John McCain

[Rasputin]

Sen. John McCain's sense of humor is both his strength and a weakness.
The Arizona senator seeking the Republican presidential nomination goofed with his off-the-cuff humor Wednesday.

Campaigning in South Carolina, his response to a question about military action against Iran, taken from the rock classic "Barbara Ann," was inappropriate.

[Rasputin]

افزايش انتقادها از شوخي مك كين درباره بمباران ايران

جان مك كين سناتور جمهوريخواه آمريكايي به تازگي با شوخي درباره بمباران ايران، موجي از انتقادهاي شديد گروه هاي ليبرال آمريكايي را متوجه خود كرده است.

جان مك كين به شوخي درباره بمباران ايران آواز خوانده است
سناتور مك كين كه به خاطر نظرات محافظه كارانه اش در سياست خارجي شهرت دارد، يكي از نامزدهاي انتخابات رياست جمهوري سال ۲۰۰۸ آمريكا است.

او به تازگي در پايان يك سخنراني انتخاباتي در ايالت كاروليناي جنوبي در پاسخ به يكي از حاضران كه از او درباره حمله به ايران پرسيده بود، به شوخي گفت: " آهنگ قديمي گروه بيچ بويز، ايران را بمباران كنيد را به ياد داريد؟"

بعد در حالي كه حاضران به اين شوخي آقاي مك كين مي خنديدند ، جان مك كين شروع به خواندن كرد: "بمباران كنيد، بمباران كنيد، بمباران كنيد ..."

سناتور مك كين سپس با حمايت از موضع جورج بوش رئيس جمهور آمريكا در مقابل برنامه هسته اي ايران، تاكيد كرد حمله نظامي به اين كشور بايد به عنوان آخرين گزينه مورد بحث قرار گيرد.

در اين حال سخنان آقاي مك كين به شدت مورد انتقاد قرار گرفته است.

"انتقاد شديد"

سايت اينترنتي "موو آن" كه متعلق به يك گروه ليبرال است با انتشار ويديويي در اينترنت سناتور مك كين را يك شخص خطرناك دانسته و درباره پيامدهاي انتخاب او به رياست جمهوري آمريكا هشدار داده است.

"اين آگهي ويديويي مي گويد سياست خارجي آمريكا در دوره تصدي جورج بوش بي مسووليت بوده است و حداقل سه هزار سرباز آمريكايي در عراق كشته شده اند. حال مك كين درباره بمباران ايران صحبت مي كند."

گروه "كود پينك" هم كه از زنان آمريكايي مخالف جنگ تشكيل شده است، در تجمع اخير خود شعارهايي را بر ضد سخنان جان مك كين مطرح كرده است.

در اين حال، ستاد انتخاباتي سناتور مك كين با اشاره به تغيير طنز گونه عنوان آهنگ گروه بيچ بويز به وسيله آقاي مك كين، اعلام كرده شوخي اين سناتور جمهوريخواه درباره بمباران ايران در واقع واكنشي به يك سوال كنايه آميز بوده.

اما به رغم انتقادهاي به عمل آمده از جان مك كين، اين حملات مي تواند به تقويت موقعيت او در ميان راي دهندگان محافظه كار كمك كند.

"شوخي نسنجيده"

جان مك كين نخستين سياستمدار آمريكايي اي نيست كه درباره بمباران كشورهاي ديگر شوخي كرده.

رونالد ريگان رئيس جمهور سابق آمريكا هم در سال ۱۹۸۴ در حالي كه براي ايراد نطق راديويي هفتگي اش آماده مي شد، بدون توجه به باز بودن ميكروفون درباره بمباران شوروري سابق با اطرافيان خود شوخي كرد.

آقاي ريگان گفت: " شهروندان عزيز آمريكا، من قانوني را امضا كرده ام كه شوروي را تبهكار مي داند. ما بمباران روسيه را ۵ دقيقه ديگر شروع مي كنيم."

مخالفان ريگان در آن زمان از اين شوخي رئيس جمهور آمريكا كه هنوز در اين كشور به خاطر سياست هاي تندش عليه شوروي سابق شهرت زيادي دارد، به شدت انتقاد كردند.

[Rasputin]

Lighten up? Are you kidding?

Dear John McCain,

During your visit to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina on April 18, you responded to an audience member's question about when the US would send an "Airmail message (bombard) to Tehran", by singing "bomb bomb bomb Iran".

