McCain and Iran -- Hypocrisy Defined

Watching Senator McCain, the man who once infamously joked about bombing Iran, speak about the martyrdom of the Iranian protester Neda provides more evidence of the absence of a soul in the Republican Party.

Here is Senator McCain, talking with great apparent piety about the murder of Neda Agha-Soltan by a pro-government militia sharpshooter in Tehran, Iran:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irvwOHZS6mk

Keep in mind that the motivation behind this speech is not actually to give tribute to this young woman's bravery. Rather, the intent is to try to take on the appearance of having the political and moral high road over President Obama.

This is the same McCain who, when he was candidate-for-president, was asked about how the United States should respond to Iran and, in particular was asked by an audience member about sending an "air mail message to Tehran" - with the apparent inference being dropping bombs by air on the city. In response to this question, McCain then made his glib reference to the Beach Boys' song and infamously sang "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran" to its tune. Watch for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg

So why is this hypocrisy? It's not just about seemingly different perspectives on the nation and people of Iran. And it's not just about the fact that had we "bombed" Iran or sent an "air mail message to Tehran" this woman and other innocents like her would have been endangered and possibly killed. No. It's not that simple.

By grasping at Neda's death to satisfy his own partisan manipulations, McCain is objectifying this young woman as certainly as he objectified the entirety of Iran in his glib response about bombing the nation.

The hypocrisy here comes from the fact that, in his speech about Neda, McCain is purporting to have empathy and affection for her when he is in fact using her.

Seems to be a pattern on his part. Anyone remember Sarah Palin?

Comments

[AuntiepoppyCock]

You mean to tell me that McCain really doesn't care? You haven't heard any of these hot air machines talking about the families living in tent city...I know the poor American children should be quiet and eat Mickey Deez.' Just when you think republicans have a 'feeling' one of them speaks. After all of the blood on their hands msm still gives them a perch to troll on. boooooooooooooo!

[lilith326]

Americans really don't understand what is going in Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes he is the 12th Imam, the Hidden Imam, the al-Mahdi; Something American's don't understand, not the least of which is John S. McCain III. Ahmadinejad believes he is the equivalent of the next Messiah and is ready to lead Iran into global Jihad. Does he have the backers? Who knows for sure. What we do know is that he has over 1000 nuclear enrichment centrifuges in Iran that have been enriching plutonium for years. What is scary is that he even scares the RUSSIANS....he should scare McCain in big big way.

[Leah McElrath Renna - Huffpost Blogger]

Someone should show Senator McCain this, reportedly written by someone actually IN Iran:

http://anoniran.blogspot.com/2009/06/message-to-international-community-from.html

Here is an excerpt:

"Please tell your governments that if they are seen as interfering or supporting our actions - then we have lost!"

Thanks to all who are reading and commenting and please feel free to forward and tweet the above link, per the author's request -

Leah

[Gogetter]

Don't hold your breath waiting for the MSM to call McCain on this. They'll play dumb in order not to deflate McCain's criticism; to keep the back-and-forth going. The back-and-forth is what they thrive on.

[TheLar]

This is a remix of McCain singing Bomb Iran - very well done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3phka5_fsWU

[RobertHenryEller]

No surprise here.

McCain has used the lives of young Americans for political leverage and personal gain for years.

Why would he stop to respect either one Iranian woman, let alone all Iranians struggling for democracy.

At least he's not prejudiced. He treats Iranians just like he treats Americans.

[AnnfromCA]

Determining someone else's motive is tricky stuff. I'd love to see the reasons for your conclusion, since she has, indeed, become a symbol of the uprising.

I suppose we're all guilty of objectifying her?

Or perhaps we're just moved by seeing her death.

[jackbauer05]

Well, when on one hand he is saying bomb Iran and all of a sudden he is filled with "sympathy" for their cause and instead of pleading for diplomacy he is shrilling that the president stick his nose into what is not this country's business, well I will call that hypocrisy. When he was singing bomb Iran who or what did he think he was going to be blowing up, the goats and cows or people just like Neda? That's where hypocrisy comes in.

[livingontop]

A step further - not only should we stick our nose in - we should use bombs to do it.

[warriorwoman73]

(Sigh) You just never give it up, do you PumaAnn?

[mychagal]

You will forever be remembered as the man who nominated Sarah Palin as your running mate in 2008, and the one that said, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.

You should quiit while you're ahead!

[ratfinder]

Yes, John McCain will forever be remembered as the guy who introduced America to the first female president. TY Sen. McCain

[aloha43]

Yea, right.

And then you woke up!

LOL

[Subterfuge]

"In 1984, former Vice President and presidential candidate Walter Mondale selected Ferraro to be his running mate in the upcoming election. "

(Pssst... that was the democratic ticket.)

(Pssst again... that was 25 years ago...)

[mychagal]

Good article. This is, yet, another observation that McCain should retire and go away.

[Stirner]

I confess that I was once a Republican. The final moment which turned me from that party was the moment when John McCain, with rolling eyes and sneers, played up to the Republican audience when Ron Paul was trying to respond to a question. The hall was soon filled with giggling Republicans. Well, something is profoundly wrong with a political party which allows, even encourages, McCain's adolescent and paranoiac ill-will. .

[Lilly-G]

Thank everybody's god that McCain did not get elected president. He's a war monger with no basis for his opinion other than his military background. Repubs needs to just go away and let the smart people run this country for a long, long time.

[damilitantone]

Keep in mind that McCain received almost 60 million votes in 2008 so there appears to be a great number of Americans that were willing to roll the dice for whatever reason. Ideology should never triumph over common sense. If McCain had been elected who's to say that Netanyahu would have tempered his actions with respect to a preemptive strike against Iran. The sad thing is that McCain would still be the recipient of tens of millions of votes today even with folks knowing what they know now. Ignorant voters need to be give way to an informed public.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Fortunately the American people rendered McCain powerless, he is just another member of the Senate club where he is only one of one hundred, now that this saber rattling warmonger is on the war path again, we should all be very thankful that voters had the foresight to neuter this foolhardy purveyor of death and destruction.

[zanngra]

The Iran situation has has illustrated what a bullet we dodged and made me so thankful that Old and Dumber are not in the Whitehouse. Not only the bomb Iran song but the quote of McCain when asked for a response about the US exporting more cigarettes to Iran than any other product said, that's one way we can kill them. If he were pres these 2 quotes would play on a continuous loop in Iran.

[reverendadam]

This is exactly why McCain was so ill-suited for the presidency. He has criticized President Obama for a "tepid" response to the situation... to be sure, McCain's legendarily poor temperament and erratic nature would have led him to go off half-cocked and potentially made the situation worse. While Obama is listening to his advisors (including Republicans like Jim Jones who would also have likely been advising McCain) and doing nothing to further damage the cause of democracy in Iran, McCain, were he in charge, would happily have given the regime a rallying cry against the West with a bull-in-a-­china-shop response that would've clouded the issue and given Khamenei and Ahmadinejad cover to change the subject and perhaps even get some moderates on their side.

Thank the sweet heavens that it is the thoughtful, reasoned and even-tempered Obama who is president and not a hothead like McCain who would've just made things worse. If you clearly care about the cause of Democracy in Iran, be glad that we have a president who gets it and isn't going to do anything to unduly undermine the fledgling revolt.