Another huge mistake by McCain on foreign policy today

He doesn't know that the president of Iran is mostly a figurehead and that the real power is the Ayatollah? And, when questioned on it, he confirmed his misunderstanding... video at the link below. This guy is possibly even worse than Bush?

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BREAKING: McCain - major gaffe!
by miasmo

It's fairly common knowledge that the position of President in Iran holds very little actual power. Back when moderate reformer Mohammad Khatami held the presidency, we were regularly reminded that he was pretty much of a figurehead with no real power. Now that the confrontational and controversial Ahmadinejad holds the office, we don't hear so much about how the president is not really the top dog. Obviously he makes a convenient boogie man for the right. Why spoil the scariness value. So it's no mystery why the neocon McCain would play this political game. But surely he's not so clueless as to be unaware that the real power in Iran is held by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the cabal of clerics known as the Council of Guardians. After all, McCain is the security expert! Hillary Clinton has assured us that he has passed the Commander in Chief "threshhold"! Could McCain really be that clueless about the leadership of the country he claims is the biggest threat we face? W

KLEIN: The Supreme, you know, according to most diplomatic experts, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the guy who's in charge of Iranian foreign policy and also in charge of the nuclear program, but you never mention him. Do you, you know, um, why do you always keep talking about Ahmadinejad since he doesn't have power in that, in that realm?

MCCAIN: Oh I thin-Again, I respectfully disagree. When he's the person that comes to the United Nations and declares his country's policy is the extermination of the state of Israel, quote, in his words, wipe them off of the map, then I know that he is speaking for the Iranian government and articulating their policy and he was elected and is running for reelection as the leader of that country. Yes sir, go ahead.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/20/153617/536/607/519098


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:crazy:

it means Her Royal Highness?

I knew that :spank:

I am British after all

/just walks away

would take a few days to notice. It's all soundbites and talking points with those people. Unfortunately, they work. At least for the stinking GOP/Fundie masses

The only problem is that people are simply unwilling to believe that the GOP could have TWO people that stupid. It does rather boggle the mind.

I think it's the same sort of lack of curiousity. That's what riles me most about both. Do they not CARE to learn something?

by Lieberwhore...

but, the "wipe Israel off the map" is what has stuck with the public in the US.

He combines Ahmadinejad's comment before a small group with his U.N. appearance (where he wouldn't answer yes or no to the question of whether he did want to destroy Israel, but he did not say that he did) to make it sound like a bigger threat. Then throw in the fact mentioned in your OP that McCain doesn't know (or doesn't want to admit) that Admahdinejad is just a figurehead and you're getting a bigger, badder Saddam Hussein. Here we go again ...

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he doesn't want to destroy Israel, but this particular remark is being used to sell another so-called war)

Ahmadinejad is not even the equivalent of a vice-president.

He's more like the Secretary of State - influential, but he doesn't set foreign policy.

And I read somehwre there are signs that even the Council is unhappy with Ahmadinejad.

and, anybody with a reasonable knowledge of Iran would know that as well...

hopefully, the media will mention this.