GENEVA, Oct. 14, 2008

Iran Laughs Off McCain's "Bomb Iran" Song

Jokes Are Funny, Parliamentary Speaker Says, Bombs Are Not

  • Play CBS Video Video McCain Sings 'Bomb Iran'

    CBS News RAW: During a campaign stop in South Carolina, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., parodied the tune "Barbara Ann" when questioned about Iran, singing "Bomb Bomb Bomb ... Bomb Bomb Iran."

  • Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Photo

    Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.  (AP Photo)

  • Timeline The U.S. And Iran

    Key events in once friendly, now contentious relationship between Washington and Tehran.

(AP)  Bomb-bomb Iran? Iran says no offense taken.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain altered the lyrics of the Beach Boys classic "Barbara Ann" last year to refer to an attack on Iran, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

"That old Beach Boys song, 'Bomb Iran?"' McCain asked with a laugh after a member of a South Carolina audience railed against Iran during last year's primaries and asked when the U.S. would attack. Then the candidate began to sing, "Bomb-bomb-bomb ... " before breaking it off.

McCain has been grilled about the song by reporters and his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has mentioned it in debates.

But is Iran mad about it? Not a bit, Ali Larijani, Iran's parliamentary speaker and former chief nuclear negotiator, said Tuesday in response to a reporter's question in Geneva.

"We don't have any objection to them singing a song," Larijani said.

But a real bomb, he said, would be no laughing matter.

"We are confident that if they make that mistake they will be awakened from their sleep and they will face a nightmare," Larijani said.

© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Add a Comment See all 20 Comments
by nativewoman October 14, 2008 7:11 PM PDT
This lyric-altering is hardly an original thought by McCain.

This lyric went around in the 1980''s.
Reply to this comment
by stevex47 October 14, 2008 7:34 PM PDT
Iran obviously has a whole lot of respect for mccain.

Google mccain''s "rape joke". I wont mention it here.

Nice guy mccain said this about Chelsea while Clinton was in office:

"Why is Chelsea so ugly? Her father is Janet Reno"

In the next breath, say''s families should be left out of politics. Typical.
Reply to this comment
by cyberdjs4 October 14, 2008 7:56 PM PDT
McCain isn''t going to win this election so I doesn''t matter what he sings or says.
Reply to this comment
by presjfk October 14, 2008 8:07 PM PDT
I don''t know what to say. Its not funny, its plain stupid,it is incredibly un-Presidential, it is 100% unforgivable and shocking that any politician would act such a way. I must say that for Iran to let this slide was incredibly gracious.

I am sure Americans wouldn''t find it funny if Putin was singing bomb,bomb,bomb the USA. I know my fellow Americans would be outraged. remember Kruchevs banging his shoe at the UN and yelling we will bury you. That was a hoot huh?
Reply to this comment
by mcpalin_fail October 14, 2008 8:15 PM PDT
I''m actually quite glad that I came to realize what an idiot McCain is a few years ago.

But even if I hadn''t realized it then - I would have realized it by now.

Obama will win the Presidency - Obama deserves the Presidency (at least out of the two of them).
Reply to this comment
by xalen54 October 14, 2008 8:39 PM PDT
So we have one candidate that wants to bomb Iran and the other wants to bomb Pakistan. hmmm, either way we are ****ed! I guess this is what Nadar is for! xD
Reply to this comment
by random_radar October 14, 2008 8:51 PM PDT
People say that world war II got us out of the depression.

I guess world war III will get us out of the coming depression.

There is nothing like a good war to get people''s minds off their troubles.
Reply to this comment
by wogerwabbit October 14, 2008 9:13 PM PDT
Posted by whiner245a at 08:32 PM

STOP! THE FIRST TIME I READ THIS ON ANOTHER POST IT DIDN''T MAKE SENSE. IT STILL DOESN''T. SOBER UP!
Reply to this comment
by neo269 October 14, 2008 9:19 PM PDT
Old news that CBS is only dredging up to influence the election. Iran isn''t nearly as important an enemy as the news media is.
Reply to this comment
by eltejanolindo October 14, 2008 9:23 PM PDT
Ali Larijani, may not care ... but I think American do care. With that song McCain is saying bombing iran is in his plans. :)
Reply to this comment
by findingtess October 14, 2008 9:43 PM PDT
First:"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."Then"Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, %u2018Where is that marvelous ape?%u2019Finally the wonderfully inappropriate and politically dangerous ditty "Bomb Iran."Come on!How much more degrading can a man be and he''s running for the President? McCain''s actions and attempts to become ''one of the folks'' is so misplaced,disrespectful and dishonorable.Is this what he thinks of people outside of his class? How he publicly conducts himself while our foreign dignitaries are watching? We can''t even blame it on his age, as the 1st comment was made about Chelsea before she was 16. Google it and see! The consequences of this behavior can be far reaching, as even our sons emulate the President.And Iran''s reply to the toxic tune?? "We don''t care about a song." But part 2:"We are confident that if they make that mistake they will be awakened from their sleep and they will face a nightmare." Just because a candidate has the ''audacity'' to keep his remarks respectful doesn''t mean that he is any way connected to them inappropriately.What it does mean is that he has the dignity, integrity and common sense necessary to be the President and Barack Obama has proven that over and over again.

