McCain Voices New Concerns About Iran

While On Mideast Trip, GOP Candidate Warns Of Tehran's Influence In Iraq, Mideast

(AP)  Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, expressed fresh concern Tuesday about Iran's influence in Iraq and rising sway in Mideast.

McCain noted U.S. military officials recently discovered a cache of armor-piercing bombs in Iraq, and he hinted the explosives had been provided by Iran. U.S. officials have long been saying that Iran provides explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs to, Shiite militias in Iraq, although the Iranian government denies any role.

The U.S. military reported two such finds during the past week.

McCain also voiced concern that Tehran is bringing militants over the border into Iran for training before sending them back to fight U.S. troops in Iraq, and blamed Syria for allegedly continuing to "expedite" a flow of foreign fighters.

"We continue to be concerned about Iranian influence and assistance to Hezbollah as well as Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons," McCain said.

He added that, if elected president, he would coordinate better with Europe to impose a "broad range of sanctions and punishments" on Tehran, to "convince them that their activities, particularly development of nuclear weapons, is not a beneficial goal to seek."

McCain declined to comment on whether he could back an eventual decision to strike Iran if Tehran doesn't cease its nuclear activities.

In response to a question about possible U.S. strikes against Tehran, McCain only said: "At the end of the day, we cannot afford having a nuclear armed Iran."

He warned that any hasty pullout from Iraq would be a mistake that would favor Iran and al Qaeda.

"We continue to be very concerned about the Iranian influence in Iraq and in the region," McCain said.

McCain ran into trouble last year when he joked about bombing Iran, giving a campaign audience in South Carolina a rendition of the opening lyrics of the Beach Boys rock classic "Barbara Ann," calling the tune "Bomb Iran" and changing the words to "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ..."

McCain, who has linked his political future to U.S. success in Iraq, was in the wartorn country on Monday for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials.

"We were very encouraged by the success of the surge and the reduction in U.S. casualties," McCain told reporters in Jordan, where he stopped on the next leg of a congressional visit that will also take him to Israel, Britain and France.

"We are succeeding, but we still have a long way to go," he warned. "Al Qaeda is on the run, they're not defeated."

A "major battle" remains to be fought to reclaim the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, he said, stating it was a success for the U.S. that Iraqi troops were now "taking the lead in that struggle" against al Qaeda.

Later Tuesday, McCain received a celebrity welcome in Jerusalem, beginning a two-day visit to Israel with a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. As his motorcade pulled up dozens of tourists greeted him and chanted "Mac is back," as he shook their hands and posed for photographs.

His visit to Iraq was the Arizona senator's first since emerging as the presumed Republican nominee. He was accompanied by Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., two of his top supporters in the race for president.

He promised that, if elected president, he would uphold a long-term military commitment in Iraq as long as al Qaeda in Iraq is not defeated.

McCain, who is the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the trip to the Middle East and Europe was for fact-finding purposes, not a campaign photo opportunity.

He is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for the third time. He met and corresponded with Sarkozy both before and after the French president was elected. They last saw each other last summer.

McCain has told U.S. reporters he worries that insurgents might try to influence the November presidential election by stepping up their attacks in Iraq.

McCain is a supporter of the 2003 invasion and President Bush's troop increase last year.

[grazinggoat]

McCcane shows undoubdtedly that he''s an Alzheimer victim, forgetting while in Israel the different fighting factions in Iraq. This frlagrant error is too dangerous and raises a question on who is deciding the foreign policies in Middle-East. Certainly wont be McCane, since he''s all mixed up...

[naucoming4u]

There was a time when I thought McCain MIGHT be better than bush. I was wrong. Sorry.

Posted by leftyintexas at 09:57 AM : Mar 19, 2008
...........

No need to apologize! :-)

I felt the same way... in 2000.

But clearly, McCain felt that in order to "win" in this election cycle, he needed to drop his principles in order to attempt to gain the support from the radical right wingers of his party. Because of that, McCain is no longer the "maverick" that the media still labels him as (sadly).

[leftyintexas]

There was a time when I thought McCain MIGHT be better than bush. I was wrong. Sorry.

[naucoming4u]

He can"t be expected to be Mr. Spock in his 70"s.

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 09:10 AM : Mar 19, 2008
...........

The war in Iraq has been and will forever be...

...illogical!

[iceman_1960]

"McCain said several times in his visit to Jordan %u2014 in a news conference and in a radio interview %u2014 that he was concerned that Iran was training Al Qaeda in Iraq. The US believes that Iran, a Shiite country, has been training and financing Shiite extremists in Iraq, but not Al Qaeda, which is a Sunni insurgent group. This mo.ron doesn"t even know who we"re fighting, and he wants 100 or 1000 more years of war! Face it, folks: those years of torture had a LASTING effect on McCain-- he is completely delusional."
- Posted by GladImNotOJ at 07:42 AM : Mar 19, 2008
-------------------------

It wasn"t the torture.

At the Naval Academy, young John McCain finished with a very low class rank, 894 out of 899.

He can"t be expected to be Mr. Spock in his 70"s.

[greatdrivew]

Well folks, this is indeed a sad moment in U.S. diplomatic history.

*** Cheney, Joseph Leiberman and the newly minted Neocon Prince himself, John McCain, are caravanting around the Middle East "representing U.S. interests." Lord only knows what dastardly deeds they''re devising.

What I do know though, is every time Moe, Larry and Curly open their mouths over there, they''re just creating more future diplomatic work for Barack.

If the Neocon Prince truly loves America he get back here and start telling America his plan for the economy.

[naucoming4u]

And while we are at it, we should get rid of the self-professed neo-Nazis In America.

Posted by brianbwb at 04:51 AM : Mar 19, 2008
.............

Well that would pretty much wipe out about 80% of the population of the South!

Of course that would be a great idea, and perhaps we could give that land back to the Native American Indians as part of a reparations package!

[brianbwb-2009]

You have a choice-like we had in WWII Get rid of the Neo-Nazi''''s in Iran, or be a part of the Iranian Reich (Equivalent of Adolf Hitler''''s "Dritte Reich")
Posted by dumbshun

And we should immediately exercise that choice, Impeach Bush and Cheney, and try them for war crimes, corruption, torture, kidnapping, murder, running concentration camps, and treason.

And while we are at it, we should get rid of the self-professed neo-Nazis In America.

[feelfree1]

Check out the pic of Prince Beelzebub shaking hands with his top Iraqi stooge.

[feelfree1]

getrealnow2,

Re: "You mean the guys who blow themselves up in Mosques or at schools. The ones who behead children or throw acid on womens faces. The ones who pour gasoline on children and light them on fire. The ones who have children behead adults in the name of God."

No. That''s Blackwater, Dyncorp, Triple Canopy, etc.

I was talking about the ridiculous and epic propaganda fables about the imaginary group known as "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq".