McCain Source: News

McCain Misrepresented His Record On Guantanamo Bay Prison

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McCain: "I Always Favored [The] Closing Of Guantanamo Bay." During a press conference in Boston, Massachusetts, John McCain said, "As you know I always favored [the] closing of Guantanamo Bay and I still think that we ought to do that." [McCain Press Availability in Boston, Massachusetts, 6/12/08]

FACT: McCain Said He "Doesn't Think Necessarily" That The U.S. Should Close Guantanamo. During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked John McCain about the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and said directly, "Should we close it?" McCain replied, "I don't think necessarily. But I think the important thing is it's not the facility at Guantanamo, it's the adjudication of the cases of the prisoners who have been held there without trial or without any adjudication of their cases." [NBC, "Meet the Press," 6/19/05]

FACT: McCain Voted For A Sense Of The Senate To Keep Detainees At Guantanamo Bay Prison. McCain voted in favor of a McConnell amendment would "express the sense of the Senate that detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including senior members of al Qaeda, should not be released into the United States, or transferred to facilities in the United States." [Senate Vote # 259, 7/19/07]

McCain Said "I Would Declare That We Would Close Guantanamo Bay And Move Those Prisoners To Fort Leavenworth." The Florida Times-Union reported that McCain said, "I would, as president of the United States, declare we will never torture another person who is in our custody. I would declare that we would close Guantanamo Bay and move those prisoners to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas." [Florida Times-Union, 5/16/08]

FACT: McCain Voted for the Graham Amendment to Deny Habeas Corpus to Non-Citizens Held at Guantanamo Bay. John McCain voted for the Graham substitute amendment to the Graham amendment that would deny non-citizens held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, habeas corpus access to U.S. civilian courts to contest their detention or conviction. It required the Defense secretary to submit a report to Congress detailing security procedures at Guantanamo Bay, particularly Combatant Status Review Tribunals and Administrative Review Boards. [Vote #319, 11/10/2005, Adopted 49-42: R 44-4; D 5-37]

FACT: McCain Voted To Fund $36 Million Prison At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In 2005, there was an up or down vote to delete $36 million from the bill's appropriation for military construction earmarked to pay for the construction of a new maximum security prison at Guantanamo, Cuba. McCain voted no. [Senate Vote #93, 4/13/05]

McSame as Bush on Iraq

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McSame on...	Bush White House	McCain
... WMDs	Bush Insisted Iraq Had Weapons of Mass Destruction. During an address to the nation in March of 2003, Bush said, "Saddam Hussein has had a long history of reckless aggression and terrible crimes. He possesses weapons of terror. He provides funding and safe haven to terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace-loving countries." He added, "We will not wait to see what terrorists or terrorist states could do with weapons of mass destruction." [The President's Radio Address, 3/7/03; emphasis added]	McCain: Hussein Continues To Acquire, Amass And Improve On His Arsenal of Weapons of Mass Destruction. During a floor debate on the floor of the senate, McCain said, "Saddam Hussein continues to acquire, amass, and improve on his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. He continues to attempt to acquire a nuclear weapon. These are all well-known facts. So if you believe that Saddam Hussein....is not going to abandon his request for his weapons, then the longer we wait, the more dangerous he becomes." [Asheville Citizen-Times, 10/13/02; emphasis added]
... Being Greeted As Liberators	Cheney Said, "I Really Do Believe We Will Be Greeted As Liberators." While appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Vice President Cheney said, "I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I've talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House. The president and I have met with them, various groups and individuals, people who have devoted their lives from the outside to trying to change things inside Iraq." [NBC, "Meet the Press," 3/16/03; emphasis added]	McCain Said "The Iraqi People Will Greet Us As Liberators." While appearing on NBC's The Today Show, McCain said, "But I believe, Katie, that the Iraqi people will greet us as liberators. I believe that they will have an opportunity over time, and it will be difficult, to realize the same hopes and dreams and aspirations that every person in the world has and deserves the opportunity to live in a free and open society." [NBC, "The Today Show," 3/20/03; emphasis added]

McSame on...	Bush White House	McCain
... How to Pay for War	Paul Wolfowitz Said Iraqi Oil Revenues Will Help Pay For Reconstruction. While speaking at a hearing of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, said, "And my -- a rough recollection -- well, I'm -- the oil revenues of that country could bring between 50 and 100 billion dollars over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but that's -- we're not dealing with Afghanistan that's a permanent ward of the international community. We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon." [Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, 3/27/03; emphasis added]	McCain Said Iraqi Oil Reserves Would Cover The Cost of War. During an interview with National Journal, McCain said, "Everybody now is talking of post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. I look on it with optimism and hope. As far as the cost is concerned, Iraqis have vast oil reserves and they, I'm sure, would shoulder the cost of the transition." [National Journal, 2/15/03; emphasis added]
... A Mission Accomplished	Standing Under A "Mission Accomplished" Banner, Bush Declared An End To Major Combat Operations. While giving a speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and standing under a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner, Bush announced, "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended." [Associated Press, 5/2/03; emphasis added]	McCain Said Capture Of Saddam Hussein Was A "Mission Accomplished." During an interview on ABC News "This Week" McCain was asked about the capture of Saddam Hussein and the effect on US Forces. McCain said, "Their morale could not be higher. This is a mission accomplished. They know how much influence Saddam Hussein had on the Iraqi people, how much more difficult it made to get their cooperation. Every member of the military and civilian over there are rejoicing today. It was interesting to see Ambassador Bremer's emotion. It was well- deserved." [ABC, "This Week," 12/14/03; emphasis added]

McSame on...	Bush White House	McCain
... Staying the Course	Bush: "We've Got to Stay the Course." After meeting with the family of a fallen soldier, President Bush told the press, "We've got to stay the course and we will stay the course." [Newsweek, 4/19/2004; emphasis added]	McCain: "We've Got to Stay the Course." In an interview with ABC News, McCain said, "Is Afghanistan perfect, no, we've got opium, we've got warlords but by God, it's a heck of a lot better off than it was. And we can to do the same thing in Iraq, we've got to stay the course." [ABC News, 10/24/04; emphasis added]
... Cutting and Running	Bush Said The U.S. Will Not Cut and Run. During an interview, President Bush said that Iraqi's "need to know that we won't leave the country prematurely. They need to know two things: we're not going to cut and run; and two, we believe they have the capacity to run their own country." [Washington Post, 11/17/03; emphasis added]	McCain Said The U.S. Can't Cut and Run. According to the Associated Press, McCain said, "We can't cut and run." They added, "Bush's most important ally may be McCain." [Associated Press, 9/22/05; emphasis added]
... Military & Political Solutions	Bush: A Military Solution Alone Will Not Stop Violence. According to CNN, "The U.S. will win the war ‘unless we leave before the job is done,' Bush said. He cautioned, however, that ‘a military solution alone will not stop violence.'" [CNN, 10/25/06; emphasis added]	McCain: A Military Solution Alone Will Not Solve the Problems In Iraq. McCain said, "We all agree a military solution alone will not solve the problems of Iraq. There must be a political agreement among Iraqis that allows all groups to participate in the building of their nation, to share in its resources and to live in peace with each other." [Congressional Documents and Publications, 8/23/07; emphasis added]

