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Democratic National Committee: John McCain's Top 10 Misstatements and Outright Deceptions
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Democratic National Committee logo. (PRNewsFoto/Democratic National Committee)
WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES
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WASHINGTON, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For a candidate who
regularly brags about his experience as a Washington insider, John McCain
has a troubling pattern of flubbing key facts and echoing obviously false
statements about his own record. To help voters keep track of all the
gaffes and distortions, the Democratic National Committee today released a
list of John McCain's top 10 misstatements and outright deceptions.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO )
"Whether he is talking about a country that hasn't existed in 15 years,
flubbing the fundamental facts on the ground in Iran and Iraq, or blatantly
misleading on his own record, John McCain's history of gaffes and
deceptions raises serious questions about whether he has the judgment to
lead," said DNC spokesman Damien LaVera. "At a time when we are fighting
two wars abroad and facing an economic crisis here at home, McCain just
doesn't understand the challenges we are facing. The more voters learn
about John McCain, the more they see he's the wrong choice for America's
future."
The following is a list of John McCain's Top 10 Misstatements and
Outright Deceptions:
1. McCain doesn't even know who is in charge in Iran.
2. Iraq/Iran, Sunni/Shia: McCain doesn't know the difference.
3. McCain still thinks Czechoslovakia (which split into two countries
in 1993) exists.
4. McCain wrongly claimed that Baghdad was mostly normal.
5. McCain called Baghdad market safe.
6. McCain can't even remember how little he knows about the economy.
7. McCain falsely claimed he never requested pork.
8. McCain falsely claimed that tax cuts increased government revenues.
9. McCain's claim to be untainted by special interest money is false.
10. McCain wrongly claimed he never supported amnesty.
1. MCCAIN DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE IN IRAN
McCain Gets Basic Facts on Iran Wrong.
QUESTION: I've done some research, and um -
MCCAIN: I have too.
QUESTION: Also checked, also checked with the Obama campaign and he
never, he's never sai -- mentioned Ahmadinejad directly by name. He did say
he would negotiate with the leaders, but as you know - Ayatollah,
MCCAIN: (Laughing) Ahmadinejad is, was the leader.
QUESTION: But if -
MCCAIN: Maybe I'm mistaken.
QUESTION: Maybe you are, because -
MCCAIN: Maybe. I don't think so though.
QUESTION: The Supreme, you know, according to most diplomatic experts,
the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the guy who's in charge of Iranian
foreign policy and also in charge of the nuclear program, but you never
mention him. Do you, you know, um, why do you always keep talking about
Ahmadinejad since he doesn't have power in that, in that realm?
MCCAIN: Oh I thin-Again, I respectfully disagree. When he's the person
that comes to the United Nations and declares his country's policy is the
extermination of the state of Israel, quote, in his words, wipe them off of
the map, then I know that he is speaking for the Iranian government and
articulating their policy and he was elected and is running for reelection
as the leader of that country. Yes sir, go ahead.
NEW QUESTION: One more quest-
MCCAIN: I mean, the fact is he's the acknowledged leader of that
country and you may disagree, but that's a uh, that's your right to do so,
but I think if you asked any average American who the leader of Iran is, I
think they'd know. Go ahead. Or anyone who's well-versed in the issue.
[CNN Live Feed, Press Conference (Savannah, GA), 5/19/08]
The CIA's World Factbook States that "Ultimate Political Authority" in
Iran is Vested in the Supreme Leader. "Known as Persia until 1935, Iran
became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown
and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces
established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political
authority vested in a learned religious scholar referred to commonly as the
Supreme Leader who, according to the constitution, is accountable only to
the Assembly of Experts." [CIA - The World Factbook, accessed 5/19/08;
(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#G
ovt)]
Ultimate Authority in Iran Rests With Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"[Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei heads a theocratic Shiite Muslim state with
elements of a democratic republic, including regular elections for
parliament and the presidency. . . . Iran's constitution does not recognize
political parties. But authorities regulate political groups and even fund
some organizations loyal to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. These groups
battle one another for power and influence through the parliament, although
ultimate authority rests with Khamenei, a high-ranking cleric." [Los
Angeles Times, 1/25/08]
2. IRAQ/IRAN, SUNNI/SHIA: MCCAIN DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
At least four times as a candidate, three times in March 2008 alone,
McCain said publicly that Iran (a Shiite nation) was supporting Al-Queda (a
Sunni group) in Iraq. Despite being corrected by the press and his
colleagues, McCain continued to repeat the assertion.
