Beach Boy McCain: ‘Bomb, Bomb’ Iran
April 20, 2007, 11:53am
While campaigning for president in South Carolina, Sen. John McCain said something rather unpresidential and is catching heat for it from his liberal critics.
When asked by an audience member what Iran, dubbed a part of the “axis of evil” by President Bush, would have to do for the United States to “send an air-mail message to Tehran,” the Arizona Republican answered with a musical analogy. “You know that old Beach Boys song ‘Bomb Iran,’” he joked as an intro into his politically charged rendition of “Barbara Ann.” “‘Bomb, bomb, bomb’ … anyway.”
The video is causing quite a stir in the blogosphere. The blogs calling attention to it include: Althouse, Crooks & Liars, Democratic Underground, Iran Nuclear Watch, TalkLeft, Think Progress, The Washington Note and Watching Washington.
This one looks like it’s going viral — and not in a way that flatters the senator. “McCain is a dangerous lunatic,” Democratic Underground said.
UPDATE: Rep. John Shaddegg, a fellow Arizona Republican of McCain’s, has come to the defense of the senator. “For anyone, much less highly paid national political commentators, to suggest Senator McCain’s comment was anything other than a play on words with no substantive meaning is truly absurd,” he said in a statement.
“The criticism of his comment aired by certain media outlets shows how desperate they are to attack McCain and try to discredit one of the nation’s leading experts on national defense. I would be happy to pay for any national commentator who called this either ‘grave’ or ‘troubling’ to download the Beach Boys album that includes the song ‘Barbara Ann,’ to his or her iPod because they obviously need to get a sense of humor.”
UPDATE II: Reacting to the controversy over his comments, McCain told reporters: “Please, I was talking to some of my old veterans friends. My response is, lighten up and get a life.”
Categories: Arizona, Sen. John McCain, Presidency 2008, John McCain, Foreign Affairs
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