Later you defended your comments while in Nevada: "Please, I was talking to some of my old veterans friends," you stated, "My response is, Lighten up and get a life."

Later when asked if your joke was insensitive, you responded with "Insensitive to what? The Iranians?'

Actually yes, it was insensitive. To Iranians. As well as Americans, and I would venture anyone that is concerned about our future. Would we think it was appropiate if a presidential candidate running in Iran were to make a joke about bombing the United States? Of course not. Which is why your comments are so innapropriate.

Incompetent remarks about how to address the situation in the Middle East are dangerous. You had a great opportunity to reply to the question posed to you, and the occasion to speak to fellow veterans about viable solutions to a chaotic mess.

You could have spoken about Iran's pivotal role in world politics. You could have talked about America's actions in the Middle East. You could have even talked about what had happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ventured to guess the effects of similar actions in Iran.

Additionally Mr. McCain, it is not time to lighten up. Between two crazy presidents (Bush and Ahmadinejad) pumping nationalist fists in order to mask their insane and ideological causes, it is not the time to make brash, insensitive, and careless comments. Lightening up is a luxury that we cannot afford. Because war is serious. Dropping bombs on people is serious. Sending thousands of soldiers to to kill poorer soldiers in other nations is serious. I'm sure that anyone returning from Iraq would argue that their experience was serious as well. I'm sure that your war experiences were serious as well.

How about sending our nation's boys and girls to kill other boys and girls? How about addressing the medical and social needs of American soldiers as they return to the States and attempt to continue their lives? What about the absolute chaos that exists in Iraq today, and discussing ways to communicate with Iran and avoid similar results?

We've already seen the detrimental effects of brash decision making, and as a presidential candidate, you must demonstrate that you are able to remain collected, and diplomatic. Even when you are amongst your cronies. I want a president that is able to talk objectively about issues, and not just adapt his tune to amuse his audience on that particular night.

The reality of being a president is that you don't just follow others, or make stupid remarks. You gather information to make the best decisions possible, while considering your consituents and the effects of your actions. I believe that your comments did not consider the information available, did not consider your constituents, and most certainly you did not fully assess the effects of "bombing Iran". Your words were reckless, and not exemplary of who I want to lead my country.

And Mr. McCain, I do not appreciate the comment about getting a life. I do not appreciate how you talk carelessly about taking away lives, and then counter it with a smart remark about getting one. When you talk about bombing countries, you talk about destroying them as well as threatening civilian infrastructure.

Lighten up Mr. McCain? We simply cannot.

[Rasputin]

McCain To Send Self Back To Vietnamese POW Camp To Revitalize Campaign

In what insiders say is an attempt to revitalize his flagging campaign and convince voters that he is still a straight-talking maverick, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) announced Sunday that he will subject himself to the same mental torment and physical abuse he endured nearly 40 years ago at the same Vietnamese camp where he was once held as a prisoner of war.

On Saturday at approximately 2:40 a.m. I will fly over the capital city of Hanoi and have my plane's right wing blown off by a Russian missile," said McCain, adding that the force of the ejection from an aging A-4 Skyhawk should render him unconscious and break both of his arms and "preferably [his] right leg." "I will then be taken to a bug- and rat-infested cell where, with both nobility and grace, I will suffer the worst forms of human indignities."

McCain, once considered a shoo-in for the Republican presidential nomination, insisted that his upcoming stay at the Hanoi torture facility was simply a late addition to a previously planned trip to Southeast Asia, and has nothing to do with his faltering campaign.

But a source close to the campaign said the senator's decision to revisit his indescribable degradation at the hands of the Viet Cong was prompted by a desire to "get back to his roots," and "reconnect with the struggles that defined him as a leader."

"The fact is, Sen. McCain feels that he's changed somehow from the independent, eternally haunted outsider that he once was," the source said. "He hopes that revisiting the extraordinary horrors he endured so many years ago will reinstill in him the sense of purpose and commitment he is so respected for. And what better way to reignite the political fire within than by having sharpened rods of bamboo jammed under his fingernails?"


"With both nobility and grace, I will suffer the worst forms of human indignities."
According to campaign documents released to the media, the visit will cost more than $10 million, most of which will go toward acquiring a Grushin S-75 surface-to-air missile, renovating McCain's cell to its exact 1970s-era condition, paying medical personnel to provide inefficient and cruel treatment, and hiring Vietnamese citizens to act as the Viet Cong.