-- March 17, 2008: McCain said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show "As you
know, there are al-Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given
training as leaders, and they're moving back into Iraq." [New
York Times, 3/19/08; Entire Transcript at:
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?Con
tentGuid=ae522a49-6c82-4791-a76e-44ebb718bf32]
-- March 18, 2008: In Jordan after a trip to Iraq, McCain said a press
conference that " 'We continue to be concerned about Iranian
[operatives] taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them
back,' he said in comments after meeting with Jordan's King
Abdullah II on Tuesday afternoon. Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it
is 'common knowledge and has been reported in the media that
al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming
back into Iraq from Iran; that's well known. And it's
unfortunate.' A few moments later, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman
(I-Conn.), standing just behind McCain, stepped forward and whispered in
his ear. McCain then said, 'I'm sorry, the Iranians are
training extremists, not al-Qaeda.'" [Washington Post,
3/19/08]
-- March 19, 2008: The next day however, in a press release on the fifth
anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, McCain said "Al Qaeda and
Shia extremists -- with support from external powers such as Iran -- are
on the run but not defeated." [McCain Presidential Campaign Press
Release via Targeted News Service, 3/19/08]
-- November 2007: McCain Said that Al Qaeda Is Getting "Supplies and
Equipment" From Iran. "Al Qaeda is not defeated," McCain
told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week. "They're
on the run, but they are not defeated, and they continue to get supplies
and equipment through Iran, and they continue to get suicide bombers
through Syria." [ABC, This Week with George Stephanopoulos,
11/25/07]
-- April 8, 2008: McCain Referred To Al Qaeda As A "Sect Of
Shi'ites"
-- [McCain]: Do you still view al Qaeda in Iraq as a major threat?
-- [Petraeus]: It is still a major threat, though it is certainly not as
major a threat as it was say 15 months ago.
-- [McCain]: Certainly not an obscure sect of the Shi'ites overall?
[CNN, 4/8/08, view video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdNKQ8XapIA]
Mistake Undermines Central Assertion of McCain's Campaign. The Trail
wrote, "The mistake threatened to undermine McCain's argument that his
decades of foreign policy experience make him the natural choice to lead a
country at war with terrorists. In recent days, McCain has repeatedly said
his intimate knowledge of foreign policy make him the best equipped to
answer a phone ringing in the White House late at night." [The Trail,
WashingtonPost.com, 3/18/08]
3. MCCAIN STILL THINKS CZECHOSLOVAKIA (WHICH SPLIT INTO TWO COUNTRIES
IN 1993) EXISTS
Czechoslovakia Separated in Czech Republic & Slovakia on January 1,
1993. On January 1, 1993 the nation of Czechoslovakia separated into two
independent countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Alluding to
Czechoslovakia's peaceful "Velvet Revolution" in 1989, the break-up was
known as the "Velvet Divorce," because it was, "hassle-free, peaceful and
as amicable a breakup can be." [Associated Press, 9/11/07; International
Herald Tribune, 9/11/07]
2008: McCain Says "I Would Work Closely With Czechoslovakia and Poland"
on European Missile Shield. During a conversation with Don Imus on his
"Imus in the Morning" radio program, John McCain voiced support for
installing the European Missile Defense System in Poland and the Czech
Republic: "Yes. Yes," he said on installing the shield despite Russia's
opposition, "And I would work closely with Czechoslovakia and Poland and
other countries." [WABC Radio "Imus in the Morning," 4/2/08] (emphasis
added)
2007: McCain Says He'd make Sure "We Have a Missile Defense System in
Place in Czechoslovakia & Poland." During an October 2007 Republican
presidential primary debate, McCain sharply criticized Vladamir Putin's
bullying and attempts "to get a control of the energy supply of Western
Europe," telling the audience: "The first thing I would do is make sure
that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and
Poland, and I don't care what his objections are to it." [Fox Orlando (FL)
Debate, 10/21/07] (emphasis added)
1999: At IRI Dinner, McCain "Twice Thanked the Ambassador From
'Czechoslovakia' For His Efforts." During McCain's 2000 campaign against
George Bush for the Republican nomination, the Washington Post reported
McCain "sometimes has trouble keeping things straight. McCain, chairman of
the International Republican Institute, speaking at the group's gala awards
dinner last week, twice thanked the ambassador from 'Czechoslovakia' for
his efforts. The country split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia." [Washington Post, 10/25/99]
4. MCCAIN WRONGLY CLAIMED THAT BAGHDAD WAS MOSTLY NORMAL
McCain: Iraqis are "Going About Their Normal Lives." During his March
2008 trip, "McCain said he thought that the situation in Iraq was
improving. 'People are going about their normal lives,' he said." [The
Guardian (London, UK), 3/20/08]
REALITY: March Actually Saw Rise In Baghdad Attacks. Soon after
McCain's visit, a military report conclude that "After an overall decline
in attacks against civilians and American and Iraqi security forces in
Baghdad over the past several months, the number more than doubled in March
from the previous month, according to statistics compiled by the American
military in Baghdad." There were 631 attacks in March 2008, up from 239 in
February [New York Times, 4/8/08]
5. MCCAIN MADE FALSE CLAIM ABOUT BAGHDAD MARKET SAFETY
First, McCain Claimed He Could Safely Walk Around Certain Baghdad
Neighborhoods. "McCain's latest problem began before he left for the
region, when he told Bill Bennett on the radio that 'there are
neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk today.' After Michael
Ware of CNN's Baghdad bureau accused the senator of living in 'Neverland,'
McCain charged that it's reporters who are living in a 'time warp of three
months ago.'" [Newsweek, 4/16/2007]
Then McCain Was Forced to Admit He "Misspoke" When He Failed to Mention
His Massive Security During Baghdad Market Trip. "Wearing a bulletproof
vest and surrounded by 100 soldiers in Baghdad's central market, McCain
said: 'Never have I been able to go out into the city as I was today.'