McSame on...	Bush White House	McCain
... Terrorists Following Us Home	Bush Said The Terrorists Would Follow "Follow Us Home" If The U.S. Withdrew From Iraq. While speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Kansas City, President Bush said, "Unlike in Vietnam, if we withdraw before the job is done, this enemy will follow us home. And that is why, for the security of the United States of America, we must defeat them overseas so we do not face them in the United States of America." [The President's speech to the VFW Convention, 8/22/07; emphasis added]	McCain Said The Terrorists Would "Follow Us Home" If The U.S. Withdrew From Iraq. As reported in the Atlantic Free Press, McCain said, "I believe al Qaeda would trumpet to the world that they had defeated the United States of America , and I believe that therefore they would try to follow us home." [Atlantic Free Press, 3/9/08; emphasis added]
... Who To Listen To	Bush Said He Will Listen To "Commanders on the Ground." During a speech in Parma, Ohio, President Bush said, "I'm going to remind the people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, DC, and that we've got a plan to lead to victory." [President's Speech to GrafTech International in Parma, Ohio, 7/10/07; Public Papers of the Presidents, 7/16/07; emphasis added]	McCain Said It Was Important To Listen to "Commanders on the Ground." During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, General James L. Jones said he "absolutely" relied on commanders on the ground. McCain responded, "I think that's important. Because there's a lot of people who are armchair generals who reside here in the air-conditioned comfort of Capitol Hill who somehow do not trust the judgment of some of the finest leaders that our nation has produced, and there will be various proposals about troop reductions, announcing withdrawals which may not comport with conditions on the ground." [Federal News Service, 9/6/07; emphasis added]
... The Surge's "Success"	Bush Said The Troop Surge In Iraq Is Working. While speaking to a group of religious broadcasters, President Bush said, "Since the surge began, sectarian killings are down and al-Qaida has been driven from many strongholds it once held. I strongly believe the surge is working and so do the Iraqis." [CQ Transcriptions, 3/11/08; emphasis added]	McCain Said The Troop Surge Is Working. When as ked if he believed if there was a connection between his political success and the condition in Iraq, McCain answered, "I do. The conditions on the ground have improved. The surge is working. If it weren't, we'd be in a different place right now, no question." [White House Bulletin, 1/14/08; emphasis added]

McSame on...	Bush White House	McCain
... Waving The White Flag of Surrender	Bush Accused Democrats of Waving The "White Flag of Surrender." While speaking at a fundraiser for Sen. Jim Talent, Bush said, "There's a group in the opposition party who are willing to retreat before the mission is done. They're willing to wave the white flag of surrender. And if they succeed, the United States will be worse off, and the world will be worse off." [Los Angeles Times, 7/2/06; emphasis added]	McCain Accused Democrats of Raising The "White Flag of Surrender." According to Agence France Presse, McCain said, "I'm so proud of the jobs that the men and women in the military are doing there, and they don't want us to raise the white flag of surrender like Senator Clinton does." [Agence France Press, 1/25/08; emphasis added
... al Qaeda	Bush: "Al Qaeda Is On The Run In Iraq." During the 2008 State of the Union address, President Bush said, "Ladies and gentlemen, some may deny the surge is working, but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated." [2008 State of the Union, 1/28/08; emphasis added]	McCain: We Are Succeeding In Iraq, Al Qaeda Is On The Run. While speaking at a town hall meeting in Exeter, New Hampshire, McCain said, "We are succeeding in Iraq, we are succeeding in Iraq. The new strategy and surge is succeeding. But I also warn you, if you forget everything I have mentioned, please remember this, Al Qaeda is on the run but not defeated." [Town Hall Meeting in Exeter, New Hampshire, 3/1/08; emphasis added]

McCain's About Face on Torture

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McCain Voted To Allow Interrogation Unrestricted By The Army Field Manual

McCain Voted Against Waterboarding Ban. McCain voted against adoption of a conference report that would prohibit the use of any interrogation treatment not authorized by the U.S. Army Field Manual against any individual in the custody of the intelligence community. The conference report passed 51-45. [HR 2082, Vote #22, 2/13/08]

McCain Encouraged Bush to Veto Waterboarding Ban. According to the Baltimore Sun, "Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war who suffered torture at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors, said today that President Bush should veto a bill that would prohibit the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques on prisoners." McCain said, "I was on the record as saying that they could use additional techniques as long as they were not cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. So the vote was in keeping with my clear record of saying that they could have additional techniques, but those techniques could not violate international rules against torture." [Baltimore Sun, 2/20/08, emphasis added]

McCain's Support for Waterboarding Criticized by Leading Human Rights Group. The Washington Director of Human Rights First criticized McCain's flip-flop on torture. "Elissa Massamino called McCain's vote this week "devastating" because the senator has been "the person with the highest profile and the greatest standing on this issue in the Senate." She added, "His argument seems to be that we've told the administration that it needs to obey the law and what needs to happen here is a good-faith interpretation of the law, but all evidence suggests that that has not happened from day one and there is no reason to believe it will happen now." [Boston Globe, 2/16/08]

McCain Defined Waterboarding as Torture. The New York Times reported, "Mr. McCain, for example, said waterboarding -- a simulated drowning technique -- was an illegal form of torture. But while the C.I.A. says it no longer uses waterboarding, the Bush administration has not ruled out its use in the future." [New York Times, 2/17/08]

McCain Flipped From His Previous Position Against Torture

McCain Said "Torture Doesn't Work." McCain said, "[I]f you decide to torture him, you probably don't get the right information because torture doesn't work." [Fox News, 12/1/05]

McCain Amendment on Detainee Treatment Overwhelmingly Passed the Senate. McCain's amendment to the 2006 Defense Appropriations bill to prohibit cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of persons under custody or control of the U.S. government passed in the Senate by a vote of 90-9. [S. Amdt 1977, Vote #249, 10/5/05]

McCain Said Agreement with the White House on Detainees Outlawed Waterboarding. Speaking on CBS about the agreement reached with the White House on the Detainee Treatment Act, McCain said, "In concrete terms, it could mean that waterboarding and other extreme measures such as extreme deprivation--sleep deprivation, hypothermia and others would be not allowed." According to Washington Post reporting of McCain's CBS interview, "McCain was nonetheless particularly adamant that the CIA be permanently blocked from using waterboarding, which he regards as torture." [CBS News, 9/24/06; Washington Post, 9/25/06]

