Let the games begin!

my thoughts exactly

He is just like Bush....making up any links or connections he can think of to justify aggressive actions against another country. Terrifying. Simply terrifying. I hope that people will see his repeated comments for what they are....the sign that McCain TRULY doesn't understand the crucial details about the terrorist groups that we are fighting. How can he lead a war on terror if he is this ignorant of the major players??

Juju - "making up any links or connections " I don't know about that. It seems to be pretty common knowledge that Iran helps terrorists, I don't think thats made up. Maybe not al qaeda specifically, but does that make it any better?

I think it was a gaffe, I don't put much stock into it anymore than anyone would put stock into thinking that John Kerry truly does believe the military is made up of C students.

whoa the stats are directly split in half! neat!

There's a good chance that it was a simple slip of the tongue, we've all done it. Is there anything to suggest that he really thinks that way? For now, I do think it's a case of everyone being hypersensitve.

For the other question, it would be incredibly helpful if our politicians and decision makers would take History of the Middle East 101. It's not just knowing what is going on now, but knowing what has happened in the past. It may not make sense to us, but they have a much longer view of history and quite a bit of hatred has it's roots hundreds of years ago. It's kind of like Ireland in that sense - they still march every July to protest something that happened a thousand years ago!

Excellent suggestion M2!

Mariner, Have you read "The Looming Tower"? I am reading it now and I wish it were required reading for students.

How long is the Looming Tower? Big print? Small print? Lots of pictures?

Medium to small print, lots of page, but flows really well. Not many pictures.

Before he made this comment, he said, "It is common knowledge, it is widely known..."

I just think that understanding that Iran is Shiite and Al Queda is Sunni is pretty BASIC information. He didn't even correct himself until Lieberman pointed it out.

Very good read it is.

As far as the misstatement is concerned sure I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Hey it happens and when your 72 going on 73 and you have to keep track of as many facts as he does your bound to make a slip of the facts.

As for the intent to use al Qaeda as a trigger word for fear and try to associate them with anyone in the Middle East we disagree with this is dangerous and reckless.

As for McCain himself I am personally respectful of his military service and reverent of his experience as a p.o.w. However, it makes no bit of difference to me when deciding who is going to make a better President. When I make that decision this November I'm going to be looking at where each particular candidate is going to take us not where they have been.

No, I haven't but it is on my list to get to. My Dad read it and said it is really terrifing and intersting.

I just finished reading a "Power, Faith, and Fantasy" about the history of the US in the middle east. I never realized how entrenched our missionaries were over there and how much positive influence we once had.

McCain has also made jokes about "Al Queda is IN Iraq", but then generals come out the following week and say that Al Queda has already been eliminated in Iraq.

It seems he plays the terrorism card with a heavy hand, while being factually wrong...consistently.

I just happen to carry it with me. I read it on the train, I can't read it before bed, it is too heavy of a read.

It is 421 pages of story, then the rest is reference about 10 pages of pictures. Print is normal size, not too big, not too small. Mine is covered in highlighter, and dog eared to death. I think after I am done with this round I may read it again, because there is SO much information it is hard to absorb all of it.

We should stand in protest of McCain making any more speeches until the dems get done tearing each other apart. He was doing so good, staying out of the limelight, quietly gathering support. Wait a minute, has anyone heard from Hillary lately?

I'd say it was a slip of the tongue if he did it once.
He said it 4 different times!! (Three times on tuesday, once in an interview on Monday).

If my boss called me a co-worker's name once, it was a gaffe.
If he did it four times, then he really doesn't know who I am.

Because he repeated it so many times, it (IMO) shows that he believed that it was true when he said it. Bush loved to throw Al Qaeda into the mix when talking about Iraq. When there weren't any WMD to be found in Iraq, it was the second best excuse he could come up with for why we sent troops to Iraq....It's a topic connected to 9/11 that I think is used to lure the american public into supporting military involvement in the middle east.

I might just order that one up!