"Just when you think McCain is down and out, he announces the most brilliant move we've seen in American politics in a generation," ABC political correspondent George Stephanopoulos said. "With [Rudolph] Giuliani beating him in the polls and [Mitt] Romney outpacing him in fundraising, McCain's only remaining advantage is that he successfully withstood atrocities beyond our comprehension. And to subject himself to those same unspeakable acts of physical violence at the age of 68 should dispel any doubt among voters that he's too old to be in the White House."

Stephanopoulos added that McCain must be careful not to return from Southeast Asia too soon before the primaries, or his act of courage, integrity, and determination may fade from the memory of American voters.

"This trip is a huge political gamble," Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr. wrote Tuesday. "Still, being forced to stay awake for six days as your captors douse you with water and feed you rotting food sounds a lot more convincing than John Kerry's campaign strategy of simply talking about his military experience."

According to recent polls, a majority of Americans say McCain's announcement has made them reconsider his candidacy.

"I've always admired McCain, but he's disappointed me in recent months," Cincinnati resident Ben Krepps, 33, said. "After so many years in the political mainstream, he's gone soft. Maybe some long, cruel nights are exactly what he needs to get his head back into this race."

Others, however, including unaffiliated Republican consultant David Winston, argue that McCain's trip will only hurt his presidential chances.

"In John McCain's attempt to find the old John McCain, he is actually just solidifying his position as the new, more pandering John McCain," Winston said. "Yes, the old John McCain withstood seemingly endless torture, and people respected that. But a second time around? It just looks desperate."

With McCain's drastic move sending shock waves through the political world, Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) both announced plans to send themselves back to their respective Ivy League law schools to reenroll in their most challenging courses.

[Rasputin]

AMMAN, Jordan - Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, mistakenly said Tuesday that Iran was allowing al-Qaida fighters into the country to be trained and returned to Iraq.


McCain, expressing concern about Iran's rising sway in the Mideast, said, "Al-Qaida is going back into Iran and is receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran." He made the comments Tuesday at a news conference in Jordan; he made similar comments earlier to radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt.

Iran is a predominantly Shiite Muslim country and has been at pains to close its borders to al-Qaida fighters of the rival Sunni sect.

Iran has been accused by the United States of funding, training and arming Iraqi Shiite militants in their uprising against the United States. But there have been no allegations by Washington and no evidence that al-Qaida has benefited from Iranian assistance.

After Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who was traveling with McCain, stepped forward to whisper in the candidate's ear, McCain said: "I'm sorry; the Iranians are training the extremists, not al-Qaida. Not al-Qaida. I'm sorry."

McCain, who has linked his political future to U.S. success in Iraq, had just completed his eighth visit to Iraq. He was in the wartorn country on Monday for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials.

McCain's gaffe immediately drew criticism from the Democratic National Committee, which insisted he must not understand the challenges facing Iraq.

"Not only is Senator McCain wrong on Iraq once again, but he showed he either doesn't understand the challenges facing Iraq and the region or is willing to ignore the facts on the ground," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney.

McCain also voiced similar concern that Tehran is bringing militants over the border into Iran for training before sending them back to fight U.S. troops in Iraq, and he blamed Syria for allegedly continuing to expedite a flow of foreign fighters.

"We continue to be concerned about Iranian influence and assistance to Hezbollah as well as Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons," McCain said.

He added that, if elected president, he would coordinate better with Europe to impose a "broad range of sanctions and punishments" on Tehran, to "convince them that their activities, particularly development of nuclear weapons, is not a beneficial goal to seek."

McCain declined to comment on whether he could back an eventual decision to strike Iran if Tehran doesn't cease its nuclear activities.

In response to a question about possible U.S. strikes against Tehran, McCain only said: "At the end of the day, we cannot afford having a nuclear-armed Iran."

In addition, McCain noted U.S. military officials recently discovered a cache of armor-piercing bombs in Iraq, and he hinted the explosives had been provided by Iran. U.S. officials have long been saying that Iran provides explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs to, Shiite militias in Iraq, although the Iranian government denies any role.

The U.S. military reported two such finds during the past week.

McCain warned that any hasty pullout from Iraq would be a mistake that would favor Iran and al-Qaida.

"We continue to be very concerned about the Iranian influence in Iraq and in the region," McCain said.

McCain ran into trouble last year when he joked about bombing Iran, giving a campaign audience in South Carolina a rendition of the opening lyrics of the Beach Boys rock classic "Barbara Ann," calling the tune "Bomb Iran" and changing the words to "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ..."

