Last night John McCain made a cameo appearance as the opening act in the culmination in the Democratic Primary process. It was, as usual, a not badly crafted (if duplicitous) speech poorly delivered — in front of an almost enthusiastic crowd of dozens. There’s something about McCain that reminds me of former Communist Party Chairman Konstantin Chernenko (if the latter was surrounded by lime jello). Not in ideology — although they both followed a bankrupt one — but in delivery.

But it continued on Ol’ Johnny’s constant refrain against talking to people we’re not supposed to like, a refrain he has given often — and likely will continue to do so. On Monday, for example before AIPAC:

we hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea that somehow nobody has ever thought of before. Yet it’s hard to see what such a summit with President Ahmadinejad would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants

And, of course, that is vitally important as it related to Iraq right?

He opposed this resolution because its support for countering Iranian influence in Iraq was, he said, a "wrong message not only to the world, but also to the region." But here, too, he is mistaken.

Well, apparently the Iraqis agree with Obama on both counts:

Iraq’s prime minister plans to visit Iran next week to discuss security and other issues with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a government official said Tuesday.

In John McCain’s mind I suppose they’ll sit around and talk about how much they don’t like Joe Lieberman. However, I imagine that Iraqi Gilligan has other matters on the agenda too:

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is making his second trip in a year’s time to neighboring Iran. The visit comes amid growing concerns among Iraqis and Americans that Iranian agents are training and arming Shiite militants in Iraq.

The visit will be his third trip to the country as prime minister. He visited Iran in September 2006 and again in August.

According to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Abu Heidar al-Sheikh, Iraqi ambassador to Iran, told reporters the trip will last two days and will focus in part on strengthening political and economic ties between the two countries.

The news agency paraphrased al-Sheikh as saying that al-Maliki also would "confer with the supreme leader of the Islamic revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on [the] security pact between Iraq and the U.S."

Oh noz! He’s meeting, despite all of McCain’s bluster about Iran’s undermining of him, to strengthen political and economic ties between Iraq and Iran — home of the world’s most dangerous Member’s Only Jacket. And he’s even meeting with Khamenei so that means he’s actually meeting with somebody in charge. Maliki doesn’t hope to end Iranian influence, he hopes to permanently fix it [unlike that little pact with the U.S. he and many others are not so keen on].

Finally, talks involving the real winner of Bush’s invasion.

I wonder if Nuri brought the floor plans to the U.S. Embassy so they can pick our their future suites?

Related posts:

  1. Republicans Talk, Ahmedinejad Smiles
  2. Torture: Obama Heeded Maliki on Abuse Photos, Says McClatchy; What That Says for Our Occupation
  3. In Iraq, As in So Many Contexts, Withdrawal is Victory
  4. Early Morning Swim
  5. Moussavi’s Message Of Reform