John McCain has become known for a joke he
told while campaigning in South Carolina in which he sang a version of a Beach
Boys song, changing the lyrics to say, “Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.” He has stated that a pre-emptive military
strike is a last option, but warns, “there is only one thing worse than a
military solution, and that, my friends, is a nuclear armed Iran." He has expressed doubt in the accuracy of the recent NIE
report, and emphasized that Iran still poses a serious threat to international
security because of its support for various terrorist groups. He opposes unconditional diplomacy
with Iran, stating that it would show “weakness.” He has called for greater international
cooperation to isolate and pressure Iran to change its behavior.
On Diplomacy: Diplomatic talks must be
bolstered by international pressure and cannot be unconditional.
“The
answer is not to enter into unconditional dialogues with these two
dictatorships [Iran and Syria] from a position of weakness. The answer is for
the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change
their behavior. The United States must also bolster its regional military
posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces in Iraq
and to deter Iranian intervention in that country.”
On Military Action: Military action is acceptable but
would require at least some congressional consideration.
“Every
option must remain on the table. Military action isn't our preference. It
remains, as it always must, the last option. We have some way to go
diplomatically before we need to contemplate other measures. But it is a simple
observation of reality that there is only one thing worse than a military
solution, and that, my friends, is a nuclear armed Iran.”
On the NIE: ‘I
don’t know where the intelligence came from. But, if you are enriching the material then it doesn’t take long
to make a nuclear weapon. Second, I don’t detect a change in Iranians
behavior…they still pose a threat to our country.’
Voting History:
-Co-sponsored the Iran Freedom and
Support Act in February 2005, which would have increased sanctions against Iran
and provided aid to pro-democracy groups in the country. (S.333)
-Co-sponsored the Iran Counter-Proliferation
Act in March 2007, which would have tightened sanctions on Iran, limited food
exports from the U.S. to Iran, and designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guards
as a terrorist organization.(S.970)
-Did not vote on a September 2007
Senate resolution calling on the administration to declare Iran's Revolutionary
Guard Corps a terrorist organization. (S.AMDT.3017)
To
learn more about this candidate’s congressional record click here.