Headlines soon after called his statements 'propaganda' and a 'magic-carpet
ride.'" Chastened, McCain issued a half-hearted apology a few days later,
saying he 'mis-spoke" [Washington Post, 4/7/2007]
6. MCCAIN CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER HOW LITTLE HE KNOWS ABOUT THE ECONOMY
McCain Claimed That He Never Acknowledged He Wasn't Well Versed In
Economics. [Tim Russert]: You have said repeatedly, quote, I know a lot
less about economics than I do about military or foreign policy issues. I
need to be educated. is it a problem for the campaign that the economy is
the most important issue, one by your own acknowledgment you're not well
versed on. [John McCain]: I don't know where you got that quote from. I'm
very well versed in economics. I was there at the Reagan revolution. [Fact
Checker, Washington Post, 1/25/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/01/the_gop_debate_in_flori
da.html]
McCain Has Acknowledged That He Doesn't Understand Economics Well. "The
issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should,"
McCain said. "I've got Greenspan's book."--Boston Globe, Dec. 12, 2007.
[Fact Checker, Washington Post, 1/25/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/01/the_gop_debate_in_flori
da.html]
7. MCCAIN FALSELY CLAIMED HE NEVER REQUESTED PORK
RHETORIC: McCain said, "In 24 years as a member of Congress, I have
never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my
state." [PolitiFact.com /St. Petersburg Times (Florida), 1/26/08]
REALITY: "We find three examples of McCain seeking pork-barrel projects
for Arizona, which puts a few blemishes on an otherwise stellar record
against pork" [PolitiFact.com/St. Petersburg Times (Florida), 1/26/08]
8. MCCAIN FALSELY CLAIMED THAT TAX CUTS INCREASED GOVERNMENT REVENUES
McCain: Tax Cuts "Dramatically" Increase Revenue. McCain said, "And the
fact is that tax cuts have dramatically increased revenues." [GOP Debate In
SC, 5/15/07]
CBPP: Bush Tax Cuts Have Contributed To Dropping Federal Revenues.
"According to analysis conducted by the Center for Budget and Policy
Priorities, the Bush tax cuts have actually "contributed to revenues
dropping in 2004 to the lowest level as a share of the economy since 1950
and have been a major contributor to the dramatic shift from large
projected budget surpluses to projected deficits as far as the eye can
see." In an updated analysis, the CBPP asserts that recent increased
revenues in 2005 and 2006 has not made up for the lack of growth in recent
years. Furthermore, "while the Administration has credited the tax cuts
with the drop in projected fiscal year 2006 to 'only' $248 billion, this
year's budget would be essentially balanced were it not for the tax cuts."
[CBPP Report, 4/23/04; CBPP, Tax Cuts: Myths and Realities, 3/20/07]
Fact Check: McCain's Claim That Tax Cuts Increase Revenue Is "Highly
Misleading." Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has said
that the major tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 have "increased revenues."
