MIDDLE EAST: Would McCain really 'bomb, bomb Iran'?

U.S. senator and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain is now on a tour of the Middle East and Europe, presumably to shore up his foreign policy credentials ahead of November  elections.

McCain talks tough on foreign policy, brandishing a style that appeals to hardcore Beltway neoconservative supporters of Israel and Republican military hawks. He depicts himself as someone committed to keeping troops in Iraq and taking a tough line on Iran.

But as Los Angeles Times' diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter points out in an incisive page-one Sunday analysis, McCain's foreign policy track record is far different than his meat-and-potatoes rhetoric:

McCain has on many occasions resisted calls for use of U.S. troops. Even now, he adopts positions that are closer to those of traditional, pragmatic Republicans than the more hawkish neoconservatives.

Richter describes a factional foreign policy rift within the McCain camp.  "Both sides believe they have assurances from McCain that he would largely follow their path," he writes.

In fact, Foreign Affairs, the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations, published a lengthy summary of McCain's own views on America's place in the world late last year. In that piece, he affirms his commitment to keeping troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, strongly backing Israel and taking a tough line against Iran.

But his views sound pretty old school. Take how he would confront Iran on its continued drive toward obtaining sensitive nuclear technologies:

If the United Nations is unwilling to act, the United States must lead a group of like-minded countries to impose effective multilateral sanctions, such as restrictions on exports of refined gasoline, outside the UN framework. America and its partners should also privatize the sanctions effort by supporting a disinvestment campaign to isolate and delegitimize the regime in Tehran, whose policies are already opposed by many Iranian citizens. And military action, although not the preferred option, must remain on the table: Tehran must understand that it cannot win a showdown with the world. 

On the other hand, during more off-the-cuff forums, McCain has shown a kind of hyper-charged bragaddaccio that makes Dick Cheney sound like Cindy Sheehan.

There was of course the time at a campaign stop last year when he started singing, "bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann." He dismissed the incident, captured in the video above, as a joke. But how about this comment on Larry King in 2000:

Our policies concerning rogue states: Iraq, Libya, North Korea --those countries that continue to try to acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. I’d institute a policy that I call "rogue state rollback." I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments.

Which McCain would American voters and the world get if he were elected president?

— Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: U.S. presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, center, walks with Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, right, commander of Multi-National Division-North, Lt. Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, left, commander of Ninewah Operations Command, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, third from right, after his arrival at a Mosul, Iraq air base on Sunday. Credit: Patrick Lair/U.S. Army via Getty Images

Comments

[Jaff Sassani]

Senator McCain will be very effective President if he gets elected. He served the country in honor compared to other Presidents recently. The people are not fair when criticizing him and calling him names.

Warmongers like Iranian leaders and terrorist leaders in the world use the Islamic Fundamentalisms. They are going to drive the USA and Europe to war regardless of who will be the President in the USA. We are from Iran and Iraq representing more than two million people in Kurdistan region and supporter of the US Government policy and know Iraq and Iran very well. We believe Senator McCain will be one of the finest President in the US history if the US people electing him to serve the country. This is another war like cold war imposed on the USA and need strong President and hopes he will be elected to safe the humanity from evil mentality.

Sincerely,
Jaff Sassani
From the SKDC
Mar-21-2008
jaff.skdc@googlemail.com
http://www.jaff-sassanie.com/Default.aspx

[AR - McCain is a formula for defeat]

Senator McCain (the highlander!!??) Was turtored for 5 or 6 years. How could anybody after all that not have his mind disturbed in one way or another. The fact is that the older someone gets the more assured that person gets of his ideas/believes and others having the wrong approach. His current behavior on the News also demonstrates that his either not the "Strait talker" as he likes to call himself, or that he does not know much about Middle East AND suffering from Alzihmer or something!

He seems to be George w Bush (times 10). He stated his true feeling to wanting to fight Islamic Fundamentalisum for another 100 years. But Islamic Fundamentalisum has been around for 1400 years and it probably will be around for another 1400 years.

Yes, even if McCain and his kind be around and willing to fight on Islamic Fundamentalisum for another 100 years, they will fight it for 100 and ONE year. Mean while China becomes the SuperPower on the American missery !!

He insists that his campaign is not going to be based on personal attack. But the reality is that he KNOWS that he is unable to stand being criticized. He KNOWS that if some criticize him, he would loss his temper.

McCain is a formula for defeat. He fights the enemy on their terms.

