McCain Calls for Iran Divestment as Aides' Ties to Tehran Revealed -- UPDATED
By Jon Perr Sunday Jun 01, 2008 12:45pm
Addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) today, Republican presidential nominee John McCain called for a global campaign of divestment from Iran. He might want to start with his own campaign manager, Rick Davis, whose work on behalf of Ukrainian mogul Rinat Akhmetov included business dealings with Tehran.
McCain used his wide-ranging address to target Iran for the kind of worldwide sanctions regime applied to apartheid-era South Africa. (Unsurprisingly, the self-proclaimed "foot soldier in the Reagan revolution" neglected to mention his hero's opposition to South African divestment.) Monday morning, McCain declared:
"We should privatize the sanctions against Iran by launching a worldwide divestment campaign. As more people, businesses, pension funds, and financial institutions across the world divest from companies doing business with Iran, the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already."
Sadly for McCain, that sweep would net his long-time adviser and campaign manager Rick Davis. As Talking Points Memo detailed just this past Friday, Davis' extensive lobbying operation prominently features clients doing deals with the Iranian regime. At the same Davis was heading up John McCain's so-called Reform Institute, his firm was representing the Ukrainian oligarch Akmetov and his businesses in Tehran:
Davis Manafort was helping Akhmetov's conglomerate, System Capital Management Holdings, to develop a "corporate communications strategy" between the beginging of 2005 through the end of summer 2005, the company said. The company's subsidiary, Metinvest, a steel company, has one of its 11 offices in Tehran. And another subsidiary, Khartsyzsk Pipe Plant, sells large pipes to Iran.
As of Friday, the McCain camp was pleading ignorance. According to TPM, "a McCain aide told us Davis did not work on that account while he was heading up the firm. And he was unaware of the company's ties to Iran."
As it turns out, John McCain is following Mitt Romney and Dick Cheney as just the latest hard-line Republican to run afoul of his own plans for Iranian disinvestment. But only John McCain is still in the running to be President of the United States. The only question now is whether he'll obey his own call for action against organizations doing business with Iran and divest his own campaign manager.
UPDATE: Huffington Post reports that McCain senior adviser and GOP uber-lobbyist Charlie Black's firm represented CNOOC, the Chinese national oil conglomerate, which also happens to have business dealings with Iran. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign notes that John McCain failed to support Iran sanctions legislation sponsored by Obama in 2007, a bill currently rumored to be "on hold" by Alabama Republican, Richard Shelby.
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All part of Wet Start Johnny's plan to spark nuclear Armageddon in the Middle East, in accordance with the wishes of his political ally John Hagee.
Can Grampa go two hours without making a major blunder? The fact that he's even polling in double digits is an embarrassment to this nation.
Iran needs to put more money into the pockets of Republican connected US lobbyists when Iran is under attack by the Republicans, it's like when Raygun banned US arm sales to Iran and then had Gen. Secord & friends sell them US arms/missiles at much higher prices.
Wow...an Iranian economic boycott.
Ohhh...such a cutting edge idea.
What a geo-political strategist. What a man of vision.
I guess he's taking lucrative positions in oil price speculation.
.
Let the McPocrisy continue...
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Some signs I put up in LA:
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2008/06/la.html
Join me for the next war, won't you?
No doubt McCain will urge the immediate imposition of sanctions upon he, McCain, since he cannot apparently be trusted NOT to hire people with ties to the Tehran regime.
And is any talking head going to ask McCain what will happen, in the impossible event that this divestment occurs, to the price of oil if one of the biggest producers were to be shut out? Didn't think so.
Midnight Rambler @ 8:
Grandpa is having memory lapses of his youth...during the time of the pony express and the iron horse.
Wazzup with McSame ???
Can't he find ANY lobbyis... oops, I mean advisers in his little black book who DO NOT have any ties to evil, dictatorial, oppresive regimes ??
I mean, pretty soon this aint gonna look too good considering he's the 'Strong on National Defense', 'Anti-terrorism' candidiate and all.
"...the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already.”
Are we sure he's talking about Iran?? Sounds a bit closer to home actually...