I had to read Edward Said's "Covering Islam" as a part of my journalism master's program. Very interesting look at how orientalist though dominates the Western image of Islam (as in the other part of the world - the orient - is backward and primitive). But he talks about how this isn't just a "media" problem but how everyone from government to academia is doing a poor job of understanding Islam. I'd suggest to anyone who is interested in learning more about the middle east.

ok i see why you would think it was more than just a gaffe, but i don't think we should write off his intelligence about the middle east situation entirely based on this.

"It's a topic connected to 9/11 that I think is used to lure the american public into supporting military involvement in the middle east."

I think this is also true when people compare Bush and McCain. They use it as a scare tactics to get more support for the Dems.

Oooo!!!! Another book. I love books.

I also like Bernard Lewis's writing because I think there's a tendancy to look at recent Middle Eastern history and blame it all on the West, but he does a good job at pointing out that they have messed up just as much as we have. At least in liberal circles, it's a little un PC to blame the Middle East for their problems so it's good to get some balance there. It takes two to tango and problems aren't created solely by one party.

Mariner that is what I like about THE LOOMING TOWER. It presents the facts, PC or not.

We should have a book club!

m2 so true.

we SHOULD have a book club.

I also find it interesting that he made this error while he was in the middle east....on a trip that was supposed to strengthen his image of having strong foreign policy skills.

I do see a lot of similarities between McCain and Bush (especially when he misspeaks in public and makes in appropriate jokes "bomb bomb iran!"). I think that it is up to McCain to show how they are different. No matter what, I think we will be in a better situation in 2009 no matter WHO wins this election. But I do see McCain as just a slightly smarter version of Bush.

I will start one on Conservative Sugar! I need book ideas though.

I really want to read LIBERAL FACIST

Cine you read my mind! I just saw that one the other day and added it to my wish list!
I love the graphic on the front!

I read the first few pages of Liberal Fascist, then had to start studying for GMAT. Damn GMAT. Grrrrrrrr

Yeah it is sitting on my night table, just waiting to be cracked open!

I was just about to post and suggest adding a reading list on Conservative Sugar!

I suspect McCain misspoke. I wonder if "al Quaeda" hasn't become a short way of saying "violent militant Islamic fascist", kind of like how "Scotch tape" has come to mean any kind of cellophane tape. Both products are leaders in their respective markets, after all.

haha good point laine!

or kleenex means all tissue paper

I am such a nerd, because I am so excited about a reading list on Conservative Sugar

Are you comparing 3m products to terrorism? I may take offense to that.

That's an interesting point about the Scotch tape thing, Lainetm. The same goes for Kleenex, Band-Aid, Xerox, etc.

You beat me to bandaid! Stupid server keeps shutting down!

I see that Syako beat me to Band-Aid, too!

Or Kleenex, I mean.

Well saying al qaeda certainly puts a face to name, the term terrorist can apply to many different groups...

At least he had someone who had his back and corrected him. How embarrassing for him. I would be mortified.

"Hey it happens and when your 72 going on 73 and you have to keep track of as many facts as he does your bound to make a slip of the facts."

This statement 'proves' why he wouldn't be President, huh? The dementia is kicking in...watch out! Let's elect him then wait for him to send troops into Iran, forgetting that Iraq is where they're supposed to go...

"No matter what, I think we will be in a better situation in 2009 no matter WHO wins this election. But I do see McCain as just a slightly smarter version of Bush."

I concur, juju...especially about the last part.

I don't really see how McCain is "just another Bush." For starters, McCain is vehemently against water-boarding. (That's just one of the MANY political differences they have.)

People who think McCain is just another Bush really haven't looked into where he stands at all.

I agree, cabaker. The McCain/Feingold Bill is another excellent example. Sure, Bush signed it, but he also spoke out against it. (Just for the record, I personally am not sure this bill is 100% Constitutional, so I may agree with Bush on this one.)

I attended a history of the middle east lecture series, and just got overwhelmed halfway through. I gave up taking notes and just listened, because it all sounded the same. It's definitely a tough subject, and keeping facts straight probably requires a team of experts!
I visited Egypt once, but that only counts for atmosphere. It was a lesson in what it looks like when worlds collide. shocking.

Lilkim - I think thats an excellent example.