McCain Joined with Warner to Criticize Bush Signing Statement on Torture Law, Pledged to Monitor Law's Administration. The Boston Globe reported, Senators John Warner and McCain "issued a joint statement rejecting Bush's assertion that he can waive the restrictions on the use of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment against detainees to protect national security. ‘We believe the president understands Congress's intent in passing, by very large majorities, legislation governing the treatment of detainees,' the senators said. ‘The Congress declined when asked by administration officials to include a presidential waiver of the restrictions included in our legislation. Our committee intends through strict oversight to monitor the administration's implementation of the new law.'" [Boston Globe,1/5/06]

McCain Said U.S. Will "Never Torture" under His Presidency. During a campaign event in New Hampshire, McCain said, "Today we see, on the front page of the New York Times and other newspapers, that the CIA decided to erase some interrogation tapes of interrogations of some al Qaeda people... bad people, bad, bad people. But they decided against the recommendation of members of Congress, and, uh, a lot of other people and organizations not to erase those tapes. What does that do? That confirms suspicions of people who are our enemies that, that we, that we engage in interrogation techniques which are illegal, it causes, uh, others to be encouraged, and it erodes the credibility and confidence of the American people in their government. And I'll tell ya, as president of the United States, we will never torture another person in the custody of the United States of America. That's not what America is supposed to do. [applause]" [Town Hall; Nashua, NH, 12/08/07, emphasis added]

McCain Said Anti-Torture Legislation Cemented US As a Nation of Values and Standards. "‘We've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists,' McCain said at the conclusion of an Oval Office meeting with Bush in which they sealed the deal [on the anti-torture legislation]. ‘What we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are.'" [Los Angeles Times, 12/16/05]

McCain Emphasized the Need for Clear Interrogation Guidelines to Prevent Torture, to Separate Americans from the Terrorists. McCain said, "Are we the same as them [the terrorists]? Of course not. And it's not about them. It's about us. It's about us. And from a practical standpoint, torture doesn't work. It doesn't work. If you inflict enough pain on somebody, they'll tell you whatever they think you want, they want ... to hear, to stop the pain. But most importantly, we've got to have clear guidelines for the men and women in the military who are doing the interrogation, so that we don't engage in it. Because, by the way, we were a signatory during the Reagan administration to a treaty that says we will not engage in torture." [Charlie Rose Show, 10/31/05]

McCain's Detainee Bill Sought to Include CIA Interrogations

McCain Amendment on Torture Intended to Close CIA Loophole. According to the Los Angeles Times, "The McCain amendment would prohibit ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment' of anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held. That language could place new restrictions on the CIA and the methods it uses in interrogating terrorist suspects held in secret facilities operated by the agency in foreign countries ... McCain's amendment does not explicitly ban waterboarding, but it and certain other methods are presumed to be deemed unacceptably cruel or inhumane under the amendment. The White House previously had argued that existing conventions banning such treatment did not necessarily apply in cases involving foreign suspects being questioned by U.S. operatives on foreign soil. But the McCain bill seeks to close that loophole by saying such restrictions apply ‘regardless of nationality or physical location.'" [Los Angeles Times, 12/16/05]

VP and CIA Director Met with McCain to Seek Exemption for CIA from McCain Amendment. The Los Angeles Times reported, "Still, the potential effect on CIA operations was significant enough that Cheney and CIA Director Porter J. Goss met with McCain in October, expressing concern with the amendment and, according to sources, seeking an exemption for CIA operatives." [Los Angeles Times, 12/16/05]

McCain And Top Foreign Policy Aides Lay The Groundwork For War With Iran

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

“McCain’s foreign-policy advisers are a mix of traditional Republican ‘realists’ who favor a pragmatic approach to the world, and ‘neoconservatives,’ who lobbied for the Iraq invasion, advocate tougher action to squelch Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions and favor using U.S. power to transform the Muslim world.”
-- [McClatchy Newspapers, 2/8/08]

John McCain: “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran”

McCain: “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran.” In April 2007, McCain, speaking to voters in South Carolina, responded to a question about Iran by singing “Bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann.” A man had asked McCain about sending “an air mail message to Tehran.” McCain answered by singing, “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.” He then added: “Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. That alone should concern us, but now they are trying for nuclear capabilities. I totally support [President George W. Bush] when he says we will not allow Iran to destroy Israel.” [UPI, 4/19/07]

• McCain Threatened To Return To Iran With The “Full Force Of Desert Storm.” In a 1995 press release, McCain wrote of Iraq and Iran, “[a]ggressors in the region should know that, if we must, we will return to the Persian Gulf with the full force of Operation Desert Storm. At the same time, our friends and adversaries elsewhere in the world should understand that the United States will do everything in its legislation will serve as an indication of just how serious we are.” [McCain Press Release, 4/28/95]

McCain Vowed To Prevent Iran From Acquiring Nuclear Weapons. Senator McCain stated, “At the end of the day, we cannot allow the Iranians to acquire nuclear weapons. And as president of the United States, I will not allow it to happen!” [McCain Remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory 2008 Forum, 10/16/007]

• McCain: “There’s Only One Thing Worse Than Military Action Against Iran, And That Is A Nuclear-Armed Iran.” During an interview with the Associated Press, McCain said, “I still say there’s only one thing worse than military action against Iran and that is a nuclear-armed Iran.” [Associated Press, 10/16/07]

McCain Called Iran Dangerous And Possibly Deranged. While speaking to a pro-Israel group in New York, McCain said that Iran is a “possibly deranged and surely dangerous regime.” He went on to say that while war with Iran will remain a last resort, a nuclear-armed Iran would be a worse outcome than war. [New York Daily News, 12/11/06]

McSame As Bush On Iran

George W. Bush

John McCain

Bush: "All Options Are On The Table." While speaking with reporters, President Bush said of Iran, "I will tell you this, that my position hasn’t changed, and that is, all options are on the table. I would hope that we could solve this diplomatically. And that’s why the United States--first of all, we take the threat very seriously." [Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Olmert, 6/19/07; emphasis added]

McCain: "Every Option Must Remain On The Table." During a speech to the Munich Conference on Security Policy, McCain said, "Every option must remain on the table. There is only one thing worse than military action, and that is a nuclear armed Iran. The regime must understand that it cannot win a showdown with the world. Should diplomacy fail, the responsible members of the international community - and the transatlantic partners especially - need to stay unified to answer this grave challenge." [McCain Speech to the Munich Conference on Security Policy, 2/3/06; emphasis added]

Bush Said Iran's Actions Could Lead To World War III. During a Presidential News Conference, President Bush said, "we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I've told people that if you’re interested in avoiding world war III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously, and we’ll continue to work with all nations about the seriousness of this threat." [Presidential News Conference, 10/17/07; emphasis added]

McCain Agreed That We Are In The Midst Of World War III, Blamed Iran. During an interview on CNN, McCain was asked if he agreed with Newt Gingrich's assertion that the U.S. is already in World War III. He said, "I do to some extent. I think it’s important to recognize that we have terrorist organizations which -- who are dangerous by themselves, are now being supported by radical Islamic governments, i.e., the Iranians, which makes them incredibly more dangerous because they are trained, equipped, motivated and assisted in every way by the Iranians." [CNN, Larry King Live, 7/16/06; emphasis added]

Bush Refused To Rule Out Military Action Against Iran. When asked if he would rule out military action against Iran, President Bush said, "You never want a President to say 'never.' But military action is certainly not--it's never the President's first choice. Diplomacy is always the President's first--at least my first choice.

