McCain’s confusion over Iran gets a little more embarrassing

May 20, 2008

Because Barack Obama has indicated he’d consider diplomacy with Iran as president, Republicans and other far-right voices have highlighted the bizarre inanities of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is the guy, the GOP argues, that Obama would be willing to chat with.

But there’s actually some ambiguity to the point. In Iran’s system, Ahmadinejad may be president, but he’s not exactly what we’d think of a chief executive, and in terms of authority, it’s a religious council that runs the show. (Ahmadinejad was “elected,” but candidates have to approved by the religious council first.)

For U.S. political purposes, Joe Klein reports that Obama has said he’s open to diplomacy with Iran’s leadership, not necessarily Ahmadinejad.

On Friday, I promised to check into whether Obama had ever said that he would negotiate — specifically, by name — with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Indeed, according to the crack Time Magazine research department and the Obama campaign, he never has. He did say that he would negotiate with the Iranian leadership — but, on matters of foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear program, the guy in charge is the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

As of today, John McCain was still accusing Obama of wanting to negotiate with Ahmadinejad. Why doesn’t the McCain campaign and other assorted Republicans ever accuse Obama of wanting to negotiate with Khamenei? Well, because Khamenei isn’t quite the flagrant anti-Semite Ahmadinejad is … and, as we keep hearing, Obama has a Jewish problem.

So, Klein, to his credit, asked McCain about this at a press conference, inquiring as to why McCain keeps accusing Obama of reaching out to Ahmadinejad when that hasn’t actually happened. When Klein noted that it’s Khamenei who is “in charge of Iranian foreign policy and also in charge of the nuclear program,” McCain said he respectfully disagreed.

After noting Ahmadinejad having spoken to the United Nations, McCain concluded, “I mean, the fact is he’s the acknowledged leader of that country and you may disagree, but that’s a uh, that’s your right to do so, but I think if you asked any average American who the leader of Iran is, I think they’d know.”

Is that really McCain’s preferred standard for international affairs? Whomever the “average Americans” thinks is in charge should be considered the leader?

Here’s the clip. Notice McCain’s smug attitude, as if he’s certain he knows what he’s talking about.

Ilan Goldenberg does a fine job of setting the record straight, and explaining why McCain’s latest confusion should undermine confidence in his foreign policy competence.

…Iran has a very complex system of government with varying institutions, but at the top of it sits Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who essentially is only accountable to the Council of Guardians made up of clerics, many of whom are appointed by Khamenei. So, Ahmadinejad is not the leader. And as the Council on Foreign Relations explains, especially in the area of foreign policy, Ahmadinejad has very little influence.

On top of that as Klein points out, the President’s job is to educate the public on questions of policy. So if the “average American” thinks that Ahmadinejad is the ultimate leader of Iran, it’s up to the President to dissuade them of this notion – not reinforce it. Back in 2002 more then half of Americans thought Saddam was responsible for 9/11 and President Bush did nothing to disprove this assumption (In fact, while never directly claiming that Saddam was responsible for 9/11 the Administration did everything it could to reinforce the notion). That doesn’t mean our policy should be based on those false assumptions.

Then there is the fact that in 2003 McCain and other conservatives dismissed efforts by Democrats to engage the reformist President of Iran Mohamed Khatami claiming that he had no real power. Now that the President is a hardline demagogue he is the sole voice in Iran that matters. That seems convenient.

Considering the bellicose language and all the speculation about war with Iran, you’d think the Republican nominee for President who consistently touts his foreign policy expertise should either get better briefings on the structure of Iran’s government or start exercising that “straight talk” he is supposedly so famous for.

With each passing day, it becomes clearer that McCain doesn’t really know what he’s talking about — and is hoping desperately that no one notices until after November.

Update: An alert reader, P.J., emails me with an example of Obama pointing to possible negotiations with Ahmadinejad, suggesting that the “crack Time Magazine research department” that Klein referred to might be a little less reliable than I’d hoped.

