I think he genuinely believes it.

Just like he believes Iran is funding Al Qaeda, and that somehow TALKING to people is appeasement.

But does Klein justifiably excoriate McCain over this in his writing and point out that McCain is not up to snuff enough on foreign policy to be POTUS, or does he give him a pass?

Maybe this is the start of the MSM finally testing McCain's supposed "expertise" in foreign policy.

When I see this kind of insanity spilling out of McCain's mouth, it makes me more convinced than ever that we need to stop this infighting.

BOTH Clinton supporters (like myself) and Obama supporters should whole heartedly agree that comments like this have terrifying implications. I commend Obama for his speech yesterday. Yes, I prefer Hillary as the candidate, but the fact of the matter is, I can't travel back and time and convince Euclid to change mathematical theory.

This is the bottom line. The beliefs John McCain stands for directly contradict the founding principles of the United States of America. This is not a candidate driven issue - it's a moral one.

I'm gonna go ever farther than I have in the past and even invite whatever moderate republicans might be willing to join our ranks so that we can work together. It's time we finally marginalized the far right and it's mission to subvert what this country is all about.

I think I'd be hard pressed to find someone who disagrees with me on this post.

Could McCain's long honeymoon with our fickle press be approaching its end?

And this McCain's "strength"! We. Got. This. Thing.

McCain has nothing on Reagan when it comes to ignorance of the issues and the names of people and groups. Reagan got elected twice. Hell, he'd probably get elected now if he ran even though he's dead.

He is talking about w's base.

30% that still believe w is doing a good job.

He will win them and the other States Obama has disenfranchised.

He can't answer any question that strays from the "talking points". I can't wait for the first debate. McCain is so screwed.

i'm wondering why people give McCain so much credit on foreign policy matters. he has no idea what he's talking about. he's not a particularly intelligent man, and he has no formal background in foreign policy beyond being a Senator (which pretty much amounts to nothing in terms of implementable policy one is accountable for). is it just that he sounds hawkish, therefore he must know what he's talking about? could it be that easy?

of course Ahmadinejad isn't the leader of Iran, his governmental position is effectively that of figurehead and yes-man for the Ayatollahs. he's nothing more than a distraction, both to Iranians and for the rest of the world. the power and ability to direct the country lies in Ayatollah Khamenei, but McCain ignores this fact simply because Khamenei isn't a suitable strawman for his "Iran is evil" canard.

Reverse Robin Hood Why is John McCain wrong on health care? Think credit cards.

http://www.slate.com/id/2191699/

Excerpt from the article:

McCain argues that different states' regulations "prevent the best companies, with the best plans and lowest prices, from making their product available to any American who wants it." Although he hasn't given details, his supporters say that he favors an approach, endorsed by President Bush and championed by McCain's Arizona colleague John Shadegg, that would allow insurers to choose the state laws under which they are regulated. (I e-mailed the campaign about the specifics of McCain's approach and didn't hear back.) An insurance company that chose to be regulated under Arizona law could sell policies in New York without following New York rules. Arizona, like most states, lets companies charge what they want to people who are sick—or simply deny them coverage altogether. Under Shadegg's bill, insurers wouldn't even need to pick up and move their operations; it would be enough to file some paperwork with a state insurance commissioner and pay that state's relevant taxes.

If enacted, this proposal would cause a shift along the lines seen in the credit-card industry. Like the Citibank of old, New York insurers would have little incentive to continue doing business under New York's laws. Insurance companies can make bigger profits by offering different policies to different people based on separate assessments of risk rather than charging everyone the same, as a state like New York requires. An insurer operating under Arizona law would be able to offer healthy New Yorkers a cheaper policy than an insurer working under New York law that has to price policies the same for everyone.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? In the credit-card industry, there's a pretty decent argument that the old usury laws restricted access to credit, even among people who needed it and could use it well. And competition among card issuers has led to a proliferation of rewards programs—frequent-flyer miles, hotel discounts—that work nicely for people who pay their bills in full and on time. There's also a classic libertarian argument for deregulating credit cards: MasterCard never put a gun to anybody's head.