And we’ve got a common goal, and that is that Iran--Iran should not have a nuclear weapon."

McCain: "There's Only One Thing Worse Than Military Action Against Iran, And That Is A Nuclear-Armed Iran." During an interview with the Associated Press, McCain said, "I still say there’s only one thing worse than military action against Iran and that is a nuclear-armed Iran." [Associated Press, 10/16/07]

Bush Repeatedly Insisted That Iran Is Dangerous. During a press conference with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, President Bush said, "Iran is dangerous. Iran--we believe Iran had a secret military weapons program. And Iran must explain to the world why they had a program. Iran has an obligation to explain to the IAEA why they hid this program from them. Iran is dangerous, and they'll be even more dangerous if they learn how to enrich uranium." [President’s Remarks, 12/11/07; emphasis added]

McCain Called Iran Dangerous And Possibly Deranged. While speaking to a pro-Israel group in New York, McCain said that Iran is a "possibly deranged and surely dangerous regime." He went on to say that while war with Iran will remain a last resort, a nuclear-armed Iran would be a worse outcome than war. [New York Daily News, 12/11/06; emphasis added]

Bush: "Iran Remains The World's Most Active State Sponsor Of Terrorism." In a message sent to Congress, the Bush White House wrote, "The actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Iran remains the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism, and continues to provide lethal support to Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and numerous other terrorist organizations in the region, as well as to the Taliban in Afghanistan and various Iraqi militant groups." [Presidential Message to Congress, 3/11/08; emphasis added]

McCain Said Iran Is "The World's Chief State Sponsor Of International Terrorism." During a speech to the Munich Conference on Security Policy, McCain said, "Foremost on many minds is, of course, Iran. The world’s chief state sponsor of international terrorism, the Iranian regime defines itself by hostility to the United States and Israel - a point made shockingly apparent by President Ahmadinejad's recent comments about Israel and the Holocaust." [McCain Speech to the Munich Conference on Security Policy, 2/3/06; emphasis added]

Pro-Iran War John Bolton Endorsed McCain Because Of His Hawkish Iran Position

John Bolton Endorsed John McCain For President. John Bolton endorsed John McCain for president saying, “John McCain was very active and supportive during my confirmation hearings to be the U.S. Ambassador to the UN. His belief in me at that time was a testament to his courage to fight the liberals in the Senate and vigorously advance American interests at the UN. I whole-heartedly endorse John McCain for President because when he takes office in January 2009 he will be prepared immediately to lead us. John will not need on the job training. American conservatives will have a President they can be proud of in John McCain.” [McCain Press Release, 2/10/08]

Bolton On McCain And Iran:

•   Bolton Said McCain Has “A Very Realistic View Of What Needs To Be Done In Iran.” During an appearance on Fox News, John Bolton said, “I think he’s got a very realistic view of what needs to be done on Iran ... We’re going to need a much more forceful approach to it. I think Senator McCain understands that, I don’t think that Senator Obama or Senator Clinton do.” [Salon.com, 2/11/08]

•   John Bolton Said McCain’s Iran Stance Was “Stronger Than The Bush Administration.” During his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, John Bolton said, “I think Senator McCain’s statement here yesterday on how he would handle the Iranian program is stronger than the current Bush administration policy.” He added, “I didn’t think the policy the administration was pursuing was robust enough.” [Bolton’s Address to CPAC, 2/8/08]

Bolton On Iran

•   John Bolton Said Military Force Against Iran Is “The Most Prudent Thing To Do.” John Bolton, former ambassador to the United Nations, advocated U.S. airstrikes against Iran, saying, “This is a case where the use of military force against a training camp to show the Iranians we’re not going to tolerate this is really the most prudent thing to do. Then the ball would be in Iran’s court to draw the appropriate lesson to stop harming our troops.” [UK Telegraph, 6/5/08]

•   Bolton on Iran: “We’re Talking About, Quite Likely, A Limited Air Strike.” During an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, John Bolton said, “Let’s get this straight one more time. We’re not talking about a war such as we had in Iraq. We’re talking about, quite likely, a limited air strike against, for example, the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz, or the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan, or the heavy water reactor at Arak, that would prevent Iran from getting from uranium in the ground to highly enriched uranium in a nuclear warhead. That is the kind of attack that we’re talking about.” [Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Lateline,” 9/18/07; emphasis added]

Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s Top Foreign Policy Aide

Scheunemann Repeated McCain’s Iran-Al Qaeda “Gaffe.” The New York Sun reported, “Mr. McCain’s national security adviser, Randy Scheunemann, told the New York Sun, ‘There is ample documentation that Iran has provided many different forms of support to Sunni extremists, including Al Qaeda as well as Shi’ia extremists in Iraq. It would require a willing suspension of disbelief to deny Iran supports Al Qaeda in Iraq.’” [New York Sun, 3/20/08]

•   Scheunemann Was Spokesman For Neo-Con Group That Pushed For War In Iraq. Salon.com reported, “To evaluate Scheunemann’s assertion, it is helpful to know that he was also a spokesman for the Committee to Liberate Iraq, the neoconservative outfit that promoted the overthrow of Saddam Hussein for years before it got its way in 2003 – and that the committee, like most of the war’s enthusiasts, insisted on the connection between al-Qaida and Baghdad. Before its claims about that relationship were debunked, along with the mythical weapons of mass destruction, the neoconservatives and the Bush administration convinced a majority of Americans that Saddam was actually responsible for 9/11.” [Salon.com, 3/21/08; emphasis added]

Scheunemann Said Iran-Al Qaeda Link Real. “This whole idea that Shiite Iran wouldn’t aid Sunni extremists is laughable and would certainly be news to Hamas, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Taliban,” said Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s top foreign policy adviser. [Newsweek, 3/31/08]

McCain Adviser Said NIE Is “Misleading.” According to the New York Times, in December 2007, a newly released National Intelligence Estimate concluded “that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.” Salon.com reported, “Since the NIE’s release, McCain has been in the ranks of those dismissive of it. His campaign’s director of foreign policy, Randy Scheunemann, told me Wednesday that ‘a careful reading of the NIE indicates that it is misleading.’” [New York Times, 12/3/07; Salon.com, 3/7/08, emphasis added]

