McCain's Appeal to Ignorance

We’re a long ways from John McCain’s springtime promise to run an honorable campaign. So what Andrew Sullivan has correctly termed McCain’s willingness to run a “disgusting, stupid, inflammatory and, in its use of Arabic-sounding music, bigoted ad” should come as no surprise.

The ad has attracted some cable news attention for trading on the belief that Obama might be a secret Muslim. It should attract more attention, however, for its outright falsehoods about Iran.

The ad claims that Iran “does” have preconditions for any negotiations with the United States: that the United States cease all support for Israel; and that all U.S. forces be withdrawn from the entire Middle East.

McCain’s assertions are absurd. These are both stated goals of Iranian diplomacy. But they are obviously not preconditions for diplomacy. The ad leaves the impression that, in agreeing to meet with Iran without preconditions, Obama effectively agreed to the destruction to Israel.

Based on one of her earlier interviews, it’s clear that Sarah Palin has no idea what preconditions in international diplomacy actually are. But surely McCain, who’s running on a platform of expertise in national security affairs, cannot claim ignorance on the question?

For the record: I’m dubious negotiations with Iran would succeed: it’s a vile regime, which uses appeals to racism to cover for its internal failures. Its consistent calls for the destruction of a nearby state the international community would deem unacceptable if that state were any other than Israel. But for McCain to imply that the U.S. negotiating with Iran would require accepting Israel’s destruction is both ignorant and dishonorable.