John McCain: “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should"

Obviously, John McCain doesn't understand anything about the Middle East either. Is McCain senile? Or does he do this on purpose? Glad Joe Lieberman was there to correct Pappy McCain!

Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who is touting his foreign policy credentials on a tour of the Middle East, got himself tangled up on which Islamic extremist group Iran is accused of supporting.

Senator McCain, at a news conference in the Jordanian capital of Amman, accused Iran of supporting the Sunni extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq.

US officials believe Iran has been backing Shiite extremists in Iraq, not a Sunni group like al- Qaeda.

"It's common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al Qaeda is going back into Iran and is receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran. That's well known and it's unfortunate," Senator McCain said.

Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman, traveling with Senator McCain on a swing through the Middle East and Europe, whispered in his ear and Senator McCain quickly corrected himself.

"I'm sorry; the Iranians are training the extremists, not al-Qaeda. Not al-Qaeda. I'm sorry," Senator McCain said.

Democrats quickly jumped on Senator McCain, a strong backer of President George W. Bush's troop build-up in Iraq.

"After eight years of the Bush administration's incompetence in Iraq, Senator McCain's comments don't give the American people a reason to believe that he can be trusted to offer a clear way forward," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney.
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said the senator "misspoke and immediately corrected himself."

"Democrats have launched political attacks today because they know the American people have deep concerns about their candidates' judgment and readiness to lead as commander in chief," he said.

Senator McCain's next stop is Europe, where Mr Bush has been heavily criticised for a perceived "go it alone" approach on a wide range of international issues.
Before his arrival in London, Senator McCain wrote in the Financial Times that the United States must be a "model country" and work with others to tackle challenges such as terrorism and global warming.

The newspaper said Senator McCain distanced himself from what allies see as the unilateralism of the Bush administration, promising to "listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies."

In a column in the newspaper, Senator McCain promised to renew the "mutual respect and trust" between the United States and Europe and vowed to put America at the forefront of international efforts to tackle climate change.

"When we believe that international action is necessary, whether military, economic or diplomatic, we will try to persuade our friends that we are right. But we, in return, must also be willing to be persuaded by them," Senator McCain wrote.