Scheunemann: Military Option Against Iran On The Table. Salon.com reported, “Scheunemann, McCain’s foreign policy director, also told me that McCain believes the U.N. sanctions aren’t enough, and that tougher measures are necessary. He said that McCain would support ‘sanctions outside of the U.N. framework,’ and that although ‘the military option is fraught with danger’ he would not take it off the table.” [Salon.com, 3/7/08]

Max Boot, McCain Foreign Policy Adviser

Boot Is McCain Foreign Policy Adviser. According to Think Progress, Max Boot, a former Wall Street Journal Editor and current senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is a foreign policy adviser to Senate McCain. [Think Progress, 3/17/08]

Boot Issued Demand For War With Iran And Syria. Salon.com reported, “More explicit demands are now issuing from the warped through representative likes of Max Boot (of the Council on Foreign Relations, The LA Times, and Norm Podhoretz’s Commentary Magazine) – who wants to invade Syria and bomb the Damascus airport – and then fueled by the fresh-faced cheerleaders like James Kirchick, who simultaneously (and revealingly) serves as Marty Peretz’s assistant and writes for both the ‘liberal’ New Republic and Podhoretz’s Commentary blog. Yesterday, Kirchick – who has convinced himself and then publicly announced that his desire to send other people off to war proves how much ‘grit’ he has – swaggered up and showed real grit by proclaiming; Max is right on the crucial point, which is that Syria and Iran have effectively declared war on us. Make of that what you will. But it’s not ‘warmongering’ to simply state the fact that two rogue states are themselves complicit in unwarranted acts of warmongering against the United States and a nascent democracy in the Middle East. They want a war not only with Iran, but also with Syria – as do their ideological comrades such as Joe Lieberman, the only person whom Bush quoted yesterday in his speech. … The groundwork for an attack on Iran is so plainly being laid in the same systematic way as the attack on Iraq was and by the same people. .. The notion of attacking Iran may be insane, but it is not considered such by our mainstream establishing. Those who muse about it openly – Lieberman, McCain, Giuliani, Kristol, Max Boot – are not considered fringe extremists or unserious radicals, even though they are.” [Salon.com, 8/29/07, emphasis added]

Boot Chastised Admiral Fallon For Ruling Out Strike Against Iran. The Arab American News reported, “One neoconservative pundit, military specialist Max Boot, criticized Fallon last November for his public comment ruling out a strike against Iran and then suggested in January that [David] Petraeus should replace the ‘unimpressive’ Fallon at CENTCOM.” [Arab American News, 3/15/08 – 3/21/08]

Boot Dismissed NIE, Said Civilian And Nuclear Weapons Programs Are The Same. McCain foreign policy adviser Max Boot said, “Well, you’re actually right that the National Intelligence Estimate released yesterday presents a new story about Iran, because just two years ago the previous NEI [sic] that was released on Iran said that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program and now this one says that they have not been pursuing a nuclear weapons program since 2003. But, in fact, the differences I think are more apparent than real because if you read this one carefully, it does say that Iran is still pursuing their enrichment facilities, trying to enrich uranium, which is of course what you need to create a nuclear weapon. And they’re doing that, of course, in violation of the United Nations sanctions. And the difference between a civilian and a nuclear program I think are very slight. And the product of this so called civilian Iranian nuclear program could very easily be converted into a nuclear weapon in – whenever they get enough fissile material which, according to the NIE, could be as soon as two years from now or even less time.” [CQ Transcripts, 12/4/07, emphasis added]

•   Boot: NIE Was Political Because Intelligence Community Doesn’t Want To Be Blamed For War With Iran. McCain foreign policy adviser Max Boot said, “I mean it’s hard to read motives into anything that the intelligence community does. But if anything, it’s related to the fact that a lot of people in the intelligence community opposed the war in Iraq and they don’t like being ‘blamed’ for the supposed rush to war that we had in Iraq. And so they want to make sure that they’re not going to be blamed for the supposed rush to war in the case of Iran, and they want to make clear that a lot of people in the intelligence community are not on board with the idea of military action against Iran.” [CQ Transcripts, 12/4/07, emphasis added]

Bill Kristol, Informal McCain Foreign Policy Adviser

Kristol Is Informal McCain Adviser. According to Think Progress, Weekly Standard founder and editor Bill Kristol is an informal McCain foreign policy adviser. [Think Progress, 3/17/08]

Kristol: We Should Consider “Military Strike Against” Iran. In a July 2006 editorial, Kristol wrote, “For that matter, we might consider countering this act of Iranian aggression with a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Why wait? Does anyone think a nuclear Iran can be contained?” [Weekly Standard, 7/24/06]

Kristol: Any Strategy That Does Not Include Attacking Iran “Emboldens” The Iranian Regime. University of Texas at Austin Professor Tom Palaima wrote in the Texas Observer, “Kristol’s Iraq déjà vu includes claims that any strategy that does not include attacking Iran ‘emboldens’ the Iranian regime, ‘disheartens…our friends in the region,’ and leaves our ‘allies more confused.’” [Texas Observer, 11/16/07]

Weekly Standard Blog Said “McCain Was Right” On Iran-Al Qaeda Connection. Michael Goldfarb, editor of the Weekly Standard’s blog, wrote an entry titled, “McCain Was Right, Iran Works with Al Qaeda.” Goldfarb wrote, “John McCain was right the first time. He shouldn’t have taken his comment back. But this whole imbroglio shows just how much ignorance there is concerning our terrorist enemies.” [Weekly Standard, 3/18/08]

Weekly Standard Editor Is McCain Foreign Policy Adviser. McClatchy reported, “McCain’s foreign-policy team is sprinkled with people, including Scheunemann, who were ardent backers of the 2003 Iraq invasion and who dismissed critics who warned of unintended consequences. They include former CIA Director James Woolsey, an adviser mostly on energy security, and William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard.” [McClatchy, 2/8/08, emphasis added]

Lawrence Eagleburger, McCain Supporter

Lawrence Eagleburger Endorsed John McCain. According to the Washington Post, “Lawrence S. Eagleburger, President George H.W. Bush’s secretary of state and a senior public policy adviser with law firm Baker Donelson, endorsed McCain April 10.” [Washington Post, 10/2/07]

Eagleburger Compared Ahmadinejad To Adolf Hilter. During testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Lawrence Eagleburger said, “They have a deliberate sense of what it is they’re going to do, and when he says he’s going to wipe Israel off the face of the map, he means it.” He added, “Just like the -- when Adolph Hitler wrote “Mein Kampf” and nobody took it seriously, well, they realized later they should have, and I think you -- you’re facing that.” [Hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 6/14/07]

Eagleburger On Iran: “I Would Rather See Us Knock Them Around A Bit.” During an appearance on Fox News, Lawrence Eagleburger was asked about Tony Blair and Iran. He said, “It may be what we have to do if the British are not prepared to be really tough and go to war -- go to war is too strong a term. But if they are not prepared to use force, this may be what we have to do. I would rather see us knock them around a bit -- the Iranians, knock them around a bit and see whether that doesn`t work because they have to get the message sooner or later that the West -- or at least the less pusillanimous part of the West is not going to tolerate this anymore.” [Fox News, 3/29/07; emphasis added]

