Iran denounces McCain’s cigarette joke.
By on Jul 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Iran denounces McCain’s cigarette joke.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) joke about “killing” Iranian civilians by getting them addicted to smoking. The ministry’s spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said the remarks were “inappropriate” and “regretful.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Business
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Education
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Glenn Beck
Global Warming
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Justice
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Media
Military
O'Reilly
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Politics
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Tea Party
Terrorism
Veterans
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
Another President that is rude, crude and beneath contempt – I think not.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:51 amWhy should McCain care. Iranians aren’t human to him.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:52 amThat John McCain – he’s such a cut-up, a real class clown, just like Dubya.
No Thanks
July 14th, 2008 at 9:55 amAmerica cannot survive another president who shows his total ignorance in his public speaking.
When Bush left the G-8 summit, he fist-pumped the air as he said “goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter.” McCain has already sung about bombing Iran, now he jokes about killing them with cigarettes — let’s see who else he can insult as he campaigns.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:59 amWill someone from the McCain campaign wheel the addled senator over to a computer screen and jump on the interwebs for him then navigate to a news site so the GOP nominee can read (or have read to him) what the Iranians think of his “joke”?
Btw, the Iranians weren’t similarly upset over “bomb-bomb-bomb…bomb-bomb Iran” because they’re huge Brian Wilson fans.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:00 amThe Iranian is completely correct. Dumb remark, McCain should not have said it. This makes the situation worse, not better.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:01 amThe ministry’s spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said to McCain, “May a diseased camel leave a deposit in your yogurt.”
July 14th, 2008 at 10:05 amOne more example of McCain=Bush. They both will say any awful thing that enters their little pea brains.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:05 amWhen you feel that civilians from other countries are insignificant, you don’t really care what you say about them.
Example: I give you John McSame.
As always, I like to play the role reversal.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:09 amImagine how this country would react if a potential leader of Iran had said “Let’s just kill Americans by getting them to smoke”.
I can guarantee Bush and Co. would not be laughing.
Of course, inhalation of tar and carcinogens rolled up and called tobacco has been killing American citizens for over 200 years!
Another Repugnant hate-specialist!
You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear
You’ve got to be taught from year to year
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade
You’ve got to be carefully taught
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You’ve got to be carefully taught
You’ve got to be carefully taught
from South Pacific
July 14th, 2008 at 10:09 amMohammad Ali Hosseini, said the remarks were “inappropriate” and “regretful.”
Of course they are. Mc Cain is “inappropriate” and “regretful”, and therefore he is only capable of spouting “inappropriate” and “regretful” nonsense.
I heard his poll numbers are as high as they are among Independents simply because he is a known entity. Well, so is feces… Sheesh!
July 14th, 2008 at 10:12 amDRxJ Says: Imagine how this country would react if a potential leader of Iran had said “Let’s just kill Americans by getting them to smoke”.
We’d probably have nuked them. Conservatives have such fragile little egos that words actually do as much damage as sticks and stones. We need these people OUT of our government.
Six months and six days to go…
July 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am#12, doc
July 14th, 2008 at 10:27 amThe lyrics to that song have been in my head very often in recent years – I have always felt that those simple words were appropriate; thanks for the post.
In addition to the bigotry and racism addressed in the song originally, America also has been “carefully taught” by Bush&Co.
His remarks were awful!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:11 amIt is not like the Iranian government ever said mean things about the U.S. or Israel or anything.
Why are they being picked up?
The Iranian leadership is dumb but McCain makes them look like the thoughtful, reasonable, responsible ones.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:28 amThis freak actually thinks he has a shot at being President! What a sad old fart!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:36 amSkeeter1:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:41 amI am not sure I am following you.
Is your point that McCains’ comments were “awful” but okay because of comments made by the Iranian Government? And what does Israel have to do with it?
Iran govt., why don’t you stfu about cigarettes and apologize to Jews worldwide for your asinine comments denying that the holocaust happened and for threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Cigarettes indeed.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:43 amskeeter1 and gunclinger are just basically annoying trolls with no worth, who are eagerly awaiting a response to their nonsense.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:47 amAs the former troll’s name equates to, a mere swat or spray at the annoying poster would do wonders.
And as we need to work with Iran to keep it from developing the bomb, how does McCain’s attempt to poison the well set us up for more productive talks ?
July 14th, 2008 at 11:57 amgunclinger Says:
Iran govt., why don’t you stfu about cigarettes and apologize to Jews worldwide for your asinine comments denying that the holocaust happened and for threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Cigarettes indeed.
“John McCain, why don’t you stfu about cigarettes and apologize to Iranians worldwide for your asinine comments about bombing them.”
