McCain Campaign Omits Inconvenient Odierno Quote From ‘Fact Sheet’ On Iran/Al Qaeda Claims
McCain Campaign Omits Inconvenient Odierno Quote From ‘Fact Sheet’ On Iran/Al Qaeda Claims
This week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has come under intense criticism and scrutiny for making multiple false claims about collusion between Iran and al Qaeda. As part of the push back, McCain’s campaign distributed a “Fact Check sheet” citing July 19, 2007 comments by Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno about whether there is an Iran-al Qaeda connection.
But as Washington Post Fact Checker Michael Dobbs points out today, the campaign cut out Odierno’s disclaimer that undercuts McCain. Here’s what the McCain campaign left out:
We don’t see any evidence, significant evidence, that shows that [the Iranian-controlled] groups that are funding and providing arms to Shi’a extremists are directly related to al Qaeda.
Ignoring Odierno’s claim of no “significant evidence,” the McCain campaign’s document focuses on Odierno’s statement that “al Qaeda uses Iran and they do in some cases traffic some of their individuals through Iran to Iraq, but it’s a very small number of people.”
Over at the Wonk Room, however, Matt Duss notes that another quote from Odierno also contradicts the McCain campaign assertions:
There is no specific connection between the Shi’a extremists — excuse me — the [Iranian] Quds Force operations and supporting the Shi’a extremists and that of al Qaeda, and supporting al Qaeda.
Given the “evidence” provided by the McCain campaign, Dobbs writes that “it is a big stretch to conclude” that “Iran is providing organized support for al Qaeda in Iraq.” Even in the most charitable reading, Dobbs says “McCain is guilty of gross over-simplification on an extremely sensitive national security matter.”
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I wonder how many wars have been started due to some politicians reluctance to admit a mistake?
March 20th, 2008 at 3:58 pmErrors of Overt Omission = Downright LIES! McSame’s a liar.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:59 pmIt’s all semantics. Call it an omission but an intentional omission is also recognized as a lie. This is the cherry-picking tool used by Bushitco in order to lie us into war.
Bush Lied and Thousands Died. McCrazy lied and his campaign slides - into oblivion hopefully forever.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:00 pmIt’s no damn wonder why the Dems kicked this liar out of their midst and forced him where he belongs - GOP: The Party of Liars, Cheats, and Frauds. (did I forget pedophiles??).
March 20th, 2008 at 4:01 pmrobwillcarp Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I wonder how many wars have been started due to some politicians reluctance to admit a mistake?
————————————-
On some level, probably all of them. A politician OR a military officer on one side or the other.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:02 pm“Gross over-simplification” because he has a gross overly-simple mind.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:03 pmOdierno said, “al Qaeda uses Iran and they do in some cases traffic some of their individuals through Iran to Iraq, but it’s a very small number of people.”
Couldn’t this exact same statement apply to the US as well?
March 20th, 2008 at 4:06 pmSo McBush is practicing his cherry-picking already? Wow, I guess practice makes perfect.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:07 pmHmmm. Maybe he just ……forgot. *eyeroll*
March 20th, 2008 at 4:08 pmThat’s what Republicans do: grossly over-simplicate things.
They try to boil complex issues down to bumper sticker phrases:
“Us or them.”
“Fight them there not here.”
“With us or against us.”
The problem is issues are full of nuance and complexity.
It’s what made Obama’s speech the other day on the race issue so unique. He acknowledged nuance, complexity, and the difficultly of the issue. A Republican would have trotted up some token African-Americans, held hands for a photo op, and make stupid comment because be wants to be seen as accepted by the African-American community (Mitt Romeny’s “Who let the dogs out?” video, anyone?)
March 20th, 2008 at 4:08 pmApparenly, I made a new word in #10: simplicate.
I ment simplify. Off to get more coffee….
March 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pmMcCain Campaign Omits Inconvenient Odierno Quote From ‘Fact Sheet’ On Iran/Al Qaeda Claims
Facts ? We don’t need no steenkin’ facts !!!!!
Besides ………What’s a few facts to get in the way of the military industrial complex , PNAC and Zionists ……?