“We should privatize the sanctions against Iran by launching a worldwide divestment campaign. As more people, businesses, pension funds, and financial institutions across the world divest from companies doing business with Iran, the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already.”
Funny, I think much of the world is looking at the US this way nowadays...
Time for a Late Night Music Club with Bo Diddley.
fastfeat @ 12:
Whan you sleep with whores you smell like fish....
or something like that.
And now it comes out about Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's connections with Turkey. What is going on??
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/2/7597/02420
American Representatives used to Represent America. Now it seems they represent international business interests. Hope we can keep them all accountable. The Internet and blogs like this help a lot.
He's just starting his spy network. They're not really making personal fortunes. Any proceeds they make go into a trust account to benefit wounded vets.
Orangutan. @ 15:
Can't you just let the free-market work?
Yes, and everybody knows that McCain's finance advisor, Phil Gramm, is a lobbyist for the Swiss bank UBS and the mastermind behind the preplanned mortgage "crisis." But how many people know that the Swiss bank, UBS, was up to it's neck in the gold of millions of murdered Jews? UBS also tried to cover-up their complicity with the nazis by attempting to destroy all related documents, but were caught by a security guard. Why isn't anybody reporting on this? UBS has denied their complicity with the German Nazi Party in the face of all evidence to the contrary, but they have admitted making "unfortunate decisions." Yes, acting as the fence in the robbery/murder of millions of jews was, indeed, an unfortunate decision. Why is no one reporting this???!
What a ridiculous idea. Why should it be in the interest of the American government as to who does what business with Iran? Why is it our business if they want nuclear power, whether for peaceful or military purposes?
No foreign country should get one dollar of US taxpayer money, and no individual from the US should be prevented from trading with a foreign country.
Billy Shears @ 17:
Obviously when the government is involved- its not a free-market. Unless I read you wrong.
There IS a government that practices apartheid type policies. We should be divesting from Israel?
McBush...er McCain's foreign policy ideas sound more out of touch everyday! Divestment? Tell that to the German and the French companies.
Orangutan. @ 15:
Look for ZERO coverage in MSM. Most have long-forgotten about Tub-o'-Denny now that he's out of office. Poor guy's just an average Joe tryin' to earn a living in today's tough economy...
Theguy @ 20:
Umm... I'm getting confused. Or maybe I'm confusing myself. I believe in regulation. I was making a joke about the free-market -- one that apparently failed.
In fact, here's what I think happens if the free-market is not balanced by fair, just, and enforced regulation and oversight...
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080531_the_corporate_state_and_the...
Orangutan. @ 15:
Hastert's angling for a Secretary of State position in a McBush cabinet...
Not liking the rulers of Iran is one thing, economically punishing the entire population is another. If you agree with doing so, what should our punishment be for having Bush as president? Also, what responsibility should we take for the current regime being in power, since they probably wouldn’t be in power if it weren’t for our actions in Iran in the past. Without our suppression of leftist elements in the region and support for extremist religious groups we now say are the largest threat to the US, Iran would more than likely be a relatively secular and possibly left of center government who would have a chance of using the oil revenues to fund needed social services. What the US could, but won’t, do is support the democracy movement in Iran. The problem is that the elites here HATE democracy and would only support Iranian democracy movements if they could choose what polices are and aren’t acceptable for them to vote on. That is the democracy of the elites here.
Our economy is reliant on war, we don’t know how to deal with issues around the world without violence. Attacking Iran would not only be immoral it would be the nail in the coffin of this country in many ways. We shouldn’t attack another country and we can’t afford to in money and military personnel anyway. We would earn whatever negative effects would result from the venture and few around the world will feel bad for us when the $hit REALLY hits the fan. We’re in need of some humbleness, not to some mention some ideas that actually work, aren’t immoral, with logic that we’d accept from others against us and which don’t involve more death and destruction.
The Hot Seat poll needs more visibility. I've noticed that the responses there, from the seat and the election straw-poll, are all slanted a bit in the Lou Dobbs direction. I'm guessing heavily weighted by West Virginia.
