News McCain confused about the Iraq war.

[EL]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/18/a_mccain_gaffe_in_jordan.html

Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran.

He said several times that Iran, a predominately Shiite country, was supplying the mostly Sunni militant group, al-Qaeda. In fact, officials have said they believe Iran is helping Shiite extremists in Iraq.

Speaking to reporters in Amman, the Jordanian capital, McCain said he and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back."

Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, standing just behind McCain, stepped forward and whispered in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then said: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."

The mistake threatened to undermine McCain's argument that his decades of foreign policy experience make him the natural choice to lead a country at war with terrorists. In recent days, McCain has repeatedly said his intimate knowledge of foreign policy make him the best equipped to answer a phone ringing in the White House late at night.

If true, McCain displayes an astonishing ignorance. A presidential candidate who has based his campain on the Iraq war question, and still does not know about the basic facts.

I thought McCain was a quite reasonable man (for being a republican), but I definitely have to reassess my opinion after this Bush-like statement.

 

[Astronuc]

If true, McCain displayes an astonishing ignorance. A presidential candidate who has based his campain on the Iraq war question, and still does not know about the basic facts.

I thought McCain was a quite reasonable man (for being a republican), but I definitely have to reassess my opinion after this Bush-like statement.

I think McCain knows the basic facts. It could be that he is tired, and speaking off-the-cuff, he may have said Iran when he meant to say Iraq. It's common in older folks to switch/mix words.


However, this kind of error does raise a concern since this guy wants to be president, and the president needs to make informed decisions.

 

[jaap de vries]

McCain needs to be careful because anything he does that can be explained as him being old and senile will hurt him dearly.

On the other hand, most -against their personal benefit- republican voters (read middle class) appreciate simple terms like evil, bad people, those folks, Terrorists etc so they the "small" nuance between Shiite and Sunnies may not be that important electorally.

Remember "it is not about what you say but about how loud you say it" (S. Colbert)