March 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pmTying al Qaeda to an evil Middle Eastern government isn’t new. This is a page from the Bush Iraq playbook.
http://www.leadingtowar.com/claims_facts.php
McCain’s playing his part in pairing al Qaeda and Iran. It’s no more true than al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, but it sells war.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:10 pmbobcat_grad Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Apparenly, I made a new word in #10: simplicate.
I ment simplify. Off to get more coffee….
Well that , and time to get a new president that actually has a brain and is able to speak correctly in public ; it is glaringly obvious that he is indeed contagious……..
March 20th, 2008 at 4:11 pmbobcat_grad Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Apparenly, I made a new word in #10: simplicate.
I ment simplify. Off to get more coffee….
Didn’t you ment simplificationarily?
March 20th, 2008 at 4:11 pmThere’s a big. . . no, sorry, HUGE difference between “Iran is training Al Qaeda” or “cooperating with Al Qaeda” and “Iran is a big country with a very porous border, unfortunately located between Afghanistan/Pakistan and Iraq. In fact, no one can travel on the ground from Taliban/Al Qaeda country to Iraq without passing through Iran.”
Until the US can guarantee that no Central American can ever cross into the US, they have no place criticizing Iran for allowing guerillas to transit their country.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:14 pmThat piece of shit McCain popped into 10 downing street without letting the antiwar crowd know that such a sponsor of torture was about
March 20th, 2008 at 4:15 pmTobie Tall Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Has he collected his 30 pieces of silver from the Rothschilds yet? Man that pisses me off.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:21 pm“McCain is guilty of gross over-simplification on an extremely sensitive national security matter.”
See, he simplicating. Again.
Simplicate = Attempting to simplify while obfuscating
March 20th, 2008 at 4:22 pmMcCain will have a long way to go before he surpasess the current Great Conflator but he’s wll on his way.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:22 pmUh-oh… another McSame “al Qaeda-Iran” thread?
This looks like a job for GIGI!
March 20th, 2008 at 4:26 pmLOL sure “no signifcant evidence” but what you libruls are conveniently omitting is the insignificant evidence! There’s a mountain of insignificant evidence directly linking Osama Bin Ladin to Ahmadinejad.
But sure just focus on the “significant” evidence, like the insignificant evidence is somehow not as important.
/sarcasm
March 20th, 2008 at 4:29 pm#12 McMetal: Spot On! The Zionists/PNAC/Military Industrial Complex makes up their own rules as they go. Their pre-911 “planning” tells us bundles about whose fingerprints were on the false flag as well as everything that’s contaminated this country ever since.
They’re all traitors to this constitution and I hope they will all be on trial in the future and serve their time in prison for their diabolical coup on this democracy…..beginning with Chimpy hanging by his thumbs and Deadeye hanging by his cojones (oops, he doesn’t have any, does he?). :):)
March 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pmRUCerious Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Didn’t you ment simplificationarily?
Strategery.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pmJust like this Chimp makes up his rules as he goes. How can he lose when he’s got the AG pimping for him?
March 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pmbomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran…
March 20th, 2008 at 4:35 pmTies to al Qaeda, rapidly pursuing WMD, Cheney visits region
This has a very familiar ring…
http://www.leadingtowar.com/mythic_reality.php
March 20th, 2008 at 4:39 pmIn an interview this week Petraeus stated that: “the flow of foreign fighters and suicide bombers that help Al Qaeda typically is through Syria.” [CNN, 3/19/08]
So McCain disagrees with Petraeus?
http://www.nsnetwork.org/node/261
March 20th, 2008 at 4:44 pmOT, but still on McCain, at least
http://www.politico.com/ blogs/ jonathanmartin/ 0308/ McCain_aide_circulates_ObamaWright_video_is_suspended.html
McCain seems like he is going to try to run a clean campaign. He may simplicate, but he doesn’t - so far, I know - seem likely to go for cheap shots against his opponents.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:45 pmMcCain is another LIAR like Bush and Cheney.
And Rush. And Hannity. And O’Dildo. And Coulter. And Delay. And Steve King. And Karl Rove. And “Scooter” Libby (CONVICTED for PERJURY). And the list goes ON.
McLiar stood idly by while Kerry got smeared.
He voted for the CONVICTION of Clinton for “high crimes”.