Orangutan. @ 15:
This is the essence of capitalism. Once you've used your public service to gain business contacts, you move to the private sector to reap the rewards of leveraging those contacts. If you can reap benefits WHILE you're in office, screw your constituency AND get them to reelect you...all the better.
21st Century American Democracy - aaaah..the smell of it!
fastfeat @ 27:
Either that, or he's angling for a summer home in Istanbul.
Theguy @ 19:
Give me liberty...or give me a free lunch.
Billy Shears @ 31:
Or a lifetime pass to the All-U-Can- Eat buffet in the Senate lunchroom.
all the while mccain supports the bush policies that have strengthened iran....
*bangs head on table*
fastfeat @ 27:
Undersecretary for Enabling Pedophiles
Billy Shears @ 25:
There has never been, in modern times, anything like the “free market” they teach in economics classrooms. Whenever it has been attempted it has involved MASSIVE state intervention, mainly because people don’t approve of the effects of the policies and the dictates have to come from above. It takes a lot of effort, and blind and irrational ideological devotion, to stick to policies that destroy the social bonds that people have built up over the course of human civilization, to turn people into functioning sociopaths. You cannot get more statist that NAFTA and the Breton Woods institutions were created by governments, with policies that involved state intervention.
Matter of fact, I challenge anyone here to name a single country in modern times, say the last century, who has developed without massive state intervention.
No wonder bush & co. are SO eager for McSame to sneak into the WH. Their ill gained profits will continue to roll in under McSame.
Keep pounding on that war drum, McSame...you senile piece of shit.
Here's a news flash: the Vietnam War is over and the US lost. Deal with it.
McCain::: "I'm sorry; the Iranians are training the extremists, not al-Qaeda. Not al-Qaeda. I'm sorry,"
Rusty Shackleford @ 35:
I lived in Palm Beach Co, post-Foley. They now have an excellent Rep. in Tim Mahoney.
Too bad Foley got nothing more than an open back-door out of office.
abiodun @ 23:
Why should German and French companies divest? Because the mighty US says so? Sorry, but the days are over when the US called all global shots. Thankfully, it's a different world now.
Hey America, get in line with everyone else.
While he's at it, he better let Halliburton and K Street in on his plans too.
Mick Fowler @ 18:
Funny reason: Because the Nazi-supporters are in power.
Serious reason: In the mind of your average Bush supporter Hitler and gang are old dead guys, so who gives a shit?
Divestment with Iran. Who will be hurt by this? Most certainly NOT the leaders of Iran. But the people. The people just trying to live their lives and have no care at all for the agenda, squabblings, or pettiness of their leaders. The leaders will be just fine.
stonicus @ 44:
Not when they get the same treatment dished out to the Shah for equally justifiable reasons, they won't be. Iran is not especially forgiving of mistakes from its leaders.
the fact that he is polling in double digits is more than an embrassemnt it is a national disgrace.
it tells us loud and clear the pitfalls of unregulated capitalism and our imperialism accepted by a large per centage of the american population.
we are a brainwashed society while we slip down the moral integrity slope.
the rest of the industrialized world sees us for what we are the greatest threat in the world to peace. most americans are so self rightous they dont have a clue. they still think they are the good guys.
with communism man exploits man with capitalism it is the other way around
we are now living the dark and dirty secrets of unchecked capitalism and how it has created imperialism and corp fascism
the end result major reduction in the numbers of middle class reagan's pure genius and to think the middle class lined up to vote for him. until it was too late they never knew what hit them.
they think changing presidents will fix it. no way first must sink to bottom then jefferson time.
the have mores are not going to give up control easily. power begets power until it is over come by the masses.
It is a wonder that JOHN "THE REPUBLICAN" MCCAIN can have so many errors in his campaign... I know that as a child, he was praised as having the "memory of a woolly mammoth"
I don't think we will be needing to worry about McCain anymore...
http://ideasandrevolution.net/2008/06/02/breaking-news-john-mccain-suffe...
:-)
SOmeone please tell McNumbnuts that Ahmadinejad is not the supreme leader of Iran.