[Jaff Sassani]

The religion leaders like Mullah Ahmad Jannati in that age should think about peace instead of building atomic bombs. The Bombs won’t solve the hardship of Iranian people. The Mullah’s should give the people freedom and then work like the Japanese leaders and see their accomplishment and what they are giving their people without natural resources.
We are the people in Middle East will be dreaming that all mighty God will bring us leaders to think like the Europeans, American and Japanese leaders to solve our problems and bring us peace. We hate warmongers and corrupt leaders but all mighty God will give us only that kind.
Why we never had leaders like Washington, Jefferson, Churchill and General de Gaulle whom they really cared about the welfare of their own people. We are unfortunate people on earth always we have leaders like the Mullah’s of Iran with vision of destructions, killing, corruption, double crossing and full of hatred toward the people they rule without ever thinking about their welfare.
We came from the Safevid Dynasty religion doctrine; they killed millions of people because of Shiite and Sunni conflict then it took long time to get back to secular rule then we are back to religion again. We are going in a circle without any hope for the future.
What happened with the religion teaching, they told us that the Sayied families are very peaceful, kind, loving and they care about the Islamic people. But in reality in last 29 long years they come out to be killer, destructors, war makers and full of hatred toward the humanity and Iranian people. They took us to Iran, Iraq war and now for sure they are tacking us to another war soon or later. What is their business with Israel anyway? What Israel did to Iran, if they not like war why they killing so many American military and civilian personal in Iraq?
When any Iranian asking such question will be eliminated immediately, is that the Islamic democratic system calling for such harsh treatment. The God created universe for sure does not need assistance on earth. Live the people to worship any thing they want. Work for peace and stability so the people will have life.

[Jaff Sassani]

Farsheed

What I mean they are already attacking the USA, Europe and Israel for their selfish reason not because the three powers are against the Islamic religion or the Islamic people in the region. The Iranian people are suffering from this doctrine. Over one million people got killed from Iran, Iraq war.

They told us the Sayied families (Current Iranian rulers) are an angle for over thousand years now. But look what they did to our people. They ever think of peaceful solution for any problem. The Iranian people paid lot of blood for the religion doctrines in the past. Let the people worship any thing they want, the God are very powerful does not need assistance on earth.

They are working hard to get Iran another war. If not America, Israel or other country for sure they are not going to stop with Iraq, they are going to Saudi and then Egypt and then Turkey that is what the doctrine are calling for.

[Hamid]

McCain is beholden to the same interests that are running US foreign policy and we have seen the results: more militarism, more "collateral" damage and bleak economic conditions for the ordinary masses. John is a man of war and in the current atmosphere of fear, warmongers will rile the world. Borzou's analysis is spot-on.

[Farsheed]

This is a reponse to Jaff Sassani.

Are you on George Bush's payrol or what?

What kind of idiotic garbage is this? They're attacking Europe, US and Israel?

Please use your brain if you have any.

[Jaff Sassani]

We hope that the war with Iran will be the last option. The reality is pointing to other direction. The Shiite Muslims doctrine lead by Shiite Sayeid family in Iran for sure will take the people of Iran to another war in hope they will take back the power from Sunni Moslem again.

They are attacking the USA, Europe and Israel for their selfish reason not because the three power against the Islamic religion or the Islamic people in the region.

They are not happy with Iran. Iraq and Lebanon alone they want to take over the Arab land and convert every one in the region to Shiite Islam so every one will end up worship them instead of God.

Sincerely,
Jaff Sassani
From the SKDC
jaff.skdc@googlemail.com
http://www.jaff-sassanie.com/Default.aspx

[Peter]

McCain's tour in Iraq is nothing less than grandstanding. Can we expect Clinton to take a tour, too.

Announcing a plan, one we will never see because she will hide by a security screen, and accusing Senator Obama of not having one and not being prepared is just another cheap shot.

Clinton knows well how do to cheap shots. She knows well how to co-opt her opposition. This is what she is doing here. But, she has no creditials with wihich to do it. She supported the original war resolution, funding and most recently, supported use of force in Iran.

Her change of position came with a half-assed explanation. She needs to say "I made a mistatke. I did not read the intteligence reports or understand them" But, it is too late. The world knows that she is cynical, morally bankrupt person.

I am voting for Senator Obama this fall. If he is not on the ballot I will write in his name.

[richard]

It is easy to claim that Mrs. Clinton has a concise plan to withdraw from Iraq since the public will never see it. Obviously al queda would love to see this plan also. Saying you have an effective plan does make it so and does not make it effective or having any sense.

[MichaelSch]

Of course he will.

This is the reason why Sen. Lieberman and the whole Jewish lobby pulled him out of nowhere last fall.

McCain will have to pay back even if he is sure bombing Iran is bad for American.