Later Tuesday, McCain received a celebrity welcome in Jerusalem, beginning a two-day visit to Israel with a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. As his motorcade pulled up dozens of tourists greeted him and chanted "Mac is back," as he shook their hands and posed for photographs.

During his 90-minute visit at the memorial and museum, McCain was visibly moved, his eyes welling with tears as he viewed photographs from Nazi death camps.

Wearing a skullcap placed on his head by Lieberman, McCain laid a wreath in memory of the 6 million Jewish Holocaust victims and lit a memorial flame. Signing the Yad Vashem visitors' book he wrote: "I am deeply moved. Never again. John McCain."

His visit to Iraq was the Arizona senator's first since emerging as the presumed Republican nominee. He was accompanied by Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., two of his top supporters in the race for president.

He promised that, if elected president, he would uphold a long-term military commitment in Iraq as long as al-Qaida in Iraq is not defeated.

McCain is a supporter of the 2003 invasion and President Bush's troop increase last year.

[mike435]

feroidian slip

[IranianGuards]

he is too old

[mike435]

he is too old

but he is bad ***
and very loyal i just wish he was center left rather than center right

[Rasputin]

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arabs keen to see the end of George W. Bush's presidency fear that a win for likely Republican candidate John McCain will bring little change to U.S. policies they blame for destabilizing the Middle East.

For Arab politicians who have gained from U.S. policy in countries including Iraq and Lebanon, continuity may be a good thing.

But Bush's many critics in the Arab world worry that McCain will continue current U.S. policies, which they fault for unleashing chaos in Iraq and providing unflinching support for Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.

McCain wants to keep troops in Iraq until it is more stable, setting him at odds with Democratic rivals who want to withdraw from a country which has been wracked by violence since U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein five years ago.

During a Middle East tour this month, McCain's statements on Israel also sounded alarm bells for Arabs who have long criticized Washington for not exercising enough pressure on the Jewish state to withdraw from occupied Arab land.

"The first time McCain started to catch attention was when he visited ... Israel and committed himself to recognizing Jerusalem (as its capital) and not pressuring Israel," Mohamed al-Sayed Said of Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies told Reuters in Cairo.

"This confirms the natural inclination of Arabs to think that whatever the next administration is, it will be a tool of the Israelis."

But while Arabs see little difference between candidates when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict -- with all repeatedly committing themselves to Israel's interests and security -- Iraq is seen as a different story.

IRAQ

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion, which was opposed by Washington's Arab allies including Egypt, empowered Shi'ite factions such as the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council -- a group with longstanding ties to Shi'ite Iran.

Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, a cleric and senior member of the group, said a McCain presidency would be a good thing. "I believe it is a positive matter if the Republican candidate wins in the coming election. We know now how the Republicans think."

"McCain is so close to the Bush administration and they both adopted the same policy."

McCain, speaking during a visit to close U.S. ally Jordan, said that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would enhance Iran and Sunni Islamist militant group al Qaeda -- both foes of America -- and endanger the region.

But Mudhafer al-Aani, a senior member of the largest Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament, urged a correction of "the great mistakes of the administration."

"McCain's statements on the U.S. presence in Iraq represent the same policy as the current president's," he said.

An Iranian political analyst, who declined to be identified, said that while the authorities were publicly keeping their distance from the U.S. election campaign, their preference appeared to be for Democratic candidate Barak Obama.

"I guess they look at McCain as some sort of continuity of the present situation. I can't say for sure, but from their positions, I gather they will not like a repetition of Republican rule," the analyst said.

"(McCain) has confirmed the American intention to keep American troops in Iraq. This is something that is against the wish of Iran. They want the Americans to be gone, and the issue to be sorted our regionally, in which Iran will play a big part," the analyst said.

Syrian political commentator Thabet Salem said McCain's pro-Israeli stance and comments against Syria, as well as a commitment to keep U.S. troops in Iraq could lead to more Middle East instability.

"McCain has exhibited little willingness to depart from the foreign policy of the neocons, which encourages spread of fundamentalism and terrorism," he said.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

McCain courts disaffected voters of his 'friend' Clinton

AFTER months of ceding the spotlight to the Democratic Party presidential candidates, John McCain has declared a two-man race and wasted no time in courting supporters of Hillary Clinton.

In a speech on Tuesday night Senator McCain, 71, used a mocking tone to cast Barack Obama, who is 46, as "a young man" who has bought into the "failed ideas" and "big government solutions" of the past.