McCain should just shutup...I can't believe, he, is all the republicans came up with.......His wife has to have her millions tied up in oil ,too.No matter what... You'll never see him talk to any enemy...bomb first ...talk latter...same as bush
VietVet67 @ 49:
....and, he was democratically ELECTED by the good people of Iran.
I always wonder how the 'liberated' people of Kuwait, who are living under the dictator we re-established after GW1, feel about the freedoms and democracies next door in Iraq, Iran and Saudi Ar... oops, not that one.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 39:
We have 200,000 troops in Iraq, which is well below the pre-surge numbers.
researcher @ 46:
the decline of the middle class will be the end of the ruling class.
they should know this, but they govern like dolts and screw us with their failed market fundamentalist policies. the more the middle class is reduced the more of the chance that their days are numbered.
akin to matt taibbi's 911-truth farce (which is a must-read, imho), it is ridiculous, at this point, to attribute evil-genius to anyone in the ruling class. they function on greed, short-term gain, ignorance, fear and power-inebriation.
the myopia
Chico Hussein @ 51:
From what little I've read, the people of Iran aren't all that happy with Ahmadinejad, but hey, they elected him, and will live with the results of their choice of President.
Sounds like we have a lot more in common with the Iranian people than many here would care to admit...
IRAN
Hasn't attacked a neighbor in over 300 years.
Been fucked over by the British and CIA for decades.
Doesn't have a real navy.
No proof that they're arming militants in IRAQ.
No A-Bomb program
.... And they're guilty of what? Ohhh not trading oil in U.S. currency.. well fuck them!!
Tim @ 55:
Not just the CIA and the UK, the Russians did more than their share. Along with the Ottomans, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great, and the Muslim conquest. Iran's really been fucked over by the world.
Mike @ 3:
at the time, mcLiar was too busy working on behalf of keating to notice anything.
Fredric L. Rice @ 22:
russia and china?
Billy Shears @ 25:
Allthose instances in that link have to do with corporatism, which has nothing to do with the free-market.(especially since we don't have a free-market in this country). As soon as government becomes involved in the economy, its not a free-market. So why keep blaming the free-market when the real problem is government in collusion with big corporations? A.k.a. Corporatism? NAFTA and the WTO are managed trade. NAFTA can't be the result of a free-market at all since it was created by governments in the first place.
It really gets annoying to hear people continue to blame the free-market for our ills when we don't even have one. It doesn't make sense really. Wall-street bailouts, wars overseas, excessive taxation, destruction of the currency- these are all government created problems.
The first Presidential election that I was of age to vote in was in 1980.
It's been my displeasure of having to live through possibly the worst 28 years of domestic and foreign policy in the history of this great nation. And from the looks of things, the election of this twisted old fruit is going to simply bring about a continuation.
researcher @ 46:
Unchecked capitalism doesn't create imperialism and corporate facism - that makes no sense. Imperialism and corporate collusion with government can only be created by the government. Only the state can force people go to war in another country, not the free market. What we are seeing are the dangers of too much government power- and government collusion with corporations.
If your definition of capitalism is actually "corporatism" and not "the free-market"- then I can agree with you. The United States economy is highly regulated- just looking at the actions of the federal reserve would tell you that immediately. Again, we do not live in a free-market so how can you blame the free-market for today's problems??!
fastfeat @ 54:
The office of president of Iran is mostly a ceremonial post. Anyone remember the first Iranian President after the release of the American Hostages? Hint...he was a student, and the office was created as a sop to the "moderate", read pro western culture students within the country who didn't like being under the thumb of orthodox Islamism. The office is voted for and there is a "campaign", however...as with all political offices...the winner was essentially annointed to the post by photo ops with the ayatollahs, such as Kamenei (prolly spelled that wrong, too lazy to look it up), who hold the REAL power in the country.