Niall Ferguson, Informal Foreign Policy Adviser

Niall Ferguson Served As An Informal Policy Adviser To McCain. According to a list of McCain supporters compiled by the Washington Post, “Niall Ferguson, Harvard historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow, informal foreign policy adviser.” [Washington Post, 10/2/07]

Niall Ferguson Favored A Pre-Emptive War With Iran In 2006. Niall Ferguson wrote an article in The Guardian reflecting on the potential war with Iran. He concluded the article by writing, “Yet the historian is bound to ask whether or not the true significance of the 2007-2011 war was to vindicate the Bush administration’s original principle of pre-emption. For, if that principle had been adhered to in 2006, Iran’s nuclear bid might have been thwarted at minimal cost. And the Great Gulf War might never have happened.” [The Guardian, 1/15/06]

McCain's Century Of War

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

During the course of the Iraq War, John McCain has been steadfast in insisting that the length of the American occupation in Iraq isn’t important. He even said that a hundred years would be “fine with me.” McCain’s infamous “100 years” comment was not an isolated incident—it was part of a consistent message. His language begs the question John McCain, when will the troops come home?

McCain On Iraq: A "Fight" and A "Conflict" For A Long, Long Time

McCain On Iraq: “It’s Long and Hard and Tough.” During an April 2008 appearance on Fox News Sunday, McCain said, “I believe this strategy has succeeded and will succeed and can succeed. But it’s long and hard and tough.” [FOX, Fox News Sunday, 4/6/08]

McCain Promised That Iraqi Military Will Take Over, But “We’ve Still Got A Long, Long, Long Way To Go There.” Detailing his views about ending the war in Iraq, McCain said, “We will withdraw from the front lines as the Iraqi military takes over our responsibilities, and then the political process moves forward. My friends, I also have to give you some straight talk. We have a long way to go, particularly in the area of rule of law. …We’ve still got a long, long, long way to go there.” [Town Hall Meeting; Kalamazoo, MI 01/14/08; emphasis added]

McCain On The “Conflict”: “We’re Going To Be In Iraq A Long Time.” While speaking at a Meet & Greet in Leesville, South Carolina, McCain said, “This is going to be a long conflict. And we’re going to fight for a long time in Afghanistan. Because the Taliban is not going away. And we’re going to be in Iraq for a long time and I don’t want to deceive you, we are winning in Iraq and I’ll talk about it in a minute. But it’s going to be a long conflict.” [Meet and Greet in Leesville, SC, 12/10/07; emphasis added]

McCain On Iraq: “It’s Long and It’s Hard And It’s Tough.” During a campaign event in South Carolina John McCain said, “Lindsey Graham, who in my view is one of the great United States Senators, and I just came back from spending Thanksgiving in Iraq with the troops. And I just wanted to report to you that these young people are doing a magnificent job … And they are succeeding. And anybody who tells you anything different doesn’t know the facts on the ground. And I’m here to tell you there are some Democrats that have declared this war lost a long time ago. And, if we’d have done what they wanted to do seven or eight months ago, Al-Qaeda would be tellin’ the world they beat the United States of America. My friends, it’s long and it’s hard and it’s tough and you’ve still got the Iranians exporting these explosive devices into Iraq which is killing brave, young Americans.” [Meet and Greet in North Myrtle Beach, SC, 12/1/07, emphasis added]

McCain: “The War Is Costing Us Billions Of Dollars, And It’s Going To Be Long and Hard and Difficult.” While appearing at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire, McCain was asked how he would continue to pay for the war in Iraq. He replied, “It’s costing us billions of dollars and it’s going to be very expensive and it’s going to be long and hard and difficult.” [Town Hall Meeting in Manchester, NH; 12/5/07; emphasis added]

McCain Said “Americans Would Be Satisfied” With American Troops In Iraq For A “Long, Long Time.” While speaking to employees of Nationwide Insurance in Iowa, McCain said, “We have had troops in South Korea for 60 years and nobody minds. If you stay a long, long time, but have the Iraqis doing the fighting, and your people are back in the bases and away from the firing line, I think Americans would be satisfied.” [Des Moines Register, 6/2/07]

McCain Often Repeated 100 Years In Iraq Statement

McCain: “It Doesn’t Matter…We Could Be There For A Hundred Years, For All I Know.” During n interview with the editorial board of the Detroit News, McCain was asked, “When should the United States leave Iraq?” McCain responded, “It doesn't matter. We're still in Kuwait since the first Gulf War. If we can continue to show this progress, we could be there for 100 years, for all I know, as long as Americans are not dying. It's not a matter of American presence; it's a matter of success so we can beat back this adversary. If we'd done what they wanted us to do six months ago, al-Qaida would now be trumpeting to the world that it defeated the United States of America.” [Detroit News, 1/3/08]

McCain Said US Could Stay In Iraq For “Maybe A Hundred Years” And He Was “Fine” With It. In January 2008, McCain said the U.S. military could stay in Iraq for “a hundred years” and that “would be fine with me.” At a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, a questioner said, “President Bush is talking about our staying in Iraq for 50 year,” at which point McCain interrupted and said, “Make it a hundred. We’ve been in South Korea, we’ve been in Japan for 60 years, we’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That’d be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured, or harmed, or wounded, or killed. That’s fine with me, I hope it would be fine with you.” [Town Hall Meeting in Concord, NH, 1/3/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “I Don’t Think Americans Are Concerned If We’re There For 100 Years Or 1,000 Years Or 10,000 Years.” In an interview on “Face the Nation,” host Bob Schieffer asked McCain about staying in Iraq for 100 year. McCain responded, “We’ve got to get Americans off the front line, have the Iraqis as part of the strategy, take over more and more of the responsibilities. And then I don’t think Americans are concerned if we’re there for 100 years or 1,000 years or 10,000 years. What they care about is a sacrifice of our most precious treasure, and that’s American blood. So what I’m saying is look, if Americans are there in a support role, but they’re not taking casualties, that’s fine. We’re in Kuwait now. As you well recall, we had a war, we stayed in Kuwait. We didn’t stay in Saudi Arabia. So it’s going to be up to the relationship between the Iraqi government and the United States of America.” [CBS, “Face the Nation,” 1/06/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “We’re Going To Be In This Struggle For The Rest of The Century.” While speaking at a town hall meeting in Sun City Center, Florida, McCain said, “I’d like to look you in the eye and tell you there’s not gonna be any more wars. I’d like to look you in the eyes and tell you that this terrible evil called radical Islamic extremism is defeated. I can’t do that. I’ve got to tell you that we’re gonna be in this struggle for the rest of this century because it’s a transcendent evil.” [Town Hall Meeting; Sun City Center, FL 01/26/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “We Are In A Greater Struggle That Is Going To Be With Us For The Rest of This Century.” While giving a speech in Nashua, New Hampshire, McCain said, “We are in two wars. We are in a greater struggle that is going to be with us for the rest of this century… He added, “These young people that are in this crowd, my friends, I’m going to be asking you to serve. I’m gonna be asking you to step forward and serve this nation in difficult times.” [Speech in Nashua, New Hampshire, 1/7/08; emphasis added]