That said, McCain’s confusion abuot Iran’s leadership is unaffected, and the point of the flap remains unchanged.

Wait, didn’t Rev. Wright just say something? Something bitter?

  • There is something breathing life into our political reporting, a new way of looking at things, where it is no longer elitists on high, but things we think and feel deep in our souls. This is not about lies, but about larger truths, the things we know despite all evidence to the contrary. We aren’t saying these aren’t facts, we’re saying these are facts, not of our cold, material existence, but facts of the soul.

  • “I think if you asked any average American who the leader of Iran is, I think they’d know.”

    Clearly John McCain doesn’t talk to many average Americans. Alternatively, this is just puffery–it’s always good to tell voters how well-informed they are.

  • Look, the analysts all said Iraq didn’t have WMD, but that’s what most of the people believed, so I attacked Iraq anyway.

    Same with Iran. Same thing.

  • Does he really think the “average American” knows the leader of Iran? Can the average American even name the leader of France or Britain (the queen doesn’t count)? Does he think the average American presidential candidate knows the difference between Sunni and Shia?

  • Whomever the “average Americans” thinks is in charge should be considered the leader?

    This is the McCain foreign policy plan. True democracy. None of those elites in the White House who might actually have, you know, studied the way other governments are set up. Let’s instead just go on the assumption that all governments are run like ours.

  • I mean, the fact is he’s the acknowledged leader of that country and you may disagree, but that’s a uh, that’s your right to do so, but I think if you asked any average American who the leader of Iran is, I think they’d know

    This was a dumb answer from McCain and it leaves you wondering if he knows what he’s talking about. That said, does Khamenei ever deal with outside leaders? He seems like a bit of a bubble dweller himself. And Ahmadinejad seems to be the point man for foreign affairs.

  • Does it seem like McBush and his ilk are falling into well designed traps from the Obama campaign? Every attack aimed at Obama just gets turned on it’s head and makes McSame Old, Same Old look more the fool.

  • The Average American does not know these things, because the Bushylvanians and their “heir apparent” do not want the Average American to know these things. After all, if the Average American were to know these things, they would throw down these Bushylvanian overseers for the false gods that they are.

  • Can the “average American” even locate our own country on a map?

    Sadly, CNN’s on the street interviews with Kentuckians make my fellow West Virginians seem like rocket scientists.

  • So basically, the average American is so dumb as to believe anything Bush says and as long as the American is either Dumb (voted Bush 2000) or Dumber (voted Bush 2004), McCain will be all too happy to agree. It’s not what’s true that matters, it’s what dumb people believe.

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  • And if the average American wants higher taxes on the rich and our troops out of Iraq, he’ll go for that too, right?

  • Shorter version for people who can’t watch at work:

    Klein: You keep effing up when you talk about Iran. Why do you keep doing this?

    MCain: Listen I know what I know. If you can create your own facts, you can prove ANYTHING. And Ahmadinejad want to blow up Israel so take that Klein.

  • Wonder if Obama purposefully set the trap by not naming Ahmedinejad.

    Either way, McCain walked right into it.

    Rare piece of journalism from Joe Klein.

  • I’ve noticed that when McCain wants to avoid the truth (or when he is unaware of the truth) he falls back on phrases like “it’s common knowledge” or “everybody knows that” etc. Then he digs his heels in and won’t back down. I suppose that is characterized as “grit” where he comes from, but it’s just stubborn ignorance to me.

  • If Kennedy’s seizures were indicative of a brain tumor, to what kind of malignancy can Bombin’ Johnnie’s frequent, egregious, embarrassing brain farts be attributed???

  • Wow.

    What’s so funny is that McCain is clearly so ignorant that he honestly believed he was giving the right answer and truly deserves his reputation as being solid on foreign policy. Obama is going to eat McCain’s lunch all the way to election day.

    BTW, Jerry Lewis is the leader of France, as he’s the only Frenchie-type person I can think of.

  • They obviously think that the Bush campaigns of 2000 and 2004 will work, pelting more misinformation at the “average” American.