Ahmadinejad can jump up and down, rant and rave, his head could spin around like Linda Blair in the Exorcist...it wouldn't matter and means NOTHING. He holds no real power. The ayatollahs call the shots, they are the people working behind the scenes, they are the people cutting the deals. They are NOT interested in war, like all people in power...they do what is in their interest...and war is NOT in their interest. We work with them in the background...because dealing with them openly would only set off the extreme right and conservatives in this country...and NO diplomacy could get done.
George Bush is sabre rattling because it is in the interest of HIS party and neocons and their agenda to do so. Same as it was in starting the war in Iraq.
And to continue...McCain has latched onto Bush's rectum like a remora to a shark because he knows he cannot win the general election by running as a 90 Proof Democrat. He needs the extreme "base" of the GOP to win and he knows it. He is trying to walk a fine line between moderate and conservative...on ALL issues...and that's why his message is a convoluted mess.
The only issue is if people on the left, right and center are stupid enough to fall for this flip flopping sham of man.
Theguy @ 59:
you are very correct, we don't have a "free" market... mostly because a "free" market is just a clever marketing ploy by market fundamentalists to come up with a label that sounds somehow patriotic, when, in reality, it is only empowering corporations.
market fundies have a strange belief that markets can function without rules, and that the infrastructure, security, etc. that they require and utilize is, somehow, free. they have the notion that the market is more democratic than, well, democracy. the blind faith in the market, and the belief that an unencumbered market is the key to our salvation is way off the mark, and, frankly, dangerous.
BaScOmBe against Bitter Elitist Appeasement Bullshit @ 58:
Naw, it'll be the Army. I expect that in one to two decades, we'll either have an American Night of the Long Knives, or a military dictatorship.
Which one is still up in the air.
Hypocrocy at the grandest form!!! Can McCain hire someone who is not in bed with anyone other than his significant other? If we vote for this numbskull like we voted for the previous one, we deserve $5.00 per gallon. We are a bunch of idiots!!!!
This so called 'connection' is tangential at best and reflects nothing of McClain's consistent positions! Let's have some semblence of a balance in the covereage of these campaigns. If Clinton or McCain were a member of an organization, let's say a Country Club, where the members cheered and applauded speakers who espoused bigotry and sexism, there would be demands that they withdraw from the Presidential race as unfit for leadership!!!! Why is Obama getting off so easy, when he has been a faithful member of Trinity Church for 20 years??? Now he is blaming the media for bothering the church, when the conduct and the comments being made there were fair game for media coverage!!! Why doesn't the media dig into this relationship, which by his own words shaped and influenced Obama's faith and values!!! Now that's an issue worth pursuing!!
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When, in Gods great earth, will we accept, that any truth will come
from the mouth of any politician?
I, am surprised, that every one us -myself included, went for his so called
"Straight Talk", which frankly is another slap in the face of the elctorate.
It is high time, we the electorate, reallly showed these crooked politicians
where the get off the gravy train at tax payers expense.
What galls me most, is his opposition to the expanded "GI" bill now wending its way through Congress. Here is a man who has served --very honourably for his country and has taken advantage of the GI bill, now opposes the same for our 18-21 year old whom we ask to fight and die for our country, when the "oyster of the whole world" has not yet opened ofr them to see or taste.
If as it seems he might be elected, then heaven alone can help us. We will be in for yet another 4years of Bush1 Bush 2 and an extension of Bush2.
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Liberal AND Proud @ 4:
marginally better than the Iranian appeasement Obama supports or the 'annihilation' Hilldawg supports.
Oh and McCain's guy stopped working for the company as soon as Ahmedinejad took office. He is the once we have the current problems with as you well know. Countries do change. Allegiances change.
If we are going to use a measure of 'well they were or weren't enemies once' then anyone with ties to England or Germany should be held to the fire as well.
Final note: anyone in the US who has any kinds of dealings with a former soviet nation has some kind of tertiary dealings with Iran. They are one of the biggest customers and suppliers of those states.
McCain's plan isn't all that interesting and probably wouldn't be all that effective since the French gladly supply as many rogue regimes as they can, but he's got to say something that doesn't sound like extremist Hilary and ultra-doormat Obama.
All three of them have a muddled at best policy on Iran.
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LIARS AND MORE LIARS !!!!
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