AAI Calls on McCain to Disavow Comments on Bombing Iran, Reinforce the Need for Diplomacy

WASHINGTON ─ April 20, 2007 ─ The Arab American Institute (AAI) today condemned Republican presidential candidate John McCain for his reference to bombing Iran and called on him to disavow the comment.

“Given our already low rating in the Middle East and the extremely precarious situation faced by our young men and women in Iraq, it’s shocking that Sen. McCain could be so reckless and insensitive to the consequences of his dangerously flippant remarks,” said AAI President James Zogby. “This is not the behavior one expects of an individual who seeks to lead our nation.”

In a campaign stop in South Carolina, McCain answered a question about whether the U.S. has plans to attack Iran by singing, “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of “Barbara Ann,” a song popularized by the Beach Boys in the 1960’s.

During the 1979 hostage crisis, Vince Vance and the Valiants released a novelty song titled “Bomb Iran” modeled on the melody of the Beach Boys tune. Among the reworked lyrics:

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks.
Tell the Ayatollah…“Gonna put you in a box!”
Bomb Iran. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.

“No one argues that the regime in Iran today poses a problem, both for us as well as our allies in the region,” Zogby said. “But Sen. McCain’s comments only aggravate an already volatile situation and potentially compromise our efforts to create regional stability.”

Furthermore, AAI is concerned that at a time when there has been a spate of attacks across the U.S. on mosques and other places of worship, McCain’s comment could be viewed by some as encouraging such acts of hate.

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Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent.  AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.

For more information on AAI, please visit http://www.aaiusa.org.