He also said that tax cuts in general increase revenues. That's highly
misleading. In fact, the last half-dozen years have shown us that we can't
have both lower taxes and fatter government coffers. The Congressional
Budget Office, the Treasury Department, the Joint Committee on Taxation,
the White House's Council of Economic Advisers and a former Bush
administration economist all say that tax cuts lead to revenues that are
lower than they otherwise would have been - even if they spur some economic
growth. And federal revenues actually declined at the beginning of this
decade before rebounding. The growth in the past three years that McCain
refers to brings revenues back in line with the 40-year historical average
as a percentage of gross domestic product." [Fact Check.Org, 6/11/2008]
9. MCCAIN'S CLAIM TO BE UNTAINTED BY SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY IS FALSE
McCain: The Special Interests Haven't Given Me "Any Money." McCain
said, "Everybody says they're against the special interests, but I'm the
only one the special interests don't give any money to." [Fact Checker,
Washington Post, 2/29/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/pinocchios_for_john_mcc
ain.html]
McCain Has Collected $453,000 Self-Identified Lobbyists. "According to
data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics, the Arizona senator
has collected more than $3,000,000 from lawyers and employees of law firms,
and $453,000 from self-identified lobbyists. Companies whose employees have
contributed most to his campaign include big financial houses like
Citigroup and Merrill Lynch and telecommunications companies like IDT and
Univision. His top contributor is the Philadelphia-based law firm Blank
Rome LLC." [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 2/29/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/pinocchios_for_john_mcc
ain.html]
McCain Has The Most Lobbyist-Bundlers. "According to Public Citizen,
McCain has more lobbyist-bundlers than any other candidate in the race,
past or present. The list includes:
-- Former Congressman Tom Loeffler (R-Tex.). Loeffler heads a lobbying law
firm known as the Loeffler Group. His clients have included the Saudi
government, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, and the pharmaceutical
industry's lobbying group, PhRMA. As national finance committee
co-chairman, Loeffler is in effect McCain's top fundraiser.
-- Former Congressman James Courter, chief executive officer of the
telecommunications group IDT, and national finance committee co-chairman
for McCain. His past clients have included Goldman Sachs, Lockheed
Martin, NBC, Merrill Lynch, and Microsoft.
-- Wayne Berman, managing director of government relations at Ogilvy
Government Relations, whose clients include Citigroup and the Carlyle
Group. Berman is a major fund-raiser for McCain, as well as being a
senior adviser.
-- Charles Black, chairman of the lobby group BKSH & Associates, who
also functions as McCain's top political adviser. A recent article
in the Post quoted Black as saying that he conducts much of his lobbying
business these days from the senator's campaign bus, Straight Talk
Express. [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 2/29/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/pinocchios_for_john_
mccain.html]
McCain Has Lobbyists Working For Him Who Have Business Before His
Senate Committee. "There are abundant facts to contradict McCain's claim,
both in the present election and the last time he ran for president, in
2000. Public Citizen, a non-profit group researching campaign finance, has
identified 59 lobbyists or former lobbyists who serve as major fund-raisers
or 'bundlers' for McCain. Many of the lobbyists who are raising money for
McCain or working for him on his campaign have had business before the
Senate Commerce Committee that he chaired between 1997 and 2001 and 2003
and 2005." [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 2/29/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/pinocchios_for_john_mcc
ain.html]
Claim is "Patently False." "His claim that he is the only presidential
candidate not to receive money from 'special interests' is patently false.
I was tempted to award four Pinocchios, but I am subtracting one because it
is an old quote. Let me know if McCain has repeated the claim recently."
[Fact Checker, Washington Post, 2/29/08,
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/pinocchios_for_john_mcc
ain.html]
10. MCCAIN WRONGLY CLAIMED HE NEVER SUPPORTED AMNESTY
RHETORIC: Sen. McCain said, "Now as far as "amnesty" is concerned, I
have never, ever...Joe Lieberman, one of the really great experiences of my
life, just a few nights ago, he and I did a town hall meeting here
together; me and an independent Democrat, one of the great Americans. And
this allegation of amnesty came up. Joe Lieberman said I worked with John
McCain on this bill and anybody who says that he's ever supported amnesty
is a lie. My friends, I do not support amnesty." [John McCain for President
New Hampshire Town Hall, 1/5/08]
REALITY: In 2003, McCain Said "Amnesty Has To Be A Component" Of
Immigration Reform. The Politico reported that "McCain himself embraced the
term ["amnesty"] during a news conference a few years ago in his office in
Tucson, Arizona. "McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program," reported
the Tucson Citizen of May 29, 2003. The senator is quoted as saying:
'Amnesty has to be an important part because there are people who have
lived in this country for 20, 30 or 40 years, who have raised children here
and pay taxes here and are not citizens. That has to be a component of it.'
The newspaper also quoted McCain as saying: 'I think we can set up a
program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are
eligible and at the same time make sure that we have some control over
people who come in and out of this country.'" [The Politico, 6/4/07]
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http://www.democrats.org.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's
committee.
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