    Hopefully Team Obama will remind the “average American” that Bush, Cheney, and McCain all contributed to the misperceptions which made the Iraq war possible, and that Obama (and all the DFHs) had the correct information, which could have saved the “average American” all the costs of the Iraq war, had they been less misinformed by the Republicans.

    Bush’s credibility is in the toilet despite his continuous propaganda campaign. McCain is obviously in favor of continuing that campaign, so the best thing to do would be to continue to tie McCain to his incredible friend George. Once that is done, everything McCain says becomes suspect.

  • “Average Americans” aren’t elected president…although some sub average Americans seem to want to be. McCain is so ignorant it is frightening.

  • I think something else is going on besides McCain not knowing what he is talking about, and that is that McCain’s positions are being composed by his campaign and he simply reads them. For the last week he gives a speech as if he is reading it for the first, and maybe the last, time.

    But his campaign is just constructing talking points that are not derived from any foundation, they are simply meant to get through the next news cycle, or to distort and dishonestly embellish the Democratic positions.

    It is amazing that so late in the primary election that McCain still doesn’t have any idea what his positions are on important topics.

    He doesn’t know, and it shows up because his campaign is doing the thinking.

  • I’ve been saying this for months.. I truly believe that he doesn’t know who the Supreme Leader of Iran is. Iranians are a little perplexed by the US obsession with Mahmoud, when the guy really has no power, as Klein pointed out, in these regards. He can’t declare war, it’s not his decision to launch a nuclear attack. He is more of a talking head than anything, and he was elected out of the anger Iranians felt at being labeled as part of the axis of evil. I seriously think McCain doesn’t understand even the basics of the Iranian government. I hope Obama jumps on this, because Obama knows these distinctions (a fact that we ought to be able to take for granted that any presidential candidate will know). It’s embarrassing to see McCain say these things. I honestly think this is a big deal and reveals how truly ignorant McCain is and should disqualify him from the presidency.
    This is a HUGE blunder, it has to be.

  • Just for the record, I wasn’t aware of the roles of each of Iran’s leaders. But then, I’m an average American, not someone running for POTUS.

  • Apparently, John McCain’s experienced foreign policy experience is exactly as extensive as the “average American.”

    Danp: “Sadly, CNN’s on the street interviews with Kentuckians make my fellow West Virginians seem like rocket scientists.”

    How many Kentuckians can find West Virginia on a map??

  • I think he is just outright lying. I thought every candidate for POTUS received limited national security briefings. If not yet, then when they are the confirmed nominees. In any case, being a sitting and “experienced” Senator, he should know these things.

  • I know McCain is on the Armed Services Committee, but is he on the Foriegn Relations committee? Most senators don’t read anything but stuff from their own committees, if that. That’s what aides are for. (They say.) Still, the basic structure of the Iranian gov should be a topic that might stir a LITTLE interest in most people who want to be well-informed.
    We seemed to be getting long with Iran pretty well in late 2001 when we went into Afghanistan. We had mutual interests and we cooperated. A good portion of the population are somewhat sympathetic to the West. We could have won them over. Bush blew them off, and they reacted. One more Bush failure that McCain will continue.
    Obama needs to come out hard on the missed opportunity. He could make McCain look like an utter moron, show just how bankrupt Bush/McCain policies are, and might even get us a shot at a peaceful Middle East. It could work.

  • The Average American does not know these things…

    Average Americans don’t know things nor do they wish to be reminded they don’t, which is why they vote for dolts like Bush and Muckcain and condemn anyone with more than a half a brain cell.

  • The video of Obama discussing talking to Ahmadinejad was of a press conference when Ahmadinejad was visiting the UN. The questions were specifically about talking to Ahmadinejad. Obama did not say anything about talking to someone other than him, but it was clear that he was generally supportive of engagement but very sensitive about the appropriate ways to bring this about. When he spoke about talking to Iran, he was general in his comments, not specifically referencing Ahmadinejad.

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