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McCain Mixes Up Militants on Mideast Tour

Candidate says Teheran's helping al-Qaeda

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 18, 2008 5:25 PM CDT

(Newser) – John McCain mixed up his militants today during a stop on his Mideast tour. He told reporters in Jordan that Tehran is “taking al Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back.” A whisper from Sen. Joseph Lieberman prompted him to add, "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda"—a group that is Sunni, unlike Iran, which is Shiite.

McCain's trip is largely viewed as an attempt to plug his foreign policy prowess, the Trail blog reports. But McCain repeated the gaffe more than once before being corrected. When pressed, he said at first it was "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."

Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, shakes hands with US senator and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, (R-AZ), center, as Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, (ID-CT), left, looks on at the Presidential residence in Jerusalem, Thursday March 18, 2008.
Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, shakes hands with US senator and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, (R-AZ), center, as Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, (ID-CT), left, looks on at the Presidential...   (AP Photo/GPO, Moshe Milner, HO)
U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, left, adjusts the skull cap of Senator John McCain, center, prior to rekindling the Eternal Flame at the Hall of Remembrance during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 18, 2008.
U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, left, adjusts the skull cap of Senator John McCain, center, prior to rekindling the Eternal Flame at the Hall of Remembrance during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust...   (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
John McCain is accompanied by two of his top supporters in the race for president, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, left and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, right.
John McCain is accompanied by two of his top supporters in the race for president, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, left and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, right.   (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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