He even took a swipe at Senator Obama's campaign slogan, "Change We Can Believe In", by offering his own new slogan: "A Leader We Can Believe In", which was prominently posted on a green placard behind him at a convention centre on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain.

Senator McCain, the Republican nominee, has avoided directly criticising Senator Clinton in recent weeks, and he praised her on Tuesday night as being "tenacious" and "courageous" and said she deserved "a lot more appreciation" than she got.

"As the father of three daughters, I owe her a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity in this great country beyond their reach," he said. "I am proud to call her my friend."

Senator McCain's advisers had billed the speech as outlining the framework for his general election campaign, and in it he distanced himself from the President, George Bush.

He told a crowd of about 600 people that "no matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically. But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change."

For months, Senator Obama and Democratic Party officials have tried to tie Senator McCain to voters' unhappiness with Mr Bush - arguing that a vote for Senator McCain is a vote for a third Bush term.

Senator McCain said Americans would not buy that line. Listing his breaks with the President - including Iraq war strategy, the treatment of detainees and energy policy - he bragged that he was criticised by Republicans and Democrats alike. "I don't answer to them," he told the cheering crowd. "I answer to you."

Several of his advisers made it clear that he would court Senator Clinton's disappointed supporters.

A McCain strategist, Steve Schmidt, said polling throughout the Democratic primaries had revealed a clear opening for Senator McCain to reach out to "disaffected Democrats who were underwhelmed by the Obama candidacy".

"The Reagan Democrat coalition that was very attracted to Senator Clinton's candidacy, we believe, is up for grabs in this race," Mr Schmidt said.

[Rasputin]

John McCain fired the starting gun on his campaign against Barack Obama last night by attacking the Democrat's perceived weak spot of foreign policy, and distancing his own campaign more than ever from George Bush's administration.


"You will hear from my opponent's campaign in every speech, every interview, every press release that I'm running for President Bush's third term," Mr McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee told a rally in New Orleans last night.

"You will hear every policy of the President described as the Bush-McCain policy. Why does Senator Obama believe it is so important to repeat that idea over and over again? Because he knows it is difficult to get Americans to believe something they know is false. So he tries to drum it into your minds."

The Arizona Senator, who is 71 compared to Mr Obama's 46, also tried to lay claim to the "change" agenda, which has so far been the centrepiece of his youthful opponent's White House bid. "[Obama] is an impressive man who makes a great first impression," Mr McCain said, but "he hasn't been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have."

Hinting at an early battleground, the Vietnam veteran concentrated on foreign policy. He attacked Mr Obama's stance on Iraq and his willingness to hold talks with the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Americans ought to be concerned about the judgement of a candidate who's ready to talk, in person and without conditions, with tyrants from Havana to Pyongyang, but has not travelled to Iraq to meet [the US Army's] General Petraeus," he said.

[Rasputin]

McCain, Iran & terrorism

Keith Olbermann on John McCain's position on Iran and his connection to terrorism financing

YouTube - John McCain's connection to Terrorism Financing

[IQ]

Iran: McCain cigarette joke, disturbing

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini has criticized Senator John McCain for joking about killing Iranians with cigarettes.

[IQ]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has condemned U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain for joking about killing Iranians with cigarettes and said it showed his "warmongering" foreign policy attitude, media said on Sunday.

McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the Islamic Republic by saying it may be "a way of killing 'em."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said: "McCain's crude remark on the indiscriminate killing of the Iranian nation not only testifies to his disturbed state of mind, but also to his warmongering approach to foreign policy."

In a statement quoted by the website of Iran's state Press TV satellite station, Hosseini added:

"We condemn such jokes and believe them to be inappropriate for a U.S. presidential candidate. It is most evident that jokes about genocide will not be tolerated by Iranians or Americans."

McCain, known for acerbic comments and for sometimes firing verbally from the hip, was responding to a report that U.S. exports to Iran rose tenfold during President George W. Bush's term in office despite hostility between the two countries.

A rise in cigarette sales was a big part of that, according to an Associated Press analysis.

"Maybe that's a way of killing 'em," McCain said to reporters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. "I meant that as a joke, as a person who hasn't had a cigarette in 28 years, 29 years," he added, laughing.

His comments coincided with rising tension between Iran and its arch-foes, the United States and Israel, over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program.

U.S. leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to assuage fears about Iran's nuclear work, which they suspect is aimed at making bombs but which Tehran says is only to produce electricity.