Statements From McCain Camp Betray Ignorance, at Best

McCain's communications director's comments on Obama are challenged in terms of accuracy, as McCain's statements on Iran are.

Senator John McCain Photo courtesy: samueljscott.files.wordpress.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - John McCain's Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker attacked comments Senator Barack Obama made in his West Virginia speech today. Her words come on the heels of McCain's serious faux pas on the state of terrorism in Iran. Obama may have image problems over his pastor, but McCain's team is showing that they need to pay closer attention to detail.

While Hazelbaker accuses Obama of going after the middle class, which most Obama supporters say makes no sense at all, it seemed like McCain was going after the Middle East. He gave Democrats serious ammunition when he repeatedly claimed that Iranians are taking Al-Qaeda members into Iran and training them and sending them back into Iraq.

"It's 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. That's well known," McCain said.

While President George W. Bush has accused Iran which is dominantly Shiite of training and arming Shiite extremists, it never linked them with Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni group.

Whether McCain gets his news from the FOX Network or not, it seems like a highly regrettable mistake with vast potential negative consequences was made, and it does little to portray the U.S. as an informed participant in world affairs.

Sadly for McCain, his Democratic supporter Senator Joe Lieberman, had to step in to limit the embarrassment. Reports say he leaned down and whispered in the ear of this 71-year old combat vet who touts his world knowledge and understanding of current affairs, that his information was wrong.

At that point McCain stated for all to hear, "I am sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not Al-Qaeda, not Al-Qaeda, I am sorry."

The words may serve as a reminder as to how desperation can lead to misstatements. As we wind down the last of the Bush Presidency, which many believe has been based at times on outward dishonesty, the tactics, almost synonymous now with the GOP, seem to continue.

It is easy to misspeak, and while McCain's mistake was almost certainly one of ignorance, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to his communications director.

It is easy to sit at a keyboard and cry foul, I should know. But Hazelbaker held back little in her odd assessment of Obama's words today. Most people realize that he is a man who has brought people out of the woodwork by talking about changing a system that by most accounts, is breaking or broken. But her statement on Obama seems contradictory to common perception.

"Today Senator Obama once again displayed how fundamentally wrong he is on the central issues facing America's future: our economy and national security."

Even though Obama has clearly promised the middle class a tax cut, Hazelbaker implies that Obama will raise taxes on the middle class.

In our eighth year of offering massive tax cuts to America's richest citizens and corporations, Obama's actual stated goals hardly equate to raising taxes on the middle class. Of course that may all depend on what "middle class" actually means today, but I have a feeling Obama knows what it at least, used to mean.

Hazelbaker stated, "On the economy, Senator Obama offers the tired tax and spend ideas of the past. He promises higher taxes on middle class families at a time when they're hurting the most, and massive spending increases and big government programs sure to stifle the economic growth that produces jobs for hardworking Americans."

Whose politics have hurt those families? Right or wrong, I think the affair can hardly be blamed on the Democrats, that would be a big stretch. As far as big government, he might know something about that, because Republicans have built the biggest controlling government ever under Bush.

This week Americans are digesting the fact that the war in Iraq, called a senseless and unnecessary conflict by millions, will cost not just billions, but trillions of dollars due to the decisions of the Bush Administration.

It also was not clear why McCain used his communication director to deliver the message that implies revisiting mistakes is "rehashing the past."

Hazelbaker said, "On national security, Senator Obama would rather rehash the past than look forward with resolve to address fundamental challenges and opportunities we have today to secure our future. He has embraced an irresponsible policy of withdrawing our troops from Iraq without regard for the conditions on the ground, the advice of our military commanders or the consequences of failure, which his own top advisor called unrealistic."

It is an ironic point of view as we clearly repeat many of the problems of the non-winnable Vietnam War. In reality, Obama's plan to withdraw troops over a period of time does not match the description provided by Hazelbaker who added, "This election provides the American people with a clear choice, and we look forward to the debate on these issues should Senator Obama secure his Party's nomination."

Yes, debates between Obama and McCain will surely be interesting. I am sorry that John McCain's horrible experiences during the Vietnam War did not result in a more empathetic position toward the extended and repeated tours of our combat soldiers today.

In the end, starting problems with Iran can only be accomplished by lying and misrepresenting facts. It is a bad idea and our military is not prepared for it, and we should never ever have another preemptive strike on any country anyway, since we have a completely failed and/or biased intelligence program.

Perhaps the biggest irony of all is Lieberman, a proponent of attacking Iran, being the one who stopped McCain from repeating the Al-Queda errors.