AND he stays SILENT on the AWOL coward and 5-deferment Dick’s TREASON in outing CIA spies, starting ILLEGAL WARS,
and ILLEGALLY SPYING on AMERICANS and jailing with NO EVIDENCE nor CHARGES, just HEAR-SAY by people we NOW know to be
TRAITORS to the USA–the ENTIRE Bush Crime Family and Project for the New amerikkkan Century.
McSenile needs to be DEFEATED and sent to the Viagra pasture.
Time for REAL Americans to take the reins of the US Government for the benefit of ALL Americans, not just the wealthy and
Military Industrial Complex…
March 20th, 2008 at 4:46 pmChris L Says:
In an interview this week Petraeus stated that: “the flow of foreign fighters and suicide bombers that help Al Qaeda typically is through Syria.” [CNN, 3/19/08]
So McCain disagrees with Petraeus?
Chris, it’s not that McCain disagrees with Petraeus, it’s just that McCain is focused on the next game on the schedule. He doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead to the Syria matchup and have Iran pull off an upset.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:47 pm#29—Bulllllllllzhit. See #30.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:47 pmRep. Patrick Murphy, the ONLY Iraq vet serving in congress, is taking McCain to task for his recent Al Qaeda claims.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 2008/ 03/ 20/ iraq-vet-in-congress-take_n_92544.html
March 20th, 2008 at 4:52 pmI have no real objection to advertising that only says positive things about the product being advertised. For example, when McDonald’s advertises their Big Mac, they conveniently leave out the part about how they taste bland and are mostly bread. While it doesn’t show the whole picture, we as a society have come to accept advertising of any sort for what it is — propaganda.
I do have a problem when advertising makes blatantly false claims and information that directly refutes those claims is deliberately covered up. An example of this might be a cigarette ad in the 1960’s that says smoking their product is perfectly safe, when the tobacco company running the ad already has information that smoking can kill you.
So on which side of the fence does McCain’s “Fact Check Sheet” fall? I find it hard to believe that the McCain camp would be aware of only part of Odierno’s statement. Assuming they were aware of the whole statement and just cherry-picked the words they could spin to their advantage, their “Fact Check Sheet” doesn’t have much to do with actual facts.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:53 pmKeltoi Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
McCain seems like he is going to try to run a clean campaign. He may simplicate, but he doesn’t - so far, I know - seem likely to go for cheap shots against his opponents.
——————————————
I agree — I haven’t heard any smears toward either of the Democratic candidates coming directly from the McCain camp, either. Let’s hope this continues after both conventions are over.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:56 pmMcCain seems like he is going to try to run a clean campaign. He may simplicate, but he doesn’t - so far, I know - seem likely to go for cheap shots against his opponents.
I’ll believe it when I see McCain step up to the plate and criticize his aid for doing what he did. Just allowing this person to leave his campaign is not running a clean campaign. Unless he says something about his minions doing the dirty, he is tacitly agreeing to the behavior.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:01 pmOT
March 20th, 2008 at 5:03 pmI am not a math wiz, and if I am wrong please correct me, but my math is telling me Hillary needs 76%, not 65% as I heard on the news of the remaining delegates to win or reach the 2025 mark. According to my math, Obama needs to win 56% of the remaining delegates.
Obama = 1621 from 2025 = 404 needed delegates
Hillary=1479 ” 2025 = 546 “
——–
——–
Total remaining delegates = 720
Obama 404/720 = 56% of the votes to reach 2025
Hillary 546/720 = 76% “
It’s intentional. They’re going to bomb Iran before the elections to help usher McCain into the White House.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:06 pmhad enough Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
OT
I am not a math wiz, and if I am wrong please correct me, but my math is telling me Hillary needs 76%, not 65% as I heard on the news of the remaining delegates to win or reach the 2025 mark. According to my math, Obama needs to win 56% of the remaining delegates.
Check this thing out, it is a really cool Delegate Counter which allows you to plug in what you think the results of future primaries will be and what that would mean to the count.
http://www.slate.com/id/2185278/
But the upshot? Hillary is toast without the Superdelegates ignoring what is basically an insurmountable Obama lead in the Pledged.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:08 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
McCain seems like he is going to try to run a clean campaign. He may simplicate, but he doesn’t - so far, I know - seem likely to go for cheap shots against his opponents.
