McCain Mistakenly Says Iran Allowing Al Qaeda Fighters Into Country, Later Corrects Error
AMMAN, Jordan — Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, mistakenly said Tuesday that Iran was allowing Al Qaeda fighters into the country to be trained and returned to Iraq.
McCain, expressing concern about Iran’s rising sway in the Mideast, said, “Al Qaeda 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 Qaeda 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 Qaeda 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 Qaeda. Not Al Qaeda. 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 Qaeda.
“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 Qaeda in Iraq is not defeated.
McCain is a supporter of the 2003 invasion and President Bush’s troop increase last year.
Hey Republicans, your presidential candidate is a confused old man. He’s going to do just as well in the election as Bob Dole did in ‘96.
Bush Part III
He’s not in office and he’s already flubbing his words… this guy is business as usual.
A mistake is one thing but….
I don’t known about you folks but I’m tired of “Oops, I said this when I should have said that… Oops, my intel was wrong, Ooops, I guess there weren’t any WMD’s.” from the guy who’s supposed to be the most informed.
Jethro
If only the DNC spokes-people could find the microphone as quickly, or even after at all when Osama’s racist preacher’s comments have been made public. The American people know hypocrisy when they see it and thats why it will be President McCain next year.
I think McCain had it right the first time. To berate him over this would be foolish, because everyone knows what Iran is really doing over there. Like it matters what you call the extremist?
It might not matter to you, but it should certainly matter to the commander in chief!! He absolutely needs to know the difference between Sunni and Shi’a - if he doesn’t have a firm grasp of what’s happening there and why, then how can he hope to formulate a sound foreign policy in the Middle East. If you’re claiming that Iran is supplying extremists with weapons, you better have evidence and that evidence better be right. Too many times these past eight years have officials seemed to have only a surveyed understanding of the situation, and it has cost us dearly.
The Democratic spokesperson who tried to make political capitol out of a minor mistatement represents the sickening excessive partisanship that threatens the unity of this nation.
You know I just realized something. Liebermann is traveling with McCain right now in the Middle East. Liebermann also gave him some advice while there, a whisper to him, instead of correcting him in front of the cameras himself. I don’t know about the rest of you but that is similar to what a Vice President might do for his President.
I hear a collective gasp from the democratic side as I say that. Wouldn’t that be the one way to completely derail the democrats for the White House? To have Joe Liebermann be selected as the running mate for McCain?
Conservatives, I know what your thoughts are. A liberal joining McCain’s ticket and I’m staying home election day. You would be wrong, Liebermann, while being a democrat by party affiliation, is, and has been, an independent candidate, he even won his last campaign running as an independent after the State’s democrats voted against him in the Primary.
You hear the Clintons talk of a dream ticket with Hillary and Obama? Imagine McCain/Liebermann and watch the Democrats run.
I think it is ridiculous that anyone in the DNC would correct anybody. I believe the Democrats should correct their own and then they can go after the other camp. McCain may have just gotten some of the names mixed up. The democrats don’t have time to take care of all their resigning politicians why are they looking for dirt in someone elses back yard????????
Extremist, Al Qaeda, Terrorist……….The name doesn’t matter so much to me; all of these organizations are bad news and are out to get us (United States)!
The Democratic spokesperson who jumped on McCain forincorrectly naming which group of our enemies is supported by Iran ought to be made to go stand in the corner! What nonsense!The main point stands. Iran is maintaining people who are killing and wounding both Americans and Iraqis. ANDREW ENGEBRETSON