Since this topic is about McCain’s diarrhea of the mouth, I fixed your comment for you.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:10 pmDRxJ,
July 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pmI am amused at how fast you all here yell TROLL at any opposing view. Half hour. Good to see you are at the top of your game.
So much for the left’s embrace of free speech.
I also note the lack of substantive response, from which I must assume that no substantive response exists.
So Skeeter1:
July 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pmI believe I asked for some “substantive” clarification of your alledged point earlier.
Ah Skeeter1?…
July 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pmdba,
July 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pmWhat is Iran’s record with regard to statements about the U.S.?
How about Israel — Has Iran been kind, diplomatic and polite when it comes to Israel?
With that in mind, isn’t it sort of funny that Iran would express outrage over what is clearly a joke?
Sorry Skeeter1:
July 14th, 2008 at 1:27 pmBut you didn’t really address what I asked back @19. Are you saying that McCains words are wrong but right based on statements made or not made by Iran? As to Israel, I still do not see where Israel is involved in this matter. Shall we ask how North Korea should feel based on US statements disparaging their nation? Is that relevent? What about comments the US has directed toward Mr Chavez? Either you believe in a high ground or you don’t. Which is it?
I can’t help but think that this will be as good as it gets for McCain’s diplomacy.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm(yawn)
July 14th, 2008 at 1:52 pmA sad footnote to this story is that the tobacco industry is already way ahead of Senator McWar. A recent WHO report highlights the aggressive targeting of the greater Middle East by Big Tobacco in the last decade, including a Brown & Williamson campaign to use the holy cleansing month of Ramadan to get Muslim smokers to switch to low-tar cigarettes:
By some WHO estimates, the campaign has been a resounding success, with tobacco use among 13-15 year olds reaching 25% in Iran, 30% in the UAE, and 40% in Lebanon. Additionally, some 50% of Iranian teenagers are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places, and 40% exposed to secondhand smoke at home.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:52 pmgunclinger Says:
Iran govt., why don’t you stfu about cigarettes and apologize to Jews worldwide for your asinine comments denying that the holocaust happened and for threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Cigarettes indeed.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:43 am
_______
The Iranian government never threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Quit lying, troll.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:55 pmDBA,
I was being sarcastic.
Given the official statements by Iran that Iran wants to wipe both the U.S. and Israel off the map, I found it funny that Iran would claim outrage over a tobacco joke. I actually found the McCain comment sort of humerous, especially in the context. Iran tells the U.S. that Iran wants to nuke the U.S., and McCain suggests that they all take up cigarettes. That’s kind of funny.
I don’t understand your reference to North Korea. You seem to have something for anti-American thugs — Iran, North Korea, Chavez. Is that the case? Do you hate America?
July 14th, 2008 at 1:56 pmSkeeter1 Says:
Given the official statements by Iran that Iran wants to wipe both the U.S. and Israel off the map, I found it funny that Iran would claim outrage over a tobacco joke.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
_______
Iran has never threatened to wipe the U.S. and Israel off the map. The idiom doesn’t even exist in Farsi. Stop lying.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:58 pmHussein toasterhead,
You are really an idiot.
How do you interpret: “Israel must be uprooted and erased from history.”
What does that mean to you?
How about “This cancerous tumor of a state [Israel] must be removed from the region.”
How do you interpret that phrase?
July 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pmSkeeter1 Says:
Hussein toasterhead,
You are really an idiot.
How do you interpret: “Israel must be uprooted and erased from history.”
What does that mean to you?
How about “This cancerous tumor of a state [Israel] must be removed from the region.”
How do you interpret that phrase?
July 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
______
In context, when the statement “the regime occupying al-Quds will fall from the page of history” was given, it was referring to the occupation of Palestine. Not the destruction of the entire country of Israel. Iran has no interest in taking out their sometime arms supplier and oil-buyer.
And I interpret their repeated re-use by Mahmoud Ahmedinejad as a desperate and impotent bit of distraction tactic by a president with no authority over his country’s military. He’s bloviating about Israel in hopes that the Iranian people will forget about the rising inflation and unemployment and economic stagnation in time for his 2009 reelection campaign.
July 14th, 2008 at 2:11 pmSkeeter1 Says:
——————————————————————————–
I don’t understand your reference to North Korea. You seem to have something for anti-American thugs — Iran, North Korea, Chavez. Is that the case? Do you hate America?
—-
July 14th, 2008 at 2:14 pmThe point is you can’t have it both ways. Why do you chastise Iran for negative comments toward what they may very well see as threats to their nation while allowing such negative comments by the US toward those nations they preceive to be threats? Is this or is it not a double standard? So did you think the Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran thing was cute? Is that not a threat to wipe a sovereign nation off the map?
Have you seen McCain’s foreign policy spokesman for the campaign?
July 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pm