John McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and al-Qaeda in Iraq

March 19, 2008 -- John McCain has tried to make his campaign all about national security and foreign affairs, claiming that "of course I know more about national security than any other issue. That's been my entire life." But just yesterday the so-called foreign policy expert made a major mistake showing he doesn't understand the most basic of facts on the ground in Iraq. [NBC's Meet the Press, 1/27/08]

At a press conference in Jordan yesterday, McCain said it's "common knowledge…that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran." In fact, Iran, a predominately Shiite country, is not helping al-Qaeda, a predominately Sunni terrorist group. When confronted with this error, McCain's campaign did what they do best--spin the facts to obscure the truth. Rather than admitting McCain's mistake, a campaign spokesperson said he "misspoke and immediately corrected himself," completely ignoring the fact that McCain made the exact same mistake earlier in the day during an interview with Hugh Hewitt. [The Atlantic Online, Marc Ambinder, 3/18/08]

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But McCain did not misspeak--he was wrong plain and simple, just like he was wrong all along to parrot the Bush talking points on the war. How can voters trust a president who doesn't understand the facts on the ground in Iraq and then lets his campaign lie to cover up his mistake? That sure isn't straight talk.

McCain Gets Iraq Facts Wrong. "Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran. He said several times that Iran, a predominately Shiite country, was supplying the mostly Sunni militant group, al-Qaeda. In fact, officials have said they believe Iran is helping Shiite extremists in Iraq….Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was '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 from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate…' The mistake threatened to undermine McCain's argument that his decades of foreign policy experience make him the natural choice to lead a country at war with terrorists." [The Trail blog, WashingtonPost.com, 3/18/08, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/18/a_mccain_gaffe_in_jordan.html]

McCain Touts National Security Credentials. On NBC's Meet the Press, McCain said "I spent 22 years in the military. I spent 20 years in the Senate Armed Services Committee. I've been involved in national security issues all my life. I attended the National War Cause. Of course I know more about national security than any other issue. That's been my entire life." [NBC's Meet the Press, 1/27/08]

Source: DNC