I’ll believe it when I see McCain step up to the plate and criticize his aid for doing what he did. Just allowing this person to leave his campaign is not running a clean campaign. Unless he says something about his minions doing the dirty, he is tacitly agreeing to the behavior.
Well, canned is canned…I am not sure what Obama said about Powers after she resigned, or Hillary vis Ferraro, but actions speak louder than words.
A Obama-McCain match up has the potential to be a pretty elevated campaign…it is the attack of the surrogates I worry about.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:11 pmOther Republican senators wear diapers for fun…however McCrazy needs them in a more ‘depends’ kinda way.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:13 pmJohn Cocain…seems like he is on the stuff too much….he cant remember crap!
March 20th, 2008 at 5:16 pmKeltoi , WOW, thanks.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:19 pmHillary is toast and knows the only way to win is to go against the will of the people. The people have had enough of this bull and all this makes her look very ugly.
had enough Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Keltoi , WOW, thanks.
Hillary is toast and knows the only way to win is to go against the will of the people. The people have had enough of this bull and all this makes her look very ugly.
I would HATE to be Howard Dean right now. Personally, I think the Preachergate thing is utter BS, but Obama is wounded, time will tell how much. And Hillary’s only hope at this point is an insider coup d’etat. Obama’s association with Wright hurts him most among independents, a group you need and a group McCain does very well with. Fasten your seatbelts, the next 7 months are going to be a ride.
Have a great day, all.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:25 pmMcCain seems like he is going to try to run a clean campaign. He may simplicate, but he doesn’t - so far, I know - seem likely to go for cheap shots against his opponents.
McCain is very good at the usual GOP tactic of sacrificing troops and still getting his filth out. Obama will take a tamporary hit from inderpendents, but very few Americans are interested in McCain as another failed Bush-lite. This will be the death march of the GOP, and we will be cheering all the way. The dirtier mcStain gets, the more lies he tells, the mnore ignorance he shows, the more disgusted the people will get with the failures-that-be. McLiar will be lucky to take Arizona.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:03 pmIf the contest for the White House followed the rules of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” John McCain would be going home empty-handed. At last four times in the past month, George W. Bush’s would-be Republican successor sounded the alarm over a non-existent Al Qaeda-Iran alliance in Iraq. But for a lifeline from Joe Lieberman, McCain would have been booted off the stage by now.
For the details, see:
March 20th, 2008 at 7:58 pm“Four Strikes and You’re Out: McCain on Al Qaeda and Iran.”
I think its funny….McCain desparately needs to help of the paranoid screwball inbred freepers who sit in thier trailers hitting their meth pipes and fantazizing that all the brown people in the world hate them and want to come an@lly r@p3 them with anth@x tipped scud missles. Even though even deluded bushies like Cheney who have been compltely wrong again and again about iraq, flowers, wmd, and how we’ll be greeted, etc wont go so far as to claim an AQ/iran connection..but the freepers will have a seizure and turn like rabid dogs on anyone who doesnt agree with their kooky theories so he has to throw them some bone about how iran and AQ are buddies because someone from al-queda passed through iran.. regardless of who wins, watching the mccain campaign twist in the wind to try and cater to the reality challenged community will be amusing..
March 20th, 2008 at 10:10 pmDobbs: “McCain is guilty of gross over-simplification on an extremely sensitive national security matter.”
Of course McCain is over-simplifying.
He is pandering to the overly simple minded lot that are the hard-core Bush loyalists and supporters. Those people need to fear something or someone.
And it is just so easy to fear someone with a lot of facial hair who speaks funny…
March 21st, 2008 at 1:32 amIt’s just a language problem, folks. Odierno is speaking reality-based; McCain, like Bush, is speaking faith-based.
March 21st, 2008 at 1:35 amI support the Dems, but there is evidence of Iranian involvement in training Sunnis. There was an old NYT article, see link, and doesn’t Iran support Hammas which is Sunni? Where are the reports that says Iran doesn’t support Sunnis? We should not fall prey to the same type of echo chamber crap that the repugs do.
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm