New McCain Ad Badly Distorts Obama's Words About Iran
The new McCain ad released this morning attacking Obama on Iran rips Obama's words out of context so egregiously that it amounts to a distortion at best and an outright smear at worst.
The ad's narrator says: "Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country. 'Doesn't pose a serious threat.' Terrorism? Destroying Israel? Those aren't serious threats?"
The quote where Obama supposedly said that Iran "doesn't pose a serious threat" was delivered by him on May 18, 2008, according to the date flashed by the ad itself.
But in juxtaposing that truncated quote with "terrorism" and "destroying Israel," the ad badly distorts what Obama actually said that day, and more broadly, also distorts Obama's position on Iran.
Here is the full May 18th Obama quote, as supplied by the McCain press release itself:
"Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela -- these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we're going to wipe you off the planet."
Very clearly, Obama didn't say that Iran doesn't pose any serious threat. Rather, he clearly said that Iran doesn't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us.
What's more, Obama didn't simply say Iran was "tiny," as the ad suggests, in a clear effort to hoodwink viewers into thinking that Obama sees Iran as no threat at all. Rather, he said it was tiny compared to the Soviet Union.
These serious distortions are also at odds with Obama's actual positions on Iran. Obama has said that Iran is a threat to Israel.
For instance, on June 4, during a speech to AIPAC, Obama said: "There is no greater threat to Israel -- or to the peace and stability of the region -- than Iran."
Obama has also clearly said that Iran is a threat in the sense that it's liked to terrorism, despite the ad's suggestion that Obama doesn't see terror as a threat.
During his June 4th AIPAC speech, Obama said of Iran: "Its support for terrorism and threats toward Israel have increased."
Nothing like a bracing dose of lies to get your day off to a good start, huh?
Is it actually showing outside of the studios of CNN, Fox, and MSNBC?
August 27, 2008 10:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd just be happy if one of them called bullshit on the ad. But I'm not holding my breath.
August 27, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've figured out one of the issues that Democratic supporters need to come to terms with. We keep expecting the media to do its job. It's ingrained in us that journalists should, and will, behave like journalists.
But the specimens in cable news don't and won't, so we should all just face up to the fact that shoddy work is the norm. They are, to quote Click and Clack, entirely unencumbered by the thought process in most circumstances.
Hope the Obama campaign realizes this.
August 27, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, unless it's a democratic position and they allegedly "fact check" and distort the democratic postion. It's the corporate right-wing media.
I still say dems should run ads against the media as well and call them to task for not doing their job. An ad on the oil drilling lie would be a great start and they could use the king's own administration's position that it would have no effect.
Also, maybe on this iran thing they can call the republicans a bunch of whusses or something. Iran is not a significant threat to the "homeland" only to our troops in iraq that shouldn't be there in the first place.
August 27, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's Iran's existential threat to really relatively tiny Israel that gets the righties in a lather. Israel=USA in their view.
McCain is the real existential threat to the USA.
August 27, 2008 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
I really don't think that the iranian mullahs are that stupid to attack isreal with missles or even a nuke. Isreal has enough nukes to obliterate iran. The mullahs aren't that stupid. It's just posturing for domestic consumption and to act like big shots in the region. They are doing it more so now that the us took out their primary adversary, saddam. Brilliant move on the king's part. Excellent, take out the counterweight to iran in the region and give iran a puppet state on it's border. What a huge clusterf*ck.
August 27, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, that's the absolute least they must do if they are going to constantly air McCain's video press releases, and that's exactly what they are, as only one of the two Hillary ads even aired, and only in Toledo, Ohio!
Obama should release these things every day as well. Then they'll have to either run both or not run either, and I bet they'll just stop rather than take up all day airing them.
Don't the cable news networks ever wonder why everyone hates them? Their judgment of what is newsworthy is so terrible. If the New York Times started publishing McCain's press releases, its readers would hate it, too. Aren't any of these networks interested in differentiating their brand based on, you know, quality journalism?
August 27, 2008 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yup.
August 27, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sidekick McCain
August 27, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
NO ONE IS GETTING THIS!
Do what Karl Rove even tells you he does... watch the goddamned ad with the sound down!!
Picture of Obama. Super over his face, of the quoted word "TINY.
GET IT NOW???
It's "The Democrats are weaklings", with a touch of "John Edwards is faggeleh. It may be the first time in history, that anyone accused a Black man of having a small penis.
If you don't understand that THAT is what this ad is supposed to do... YOU DON'T GET IT AND WE'RE GOING TO LOSE IN A FRICKIN' LANDSLIDE!
Karl Rove outpunches and outclasses Dems, every single goddamned time, and "we" never move off Square One. Obama is supposedly from Chicago. His peeps obviously never took "the Chicago way" to heart.
In order to understand why it doesn't MATTER where the ad shows or how often... read THIS... and commit it to memory. It is simply the single most important thing the Democrats currently have to learn about 21st Century political advertising (and, as always, HuffPo ran it for three seconds, then buried it, to ensure that it would have the least amount of exposure. Aren't you people lucky you have ME?):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/distract-and-detract-mcca_b_121560.html
August 27, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well done. The Obama camp should send out a release directing folks to this page.
The McCain Camp doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good smear ad. And the MSM will not do their job and call him on it to try and keep campaigns honest. Sure blog sites and factcheck.org will dissect it and expose it for the utter crap that it is, but the MSM will probably air it in full in a continuous loop, free of charge.
August 27, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
See my response ad here.
August 27, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think a deft touch would be to respond with a humorous ad/video press release, using sarcasm and ridicule.
It would be something along the lines of "McCain's ad said X, but Obama actually said Y, and it's ridiculous for McCain to distort Obama's words. Why is he afraid of a fair fight and telling Americans the truth?"
They could also suggest that it would be like if we ran an ad taking something McCain said and distorting it.
Got any suggestions for something McCain said that we could similarly distort beyond recognition? I'm thinking foreign policy or the economy are the best topics.
August 27, 2008 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Never repeat what McCain's ads say. Simply say: John McCain is distorting my record. Why is he so afraid to tell the truth?
August 27, 2008 10:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
True, but they ought to use the real quote so viewers can see how he's distorted the record. Saying "John McCain is distorting my record" is a little vague.
August 27, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about an ad saying
"John McCain approves of ads that lie and distort the truth in order to get elected. If he was president could we really trust him to tell us the truth?"
Then show clips of the various lies that got us into the iraq war.
August 27, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
that's about right.
call him a liar. tell it like it is.
of course obama won't do that because he thinks he's elevating the debate and thinks that divisiveness is the problem with politics. he's dead fucking wrong of course. the problem with politics is that mccain and bush and the rnc are a bunch of fucking liars and the dems are too chickenshit to just say so.
August 27, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
That sounds a little weak and complaining. How's this - Another way John McCain is like George Bush: he's a liar. He lies about my record. He distorts my record. We don't need another liar in the White House."
August 27, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
That sounds a little weak and complaining. How's this - "Another way John McCain is like George Bush: he's a liar. He lies about my record. He distorts my record. We don't need another liar in the White House."
August 27, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who exactly has been in control for the past eight years while Iran greatly expanded its influence within the Middle East from Lebanon to Iraq?
August 27, 2008 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Stop trying to confuse the issue with your "facts" and "common sense". We all know that the Democrats are to blame for this.
August 27, 2008 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
This reminds me of the 100 years comment. Let's see if the media goes out of their way to refute the implied claims in this ad.
I HIGHLY doubt it.
August 27, 2008 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
They won't call McCain on this crap because, you guessed it, he is a POW.
August 27, 2008 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain could not even GO to the Soviet Union for 5 1/2 years be.. wait, he sort of WAS in the Soviet Union then.
Er, for 5 1/2 years, John McCain could not even look at a map to see how big Iran was compared to the Soviet Union!
August 27, 2008 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
He drew a map of the world in the dirt of his cell, next to the area where he wrote down the Bible from memory. He studied both, hard, because that's all he had to do between the tort-- er, enhanced-- uh, mistreatment and biweekly gruel dinners.
August 27, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sitting in one of those key states where the ad will be run, I have to emphasize that this election is beginning to look like the last two elections. Obama has got to go on the offensive. He has made one decent slap back on one issue. McCain is simply creaming him by releasing a new ad on almost a daily basis.
August 27, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
As noted previously, McCain is running all these ads because he has to spend his remaining primary money this week. It'll be interesting to see how quickly they spend the $85M in public money once they get it.
August 27, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not entirely clear that this ad actually will run anywhere except on cable news, at this point.
McCain has to use his money up in one week. Of course he's going to be releasing ads every day. He won't be able to keep up that pace, however.
Things look kinda grim right now, I'll agree, but I don't know that they'll stay that way.
August 27, 2008 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
CT Voter:
Big fan, BTW. At the risk of seeming like a noodge, this will be my third time posting this link to William Bradley in HuffPo, explaining how 21st Century political advertising actually works.
Someone else here called it perfectly, when they said that this was not "advertising" anymore, so much as it was a "video press release". Dem strategists had best heed that warning, or prepare to die:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/distract-and-detract-mcca_b_121560.html
August 27, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great opportunity for an ad by Obama showing what a P.O.S. McCain's group is.
August 27, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Something came to me the other day. During the 2004 and 2000 election cycle, Bush never directly attacked Kerry in relation to arguments such as the swiftboaters and this crap. Rove always made sure that Bush was one step removed so voters would not equate him to the negativity of the election cycle.
This election cycle, McCain is doing the attacks himself and carrying his own water. I am wondering what the impact is going to be. I am no fan of Rove, yet feel he was right to separate the negative attack crap from the candidate in the eyes of the voters.
August 27, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. McCain is going to be his own attack dog because he has no choice. He can't run on his own agenda, because it's Bush & Cheney's agenda. He has no ground game, period. He has to really pander to the religious right to create some excitement. He can't and won't run on the economy, with the exception of the eternal "higher taxes" boogieman. He doesn't have another choice but to run by the Rove playbook and exploit his only highlight (You know what it is, so why bother to remain you).
Even with all the flaws the DNC have shown, one thing it's for sure: the RNC will be a natural turnoff. Let's get real: They're only going to attack and attack and then attack more. It's going to please the base and their mouthpieces (Fox, Rush and the others), but it will alienate the moderates they need so badly. They think the 80's mantra of "if you can do it, you can over do it" will work again. I highly doubt it. Let's look to their lineup:
Monday: Bush, Cheney & Lieberman. Enough said.
Tuesday: Fred Thompson & Giuliani. Even with their fame and reputation, they couldn't win anything at their own primary.
Wednesday: Cindy McCain (after Michelle's speech, she's already in trouble), Romney (the Manchurian Candidate incarnated) and the VP (after Biden's choice, it's a tough one to follow and please everyone, specially Rush).
Thursday: Crist & Pawlenty, two puppies and the man himself. He has to compete with the NFL opener. And already prepared to take shots everytime he mentions POW, Hanoi or My friends. I'm wasted already.
PD: A star was born yesterday. His name is Brian Schweitzer. The guy is the real deal. He can help Obama to win the Midwest and those elusive voters the pundits talk about. Memo to Axelrod: USE HIM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! AND SEND HILLARY TO FLORIDA ASAP!
August 27, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I had read about him, but last night was the first time I had actually seen Brian Schweitzer in action, and I was really impressed! I thought at the time that I hoped we would be seeing a lot more of him in days to come.
August 27, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
The response should be "John McCain wants to start World War III."
August 27, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain: "Wrong before [Iraq] he was wrong again [staying in Iraq for 100 years]" [Let him spend his own cash replying that he was "right" about the surge]
Add a few clips of McCain's bellicose braying about Iran or Georgia. Can't think of a good catchy punchline, but implication is: this is a guy who just loves war for its own sake.
August 27, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes. But. This is a post-partisan campaign. We do not do such things. We are above that kind of response.
August 27, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
*snickers*
August 27, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
This one deserves a real strong and continuing smack down. I bet none of the bobbleheads on the cable news networks mentions the distortion.
August 27, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain: "Simply dangerous"
August 27, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
It is this lie and others by Republicans, designed to scare people that also has another effect. The fear from these ads translates into anger and that anger can translate into violence for those that are 'less evolved'.
McCain and his crew should know this, but they like most Republicans seem hell bent on creating this divide at any cost.
This is a dangerous ad.
August 27, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dear American Citizens and the mass media of U.S.A.
As a concerned disabled American Veteran and American citizen, I consider it my duty and responsibility to bring following critical characteristics of so called Maverick McCain to you for proving me wrong or right.
"The citizens of the United States of America have the ultimate responsibility to elect the " Right Candidate with the right temperament" to lead our nation' to address our nations present and future moral, democratic, economic, educational, health care, energy, military, and foundational soul of our nation.
In my firm professional opinion that the media should help the common voter to explore and discuss following attributes of Hon. Senator McCain.
1. Does he have a calm, cool, and collected " temper " [ Presidential Temperament ]?
2. Does he have a sound and sustained "Judgment and Caliber"?
3. Does he have a reveal a presidential "Thought-fullness and togetherness" of purpose and positions?
4. Does he lot or little "ex-poser and exploitation" around Washington"?
5. Does he poses enough " Vigor, wisdom and Vision " for our Great-grand Nation?
6. Does he poses foreign policy exploit-es based on " American Values, Virtuous, Vastness"?
7. Does his campaign talk. slogans and ads are based of facts and free of fiction, deception, seduction, and attacks?
If your answer to the above questions is yes then recommend and vote for him.
But in my professional. political, and personal opinion that vote is against the common interests majority of American people, against the world humanity, continuation of status qua and possibly dangerous world order.
Long live U.S.A and its democratic people and their common sense.
COL.. A.M. Khajawall [Ret] MD., Colonel, USAR / MC Combat Stress Control[Ret], Disabled American Veteran and Iraq Freedom team.
PS: Please google McCain and temper read what his senator colleagues and others are saying about it.
August 27, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately, for the average American I think calm and cool translates to someone who doesn't sufficiently appreciate the threat. Irascible and hotheaded = somebody itching to take on the terrorists.
August 27, 2008 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Anybody still watching the MSM is part of the problem. They are not reporters or anchors anymore, they're all about getting themselves over.
August 27, 2008 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just last night, an average American was feeding me some neocon talking points about Saddam Hussein and Iraq's threat to our very survival. "STILL???", you ask. Well, check out the response to my subsequent correction with those pesky FACTS:
"What, do you get news that the rest of us don't get? DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?"
As long as they let anybody vote... which I hear they're planning to keep on doing... we are so utterly fucked.
August 27, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Again, they lie, we respond to it substantively, but their attacks work.
The only real way to fight back is to launch fresh attacks ourselves.
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
August 27, 2008 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
During the 80s, when Iran was fighting for its life against Iraq, 80% of Iran's weapons came from Israel. During that time, while Israel was its lifeline, Iran never stopped being critical of Israel. Israel even build a plant for Iran to produce 200-mile-range missiles which were capable of carrying a nuclear warhead (not that Iran HAD any nuclear warheads). Meanwhile, the US and Western Europe were supplying the means for Iraq to use chemical warfare against the Kurds and Iranians, and the Saudis and Kuwaitis were supplying Iraq with the money to pay for the weapons, and for the Iraqis to increase the size of their army to nearly 1.5 million men. So the army that invaded Kuwait was built by the US (and others) with money supplied (partly) by the Saudis and the Kuwaitis.
August 27, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am a little worried that the Obama campaign is working so hard on the convention story arc that they are going to miss this. A lie unopposed is the truth.
By the way a lot of McCain ads contain the argument that Barack Obama is going to raise your taxes. Unless you make more that $250,000 Obama is going to lower your taxes. But the McCain lie has gone unopposed so long people are beginning to believe it. Wolf Blitzer of the Corportate Nitwit Network went so far as to do an entire misleading story "proving" that McCain is right. I saw Kudlow make the same argument.
The Obama campaign has got to get off its couch and take on these lies before they are ingrained as truth.
August 27, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure that the 'rapid response' team will be on this.
They won't reply directly but the distortion is so provocative I'm sure the Obama camp's overtures to cable to follow this up will be received loud and clear.
McCain is probably seeking to stir up controversy on national security today, because that's the theme tonight at the Convention.
This could seriously backfire on McCain though. This is a lie, and it shows he is 'out of touch' when it comes to national security.
August 27, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
More like: It amounts to an outright smear at best, and an insidious lie at worst.
This isn't the substance of a return ad on the defensive but for some serious rotation on cable.
I'm sure Olbermann would love to sink his teeth into this.
McCain has nowhere to hide when the distortion is so plainly manipulative and subversive.
August 27, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Um, dishonest ads work. Is the media fact checking it and placing the ad in context, or just simply replaying it and not commenting on it?
Obama needs to respond forcefully to this sort of garbage.
August 27, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
The larger context of this ad is its ominous and dark tone that is the politics of insecurity in its pure form. This is aimed at the Republican base and a distraction from issues like immigration and global warming. Fear is the base emotion of Republicans and optimism is the base emotion of Democrats. Reagan got conservative Democrats to switch by combing the two.
That is why Democratic surrogates have to evoke the fear of Four More Wars while Obama embodies the optimism that even many Republicans are looking for.
August 27, 2008 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
This actually plays a bit into Obama's wheelhouse. He talks about the polictics of fear pretty effectively and I'm assuming that will be a big part of his speech on Thurs.
http://pufferfish.typepad.com/
August 27, 2008 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Qualifications and nuance are no match for the sound bite.
August 27, 2008 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Definitely the response is:
"Why does McCain feel the need to lie to the American people about what his opponent says?
[show same highlighted distinction as Greg's post]
Hmmm... a President who would lie to the American people about a war they want to start in the Middle East?
Where have we heard that one before?
Oh yeah... (show picture of McCain hugging Bush)
Do we want 4 more years of George Bush?
No way, no how, no McCain
I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message"
August 27, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
This election is about the past vs. the future. And our hope is to get that across to the youth and turn them out to vote in great numbers. Maybe that's why Obama can't go too negative. He can't ruin the brand or the youth will turn off.
What Obama can do is point to the dishonesty of this ad and the others, and say "same ole thing" we can't believe anything the GOP says. They take the facts and turn them into what they want it to be, just as they did with the WMD in Iraq. The Republicans have no credence left with the American people.
I also feel we need to start associating McCain with Cheney. An old angry man who wants to wage war on the world.
August 27, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Which of those two are the angry old man who wants to wage war on the world?
Angry old MEN in my opinion.
August 27, 2008 10:51 AM |