The problem is that without consumer protections, companies use pricing practices, like teaser rates, to attract cash-strapped families and then slap those families with interest rates of 35 percent or higher plus penalties of $35 a month. Rates can double or triple without notice, even if you never miss a payment. Credit-card use and bankruptcy rose together for years (until the 2005 federal bankruptcy legislation), and last year, banks made $40 billion in plastic profits. For families drowning in debt (often from health expenses, by the way), a credit card may be the only life raft—but in the memorable words of Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi, authors of The Two-Income Trap, the raft turns out to be made of cement.

Whatever the case Democrats need to understand that these guys want to attack Iran. There is a very good chance Bush will do it before he leaves office. Dems need to accept that and start working to stop it by educating the people on the insanity and inhumanity of it, so when it does happen we will be better positioned to denounce the attack when it happens.

I still have not gotten over how Bush stuttered, mumbled & did not even answer many questions during the Kerry, Bush debates, remember the famous SNL sketch Of "this is so hard" we've all heard over & over. Kerry buried him over & over & still lost, the nightmare continued.

Thanks to the internet & todays communication fast track people should be much better prepared to fight the MSM. We can only hope.

If the pursuit of Rove continues it should help. He single handedly has nearly brought down the republican party. LOL how sweet THAT would be if it actually happened.

That's pretty scary. Is he going to have a poll when he becomes president to see who the public thinks he should talk to?

If John McCain is as tough as he thinks he is, he should be able to handle uncomfortable questions from the press. But you can tell from that video clip how irate he was. When he gets annoyed, like he did with Mitt Romney in some of the earlier debates, he gets visibly arrogant.

Every journalist and blogger should continue to hold pundits and politicians accountable for the things they say.

Lovelynina: you love this video for all the right reasons.

My only quibble is that, like Bush, it's impossible to know for sure if McCain is really that ignorant or that dishonest. But, as with Bush, it does not really matter. Each possibility is awful.

The problem with McCain is not that he doesn't know who the real boss is in Tehran. The problem is that he does not understand foreign policy. He thinks diplomacy is appeasement. Diplomacy is not appeasement, it is a recognized approach to resolving disputes between countries in a peaceful way. Bush/McCain do not want that -- they just want to make preemptive war that they do not know how to finish. That is the problem, not whether he knows who is boss in Tehran.

To reveal McCain's ignorance is not bad, but if that distracts from the real issues, then it is not good.

if you actually asked the average American:
56% - "some towelhead"
26% - "Osama Bin Laden"
13% - "Saddam Hussein"
4% - "Mackmood Armageddon"
1% - "Barack Obama, Secret Muslim"

Jesus H Christ, is it possible we could have a president even DUMBER than dubya??? Say it ain't so!

The government of Iran only "seems" to be opaque because the MSM have been woefully remiss in educating the public about it. Anyone who wishes to know about it can learn all they need to know at CIA Factbook Iran. Ahmadinijad is NOT the supreme leader of Iran. In fact, he has no more power than the Mayor of Tehran.

Haven't you wondered why we haven't heard from Ahmedinijad in a long while now? The Iranian newspaper reported that the Iatollah ordered him to "shut up" and focus on the economy.

The Iatollah has the power to determine who can and who cannot run for president. If Ahmedinijad had disobeyed him, he would not be running for reelection. That should tell you something...

Please allow me to explain. The Iranian system below the Federal level is a democracy. Shock!!! It is only at the highest levels of government, headed by the Iatollah, that democracy takes a back seat to religious fundamentalism.

Furthermore, the average age of Iranians is very young. Most adults have come of age after the 1979 revolution. Most of them favor Western culture. Most of them chafe under religious restrictions. Most of them, given another 20 years, will most likely be responsible for yet another revolution, in favor of the West, if we don't start bombing them.

This is not "rosy thinking" but based on facts on the ground in Iran. Furthermore, the Iatollah is selected by the Council of Clerics. When the current Iatollah dies, it is they who will choose the next Supreme Leader. That council is now headed by the most reform-minded man in all of Iran, Rafsanjani, who's attempts to reform the highest government by implementing sweeping civil liberties was stymied by the Iatollah when HE was president. Indications are that the next Iatollah will be more in line with Rafsanjani's ideals. Unless, of course, we start bombing them.

The information is out there for anyone who is willing to educate themselves about it.