McCain: "There's Gonna Be More Wars"

McCain: “I’d Like To Tell You We’re No Gonna Be In Anymore Wars. I Can’t Tell You That.” While speaking at a town hall meeting in Howell, Michigan, McCain said, “I’d like to tell you we’re not gonna be in anymore wars. I can’t tell you that. I gotta give you some straight talk. The world is probably as dangerous as it’s ever been in terms of the challenges we face. By the way, this conflict has been long and hard and tough. PTSD, burns, the injuries associated with these IEDs, these horrible explosive devices.” [Town Hall Meeting; Howell, MI 01/13/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “I’m Sorry To Tell You That There’s Gonna Be More Wounds And There’s Gonna Be More Wars.” While speaking at a rally in Florence, South Carolina, McCain said, “I’m sorry to tell you that there [is] gonna be more wounds and there’s gonna be more wars. I’d like to tell you there’s not gonna be any more wars. There’s gonna be more wars.” [Rally; Florence, SC 01/18/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “I’m Sorry To Tell You That We’re Gonna Be In Further Wars.” While Speaking at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, McCain said, “And I’m sorry to tell you that we’re gonna be in further wars, and I’m sorry to tell you that the casualties from this long war in Iraq and Afghanistan are tough, very tough. PTSD is tough. The kind of wounds from these IEDs is tough.” [Rally in Pensacola, Florida 1/22/08; emphasis added]

McCain: “There’s Gonna Be Other Wars, I’m Sorry To Tell You, There’s Gonna Be Other Wars.” While speaking at a town hall meeting in Polk City, Florida, McCain said, “And I gotta give you some straight talk, my friends. This is a tough war we’re in, it’s not gonna be over right away. There’s gonna be other wars, I’m sorry to tell you, there’s gonna be other wars. We will never surrender, but there will be other wars.” [Town Hall Meeting; Polk City, FL 01/27/08; emphasis added]

McCain Doesn't Understand What Americans Care About

McCain Said American’s Do Not Care About Length of Occupation in Iraq. When asked if he regretted saying that the U.S. involvement in Iraq could last “1,000 years or a million years,” McCain replied, “That’s just foolishness. It’s foolishness to use that quote, because the question was how long are we going to be in Iraq. And that’s not the question the American people care about.” [Hartford Courant, 2/4/08; emphasis added]

McCain Said The American People Do Not Care About How Long We Are Going To Be In Iraq. At a rally in Fairfield, Connecticut, John McCain was asked, “How long are we gonna be in Iraq?” McCain replied, “That’s not the question the American people care about. The American people care about American casualties.” [Rally; Fairfield, CT 02/03/08; emphasis added]

McCain Said That Asking How Long We Are Going To Be In Iraq Is “Either Naïve or Misunderstanding The American People.” While speaking at a town hall meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan, McCain said, “How long are we gonna be in Iraq?’ Well that question is either naive or misunderstanding of the American people. It’s not how long we’re in Iraq. It’s how we’re in Iraq, ok?” He added, “Does anybody mind that our troops are out there and presence and maintaining security in the region?” [Town Hall Meeting; Kalamazoo, MI 01/14/08; emphasis added]

McCain Said Length Of Time In Iraq Doesn’t Matter, American Casualties Matter. At the 2008 Fox News Channel G.O.P. debate, McCain said, “It’s not American casualties. It’s American presence -- I mean, not American presence. It’s American casualties. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years. We’ve been in Japan and Germany since the end of World War II. We’re in Kuwait. It’s up to the Iraqi government and the United States government. Anybody who thinks it’s the length of time we’re there that matters, it’s American casualties that matter and those casualties have been dramatically reduced, thanks to these brave and courageous young men and women who we should be supporting and not condemning what they’re doing.” [Fox News Channel G.O.P. Debate, 1/10/08; emphasis added]

John McCain's Foreign Policy

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McCain has sought to repackage his record on foreign policy and portray himself as a conciliatory diplomat committed to work with allies. However, when America’s allies have expressed hesitation towards McCain’s hawkish foreign policy, he brushes them aside with indifference and mockery. His record shows an eagerness to use force and an equally apparent disdain for diplomacy. McCain holds that presidents are measured solely by their determination and steadfastness in the face of war, and has methodically positioned himself as a “War President.” Below is a review of McCain’s hawkish nature.

McCain Abuses American Allies

MCCAIN’S RHETORIC:

McCain Said One Of America’s Responsibilities Is To Be A “Good And Reliable Ally To Our Fellow Democracies.” In a speech to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles, McCain said,” Leadership in today’s world means accepting and fulfilling our responsibilities as a great nation. One of those responsibilities is to be a good and reliable ally to our fellow democracies. We cannot build an enduring peace based on freedom by ourselves, and we do not want to.” [McCain Speech to the Foreign Affairs Council, 3/26/08]

THE REAL JOHN MCCAIN:

South Korea: McCain Said U.S. Could “Make Do” Without South Korea If They Oppose Attack on North Korea. Responding to South Korean President Roh’s statement that a war with North Korea would be catastrophic for South Korea, McCain said, “While they may risk their populations, the United States will do whatever it must to guarantee the security of the American people. And spare us the usual lectures about American unilateralism. We would prefer the company of North Korea’s neighbors, but we will make do without it if we must.” [Weekly Standard, 1/20/03]

France: John McCain Joined In the Far-Right’s French Bashing When France Opposed the Invasion of Iraq. “The Lord said the poor will always be with us, and the French will be with us, too,” said McCain, a member of the Armed Services Committee. “This is part of a continuing French practice of throwing sand in the gears of the Atlantic alliance. But now they’re playing a dangerous game, and coming close to rendering themselves irrelevant.” A few days later he even, “likened France to an aging ‘40s starlet “still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn’t have the face for it.” [NY Times, 2/14/03. NY Daily News, 2/17/03; NSN Release, 2/26/08]

NATO: McCain Calls for Respecting Collective Views of Allies - But He Called Them “Vacuous and Posturing” for Opposing War in Iraq. In 2003, the Washington Post reported, “Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that ‘Iraq is the test’ of both the U.N. and NATO. He charged that the alliance is failing the test because of the ‘flawed calculations’ and ‘vacuous posturing’ of Germany and France. McCain and Rumsfeld both said that recent French and German foot-dragging over even discussing the possible deployment of NATO assets, such as Patriot anti-missile batteries, to Turkey also threatened to damage the alliance.” [Washington Post, 2/9/03]

