At a speech this morning in Chicago, McCain hit Obama again on Iran -- this time ridiculing the Illinois Senator for his completely uncontroversial remark yesterday that the Iran threat is minuscule compared to that of the former Soviet Union.

After arguing that Iran is a dire threat indeed (nukes, Israel, etc. etc.), McCain cranked up his attacks again on Obama's willingness to negotiate with hostile foreign powers, saying that it "betrays the depth of Senator Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment."

"An unconditional summit meeting with the next American president would confer both international legitimacy on the Iranian president and could strengthen him domestically when he is unpopular among the Iranian people," McCain said, according to remarks provided by his campaign. He added: "The next President ought to understand such basic realities of international relations."

A couple quick things about this. First, note the direct attack on Obama's "judgment." Given that the good judgment Obama showed in opposing the Iraq War -- which McCain supported -- is central to Obama's candidacy, what you have here is the old Rove play-book in action: Attack your opponent's greatest strength and pretend your own weakness on that same front doesn't exist.

Second, what's consistently surprising about McCain's continued assaults on Obama's willingness to negotiate with hostile foreign powers is that majorities support Obama's position and oppose McCain's -- another sign that this is more Rove Politics 101.

McCain's full remarks on this after the jump.

"Before I begin my prepared remarks, I want to respond briefly to a comment Senator Obama made yesterday about the threat posed to the United States by the Government of Iran. Senator Obama claimed that the threat Iran poses to our security is "tiny" compared to the threat once posed by the former Soviet Union. Obviously, Iran isn't a superpower and doesn't possess the military power the Soviet Union had. But that does not mean that the threat posed by Iran is insignificant. On the contrary, right now Iran provides some of the deadliest explosive devices used in Iraq to kill our soldiers. They are the chief sponsor of Shia extremists in Iraq, and terrorist organizations in the Middle East. And their President, who has called Israel a "stinking corpse," has repeatedly made clear his government's commitment to Israel's destruction. Most worrying, Iran is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons. The biggest national security challenge the United States currently faces is keeping nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists. Should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, that danger would become very dire, indeed. They might not be a superpower, but the threat the Government of Iran poses is anything but "tiny."

"Senator Obama has declared, and repeatedly reaffirmed his intention to meet the President of Iran without any preconditions, likening it to meetings between former American Presidents and the leaders of the Soviet Union. Such a statement betrays the depth of Senator Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment. Those are very serious deficiencies for an American president to possess. An ill conceived meeting between the President of the United States and the President of Iran, and the massive world media coverage it would attract, would increase the prestige of an implacable foe of the United States, and reinforce his confidence that Iran's dedication to acquiring nuclear weapons, supporting terrorists and destroying the State of Israel had succeeded in winning concessions from the most powerful nation on earth. And he is unlikely to abandon the dangerous ambitions that will have given him a prominent role on the world stage.

"This is not to suggest that the United States should not communicate with Iran our concerns about their behavior. Those communications have already occurred at an appropriate level, which the Iranians recently suspended. But a summit meeting with the President of the United States, which is what Senator Obama proposes, is the most prestigious card we have to play in international diplomacy. It is not a card to be played lightly. Summit meetings must be much more than personal get-acquainted sessions. They must be designed to advance American interests. An unconditional summit meeting with the next American president would confer both international legitimacy on the Iranian president and could strengthen him domestically when he is unpopular among the Iranian people. It is likely such a meeting would not only fail to persuade him to abandon Iran's nuclear ambitions; its support of terrorists and commitment to Israel's extinction, it could very well convince him that those policies are succeeding in strengthening his hold on power, and embolden him to continue his very dangerous behavior. The next President ought to understand such basic realities of international relations."