TITLE: “Tiny.” LENGTH: 30 seconds. AIRING: In key states where McCain is on the air. SCRIPT: Announcer: “Iran. Radical Islamic government. Known sponsors of terrorism. Developing nuclear capabilities to ‘generate power’ but threatening to eliminate Israel. Obama says Iran is a ‘tiny’ country, ‘doesn’t pose a serious threat.’ Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren’t ‘serious threats’? Obama – dangerously unprepared to be president.” John McCain: “I’m John McCain and I approved this message.”
ANALYSIS: The ad is misleading because it states that Obama said Iran is “tiny” and “doesn’t pose a serious threat” without noting that Obama was comparing the threat Iran poses today to the Soviet Union, the nuclear-armed adversary of the U.S. during the Cold War.
The nature of the threat from Iran, which the U.S. believes has nuclear ambitions, and how to deal with it are at the heart of a key policy debate for Obama and McCain. The ad seeks to boil down Obama’s position to one that supports the McCain drumbeat that Obama isn’t ready to be president.
For his part, McCain wants tougher sanctions on Iran and, like President Bush, doesn’t support high-level talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both Republicans see talks with such adversaries as legitimizing them and bringing them unwarranted attention.
Obama has said he would meet with Ahmadinejad without precondition but, after criticism from Republicans and some Democrats, now questions whether Ahmadinejad would be “the right person” with whom to discuss U.S.-Iran relations. Still, Obama argues that direct diplomacy with Iran would help the U.S. press for tougher international sanctions.
Last May in Pendleton, Ore., Obama reiterated his belief that the U.S. is strong enough to talk with its adversaries. In calling Iran “tiny” compared to the Soviet Union and having a small fraction of the Soviet military force, he noted tha t direct diplomacy with the Soviets was a bipartisan policy for decades in spite of their threat.
“Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries,” Obama said at the time. “I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela – these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying, ‘We’re going to wipe you off the planet.'”
KEY IMAGES: Photographs of Ahmadinejad and a sign that reads, “Don’t forget to say death to America,” the image of an industrial plant, a photo of Ahmadinejad looking at machinery, a photo of Obama that is followed by armed foreign soldiers, a terrorist and the Israeli flag before another photo of Obama. The spot ends with a photo of McCain.
Stars Among Those Who Lost Their Homes In L.A. Area Fires; Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges $1M To Relief Effort
Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, and R&B star Jhené Aiko, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens. Thousands of structures have been destroyed but damage assessments are just beginning. More than 180,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards. That fire had been largely contained without damage to Hollywood landmarks. Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry: Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost. The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years. "Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," the Crystals wrote in the statement. After her learning her Pacific Palisades home was lost in the fires, Melissa Rivers says she was... Read More