Germany: McCain Belittled German Chancellor for Opposing the War in Iraq, Said Germany Lacked “Political Courage.” McCain said that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder “looks little like the ally that anchored our presence in Europe throughout the Cold War. A German Rip Van Winkle from the 1960s would not understand the lack of political courage and cooperation with its allies on the question of Iraq exhibited in Berlin today.” [Associated Press, 2/13/03]

United Nations: McCain Said Opposition To War In Iraq Would “Risk Irrelevancy” For The United Nations. According to the Washington Times, “If war is necessary, the United States will not ‘be going it alone,’ he said, but will wage war in Iraq with a coalition of allies - with or without the blessing of the United Nations. ‘The problem here is not whether we do damage to the United Nations if we have to take military action,’ he said. ‘The question is, will the United Nations follow the League of Nations and risk irrelevancy.’” [Washington Times, 2/14/03]

McCain's Hawkish Outlook

McCain: There Are Going To Be More Wars. During a town hall meeting in Polk City, Florida, McCain said, “I’m sorry to tell you, there’s going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars.” [CNN, 1/27/08]

McCain: “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran.” In April 2007, McCain, speaking to voters in South Carolina, responded to a question about Iran by singing “Bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann.” A man had asked McCain about sending “an air mail message to Tehran.” McCain answered by singing, “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.” He then added: “Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. That alone should concern us, but now they are trying for nuclear capabilities. I totally support (President George W. Bush) when he says we will not allow Iran to destroy Israel.” [UPI, 4/19/07]

McCain Threatened to Return to Iran with the “Full Force of Desert Storm.” In a 1995 press release, McCain wrote of Iraq and Iran, “[a]ggressors in the region should know that, if we must, we will return to the Persian Gulf with the full force of Operation Desert Storm. At the same time, our friends and adversaries elsewhere in the world should understand that the United States will do everything in its legislation will serve as an indication of just how serious we are.” [McCain Press Release, 4/28/95]

McCain Wrote “War Is A Miserable Business. Let’s Get On With It.” In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, McCain wrote, “War is a miserable business. The lives of a nation’s finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted, economies are damaged. Strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that will be lost when war claims its wages from us. Shed a tear, and then get on with the business of killing our enemies as quickly as we can, and as ruthlessly as we must.” He added, “War is a miserable business. Let’s get on with it.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/26/01]

What Experts Say

Pat Buchanan: You Get John Mccain In The White House, And I Do Believe We Will Be At War With Iran. Former Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan said, “That is straight talk… You get John McCain in the White House, and I do believe we will be at war with Iran. That’s one of the things that makes me very nervous about him” He added, “There’s no doubt John McCain is going to be a war president… His entire career is wrapped up in the military, national security. He’s in Putin’s face, he’s threatening the Iranians, we’re going to be in Iraq a hundred years.” [National Interest, 2/4/08; Huffington Post, 2/4/08]

Economist: McCain Has a Militaristic Foreign Policy. McCain biographer Matt Welch said McCain offers, “offers a more militaristic foreign policy than any US president in a century.” [Economist, 2/7/08]

McCain Described As An “Unapologetic Hawk.” Gary Kamiya wrote that McCain, “is an unapologetic hawk at a time when only right-wing die-hards cling to that position. His hard-line insistence that U.S. troops must remain there until ‘victory,’ whatever that is, puts him at odds with a clear majority of the American people, who want the troops withdrawn soon.” [Salon.com, 2/12/08]

McCain Was Called A “Relentless Hawk.” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote, “If Americans want to continue the Iraq war, then Sen. John McCain -- the apparent Republican presidential candidate and relentless hawk -- is their man.” [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/15/08]

George Will Implied McCain Will Use War to Increase Personal Power. George Will wrote, “War especially enhances presidential power, which probably is one reason Theodore Roosevelt, [sic] one of McCain’s heroes, relished war. ‘No triumph of peace,’ Roosevelt said, ‘is quite so great as the supreme triumphs of war.’ Roosevelt, who also said, ‘I don’t think that any harm comes from the concentration of power in one man’s hands,’ was the archetype of the modern, hyperkinetic president.” Will added, “McCain, who sometimes seems to regard his enthusiasms and disgusts as self-legitimizing and grounds for government action, probably would be TR’s sort of president.” [Washington Post, 2/17/08]

Bloomberg News: McCain More “Hawkish” Than Bush. In an article entitled, “McCain More Hawkish on Foreign Policy Than Bush, Comments Show ,” Bloomberg wrote, “John McCain is at least as determined as George W. Bush to stay the course in Iraq and more confrontational than the president on foreign policy issues ranging from Russia and China to North Korea.” [Bloomberg News, 3/12/08]

McCain “Hasn’t Seen A Country He Doesn’t Want To Bomb.” According to Ivo Daalder, former National Security Council aide, “This is a man who hasn’t seen a country he doesn’t want to bomb or invade.” Daalder said McCain has been able to hide his “more hawkish position on non-proliferation, China and Russia.” [Bloomberg News, 3/12/08]

Bloomberg News: McCain Has Telegraphed A More Unilateral Approach Than Bush. According to Bloomberg News, on issues including China, North Korea, and Russian “McCain has telegraphed a more unilateral approach than Bush.” Gary Schmitt, a McCain adviser and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute said, “He thinks we need to make sure that the hard edge of the balance is kept up.” Schmitt added, “The jury is still out on North Korea, and Senator McCain has been a little more skeptical about the route they’ve gone.” [Bloomberg, 3/12/08]

Conservative Magazine Accused McCain Of Being A War Monger, “Out-Demagog[ing] Even Rudy Giuliani.” The February 11, 2008 issue of American Conservative wrote, “To hear McCain tell it, there is apparently no crisis anywhere in the world that cannot be resolved by the presence of U.S. armed forces. … In the warmonger sweepstakes now taking place among the major GOP presidential contenders, John McCain out-demagogued even Rudy Giuliani.” [American Conservative, 2/11/08]

McCain Was “Unleashed” By 9/11. The February 11, 2008 issue of American Conservative wrote, “Other politicians were transformed by 9/11. McCain was unleashed. His strategy of ‘rogue state rollback’ was exactly what the neoconservatives in the Bush administration had in mind, and yet, ever mindful to somehow stand out from the pack while still going along with the program, the senator took umbrage at Rumsfeld’s apparent unwillingness to chew up the U.S. military in an endless occupation. He publicly dissented from the “light footprint” strategy championed by the Department of Defense. More troops, more force, more of everything—that is McCain’s solution to every problem in our newly conquered province.” [American Conservative, 2/11/08]

McCain Has “Positioned Himself as the Most Hawkish” of the Republicans. In addition to lining up Bush’s campaign team, McCain has positioned “himself as the most hawkish of all the nomination-chasing Republican hawks.” [Reason, 4/1/07]