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by toolmangler-2009 October 14, 2008 10:29 PM PDT
Posted by mdwoman at 09:58 PM : Oct 14, 2008
Posted by findingtess at 09:43 PM : Oct 14, 2008Posted by Xalen54 at 08:39 PM : Oct 14, 2008
Posted by clgl_fubar at 07:23 PM : Oct 14, 2008



No matter who wins next month, America has already lost and these will hang their heads when they put all the pieces into the puzzle
Reply to this comment
by Mccarthyaw October 14, 2008 10:59 PM PDT
Below are a few lines from Obama''''''''s books; In his words! From Dreams of My Father:

%u201CI ceased to advertise my mother''''''''s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.'''''''' From Dreams of My Father: ''''''''I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother''''''''s race.'''''''' From Dreams of My Father: ''''''''There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'''''''' From Dreams of My Father: ''''''''It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'''''''' From Dreams of My Father: ''''''''I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn''''''''t speak to my own. It was into my father''''''''s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I''''''''d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.

FINALLY the Most Chilling one of ALL of them!

From Audacity of Hope: ''''''''I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'''''''' *

Posted by mdwoman at 09:58 PM : Oct 14, 2008

Please check http://fightthesmears.com/ as well to refute all this half truths and downright lies.
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot4 October 14, 2008 11:19 PM PDT
Signing about bombing Iran? Are these the actions of a sane person, worthy of consideration for the nation''s highest office?

Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot4 October 14, 2008 11:20 PM PDT
Yeah, like Obama or Bill Clinton never ever made a joke they wish they could pull back in. You libs are either truly humorless, or you''''''''re just desperately looking for any little minutia nitpick to pin on McCain. I vote for the former: I never met a true lib with a real sense of humor. You''''re all a sorry bunch of negativity, apathy, and whining.

Posted by michaelt302

Actually, it''s your guy, McBush, who is into negativity and whining. All his ads are negative. That''s why he''s losing.
Reply to this comment
by nursehope October 14, 2008 11:37 PM PDT
eah, like Obama or Bill Clinton never ever made a joke they wish they could pull back in. You libs are either truly humorless, or you''''''''''''''''re just desperately looking for any little minutia nitpick to pin on McCain. I vote for the former: I never met a true lib with a real sense of humor. You''''''''re all a sorry bunch of negativity, apathy, and whining.

It''s not about having a sense of humor. It''s about having the good sense to keep that kind of humor private if you are running for PRESIDENT!

Reply to this comment
by liberalme October 15, 2008 8:33 AM PDT
Iran laughs with the rest of the world at Bush, now they can laugh at McCain--

These two, along with Rumsfield, Cheney, Rice and Rove can''t get above warmongering and greed. America was never an issue of concern with them and now, the word McCain uses most frequently is "fight".

I can only hope someone will hold these criminals accountable for all the death and destruction they are responsible for.
Reply to this comment
by presjfk October 15, 2008 8:44 AM PDT
"Yeah, like Obama or Bill Clinton never ever made a joke they wish they could pull back in. You libs are either truly humorless, or you''''''''re just desperately looking for any little minutia nitpick to pin on McCain. I vote for the former: I never met a true lib with a real sense of humor. You''''re all a sorry bunch of negativity, apathy, and whining. Posted by michaelt302"

The future President of America (not going to happen) signing bomb, bomb, bomb Iran is not humorous. It is stupid and not worthy of such a person for the highest office or the position of US Senator. But you keep making excuses for the blunders, lies and stupidity of the Republicans and continue calling all critics whiners.


Reply to this comment
by actornaught October 15, 2008 12:17 PM PDT
I never met a true lib with a real sense of humor. You''re all a sorry bunch of negativity, apathy, and whining.
Posted by michaelt302 at 11:00 PM : Oct 14, 2008

And coming from a buffoon such as yourself, i''ll take that as a joke. Or hypocrisy. Pick one.

By the way, here''s the best comparison to Addled John''s "humor": The next time you fly, try joking to the screeners about the toy gun you pull out of your pocket. Watch all those humorless "liberals" knock you down and cuff you. THAT''d be FUNNY!!
Reply to this comment
by petro49l October 15, 2008 3:55 PM PDT
The Saudis insist that John McCain antagonize Iranis. Tehran would reduce the price for a barrel of oil. O.P.E.C. has every intention of raising the price for a barrel after the U.S. presidential election. Production cut-backs and further hostility in Afghanistan should increase it. What will McCain do about the flow of narcotics from the region? Al Qada is trafficking tar heroin, methamphetamine, PCP, and potent cannabis into the United States.
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