Why might the Maverick mix up Al Qa'ida and Iran?

McCain is getting some flak for his "gaffe" on saying that "Al Qa'ida" (Sunni jihadists) are being trained by Shi'a Iran. Josh Marshall takes this up in Unfit for Duty TPM 03/19/08. He also has a video version that covers much the same ground with video clips of the Maverick making the statement repeatedly.

Glenn Greenwald documents McCain's repeated "slips of the tongue" on Iran and al-Qaida Salon 03/19/08. His analysis:

But he made the same claim, virtually verbatim, on three separate occasions just this week alone. Whatever explains these falsehoods, "misspeaking" or a "brain fart" [Joe Klein's description] is plainly not it. Only some serious neurological affliction would produce the same exact "brain fart" on three separate occasions. The alleged Iran-Al Qaeda link was a deliberative and premeditated assertion from McCain.

There are only two plausible possibilities which could account for McCain's false statements: (1) he was engaged in the standard tactic of war advocates -- perpetrated ever since 9/11 -- of just asserting that disparate (and even warring) Muslim factions are allies with one another in the Endless War without there being any evidence that this is so (Saddam loves Al Qaeda which loves Hezbollah which loves the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood which loves Iran which loves the Taliban which loves Hamas which loves Osama bin Laden, etc. etc.), or (2) McCain is just completely ignorant of the most elementary facts about the region and the war in which the media has decreed him to be a Great Expert. (my emphasis)

Now, Greenwald's two speculations about ways the Maverick may be seeking to deceive are plausible enough.

But why is he so quick to dismiss the first, "some serious neurological affliction"? I'm not being snarky here. I know it's a bad habit that is widespread to accuse politicians you don't like of being "crazy". But that's not what I mean.


It has struck me more than once listening to him talk that he seems to be rambling in a way that sometimes borders on incoherence. I realize that the reporters and pundits love him. But I've wondered that I haven't noticed even liberal bloggers commenting on it before now.

McCain was born 08/29/1936, making him 72 years old now, 73 by the time of the election. If he were elected President and serves two terms, he would be leaving office at age 81. It's certainly legitimate to wonder if his mental acuity might not be slipping in some significant way. I know I don't plan to be working at some high-stress job if I'm lucky enough to make it to 73, much less 81.

And, after all, Ronald Reagan was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease after he left the Presidency at age 78. I've never heard it claimed, but it's hard not to wonder whether some significant symptoms may not have been manifesting while he was President. His claimed gaps of memory over the Iran-Contra scandal may have been real. It may be tricky for the Democrats to raise something like that as an issue. But it's not unreasonable for voters to think of it as an important factor.

I mean, if you had an elderly relative who did something like, say, shoot a fellow hunter in the face, it wouldn't be very responsible not to consider the possibility that the guy is starting to lose some of his abilities from his younger years. You probably should think twice about going on a hunting trip with him, too.

In any case, the Maverick's Al Qa'ida/Iraq assertions weren't simply a one-time slip. And as Marshall, Greenwald and others have noted, it's worth taking a closer look at what is likely to be a bad sign, whatever the reason. Greenwald's preferred explanations don't paint a very encouraging picture of the man. But as a factual matter, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of some neurological condition being involved. Listen to one of his complete speeches or town hall presentations and see if it strikes you the way it does me.

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