More on Mac's Missteps

The tempest in a teacup continues over McCain's true-in-the-real-world/fake-in-liberal-la-la-land statement that Iran is supporting al Qaeda. The Weekly Standard's got more evidence supporting the Senator here, here; HotAir adds their two cents as well.

Meanwhile, as noted by HotAir, the McCain campaign is standing by their candidate's statements;; for their part, Obama & Co. just keep digging. Elsewhere on the Left, Think Progress is so addled by their fantastic version of events that, as Michael Goldfarb points out, they actually agree with McCain. The Boston Globe does their part, and Threats Watch calls them out for this egregious statement:

Iran and the United States have a common interest in a stable Iraq. Tehran does not want a breakup of Iraq along ethnic lines that would strengthen the movement for an independent Kurdistan embracing its own restive Kurdish areas. Before cooperating to stabilize Iraq, however, Iran wants assurances that the United States will not use it as a base for covert action and military attacks against the Islamic Republic and will gradually phase out its combat forces.

Really? Really? Start by playing the peaceful Iran card, move on to accusing the US of being aggressive bullies seeking to start a war with Iran. Also, let's play fill-in-the-blank: "______ does not want a breakup of Iraq along ethnic lines that would strengthen the movement for an independent Kurdistan embracing its own restive Kurdish areas." I'm not entirely convinced that they didn't confuse Turkey and Iran...

Finally, I know Brendan Nyhan; I like Brendan Nyhan. But with regard to this particular story, his partisan blinders are on snugly. Nyhan conflates a truly egregious story from 2006, when the Chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee, Democrat Silvestro Reyes, couldn't say whether al Qaeda was Sunni or Shiite, with McCain's comments. To Nyhan, the so-called gaffe suggests that McCain "apparently doesn't understand the most basic distinctions between Sunnis and Shiites (i.e. Iran is Shiite, Al Qaeda is Sunni)." It's getting to be a tired old meme that Sunnis and Shiites won't put aside their sectarianism in the face of a common enemy, and it shows a disturbing close-mindedness on the part of its adherents.

Searching for Lost Puppies Is Morally Corrupt

Or so say the Iranians. Of course this is the same country who, in a classic case of projection, accused the Israelis of having a "horrific human rights record." Things like arresting kids looking for the lost family pet, you mean?

Another Summer of Violence in Lebanon?

MEMRI suggests there's reason to worry that Hizbullah, Syria, and Iran (all essentially the same entity) are going to raise some more hell in Lebanon this summer. Obviously they haven't simply come out and said as much, but there are fragmentary reports that when put together paint a rather sinister picture. If I were a government minister in Tel Aviv, I might find this a rather perverse opportunity for action; this is especially true if one acknowledges a closing window of opportunity before Iran develops nuclear weapons. IDF forces could topple the Little Ass(ad) regime in Damascus without too much trouble, and any overt Iranian reaction may be limited by the presence of US warships off the coast. Of course if it so much as lifts a finger, Israel will be castigated in the media and the UN.

Pigs Fly

And I recommend an article from the New York Times: US Says Iran Helped Iraqis Kill Five G.I.s

Iran in Iraq pt. 2

Just for amusement (and to stick another thumb in Greenwald's blindered eyes): the BBC, imperialist, reactionary war-mongering news outlet that it is, also presents the story of Iranian involvement in Iraq as pretty plausible.

Iran in Iraq

The Weekly Standard's got a good roundup of the allegations of Iranian involvement in Iraq. Apparently they're looking to turn Iraq into another Lebanon, with all the social and economic turmoil that involves, to say nothing of the country's becoming a playground for terrorists. Oh and of course Democrats in Congress would like nothing more than to enable them in this effort.

Politics and Strange Bedfellows

An anti-Wahhabist Shi'ite cleric is killed in Iran; the Iranian government condemns his murder. On matters of principle, I hate agreeing with Iran. But outspoken Muslim opponents of Wahhabism are simply too few. On the other hand, such statements coming from a Shi'ite might actually be counterproductive - it is Sunnis who need to stand up against perversions of their faith.

Good News

Despite the spate of well-documented clashes between the morality cops and average Iranians, it seems that the biggest issue facing our friends in Tehran is a burgeoning economic crisis. Amir Taheri's got the full story in today's WSJ. Check it out.