason for all of the saber rattling about Georgia and Russia. Don't forget that McCain's foreign policy adviser is a paid ($800K) advocate for the Georgian government. Anyone who believes that this team is leading them to the promised land will find themselves in the slaughter house. Don't forget, the same idiots who voted for Bush are lining up to vote for McCain. Will the stupids stand up to the laws of reason? I doubt it! It's that old saying again, "Christmas and elections, the time of year when so-called friends are near." Notice how McCain always begins his statement with "my friends?" Trust this guy at your own peril!
Anything I have posted regarding the unconscionable embellishment of John McCain's time as a POW during the RNC have been deleted/censored.
I agree completely with your opening sentence. Just who is protecting JM on certain facets of his bio?
Glad you got this posted. It is so very true.
The BushCheney
McCainPalin are poised to flush.
We the people, all of us together, can stop this.
Let's get out the vote and volunteer to be poll workers, (let them know we are watching).
Parents and young people, get ready for the draft to start ,and [yes] it will be necessary. McCain/Palin are going to attack Iran and have us close to nuclear war with Russia. There is a reason for all of the saber rattling about Georgia and Russia. Don't forget that McCain's foreign policy adviser is a paid ($800K) advocate for the Georgian government. Anyone who believes that this team is leading them to the promised land will find themselves in the slaughter house. Don't forget, the same idiots who voted for Bush are lining up to vote for McCain. Will the stupids stand up to the laws of reason? I doubt it! It's that old saying again, "Christmas and elections, the time of year when so-called friends are near." Notice how McCain always begins his statement with "my friends?" Trust this guy at your own peril!
Ladies and Gentlemen.
after thinking, i see the point about linking iran to 911. HOWEVER, the link isn't direct. the link is to islamic fundamentalism. i took it to be about the broader islamic movement. but, it was in a 911 tribute so you're right. however, i don't see the iranian revolution as occuring out of purley islamic reasons. it occured because the puppet shah, the us, and big oil was in cahoots.
the thing is the base, moderates, and independents may rationalize these things away. they see them as small compare to their sense of america being number one.
i would like to see a news person go through all of the little things and get an explanation. or at lest try.
The false and misleading juxtapostion of 9/11 and Iran is an entreatment to Americans to accept
the inevitable pursuit of a McCain presidency
Iran". Whatever 51/2 years in captivity took out of him, 25 years in the Senate has not restored. He is
as eager as ever to disregard the fruits of diplomacy in favor of the sword of revenge.
Go Keith.
Thank you for pointing this out. How can McCain say he's going to beat al Qaeda if he has no clue even what ideology we're facing?
McCain. Now he wants to follow Bin Laden to the gates to Theran. Then he'll check the gates of Moscow ... Then ....
“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”
Hermann Goering quote
McCain is just doing what Bush and Cheney have been doing for 8 years.....
John McCain and the ninety- percenters either dont themselves know the difference between the
Iranians (Shiite) and al-qaeda (Sunni) or they think WE'RE stupid. This attempted alliance would not and has not happened. Never will. John McCain is pandering to the neo-cons and propping up Palin is pandering to the lunatic fringe of his party. Palin is "W" in a blue dress! Nice try tho.
I fear that to the average member of the Republican base they're all "those scary brown people over there somewhere".
Don't you remember that Tucker ESKEW is in Mc CAIN's camp now?
I can't wait to see Keith respond to this in full next week.
definitely deserves a special comment
The GOP- 9/11 and not much more, eh?
These people have no scruples. And I think we who don't agree with them should seek advice on h ow to
constructively state our case and be heard by voting this November and finding other resources that can help us be heard.
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