By Tim Jones and John McCormick | Tribune correspondents Republican Sen. John McCain ventured onto the home turf of his likely Democratic presidential

Leading Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama pooh-poohed the idea that Iran or any of a few other "tiny" nations around the world offer a serious potential threat to the United States or the free world.
"Iran, Cuba, Venezuela? These countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose any serious threat to us," he told a crowd at a campaign stop over the weekend, prompting the probable Republican opponent for the White House to respond that Iran already is attacking the U.S.
was advocating for his stated position of being willing to hold discussions with leaders of rogue nations, such as Iran.

CHICAGO (AP) - Republican John McCain accused Democrat Barack Obama of inexperience and reckless judgment for saying Iran does not pose the same serious threat to the United States as the Soviet Union did in its day.
The likely GOP presidential nominee made the criticism Monday in Chicago, Obama's home turf.
y explosive devices used to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, sponsors terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and is committed to Israel's destruction.

AP That's the nationwide average, according to Triple-A and the government. With crude oil hovering just above $127 and an approaching holiday,

McCain accused Obama of inexperience and reckless judgment, for saying Iran does not pose the same serious threat to the United States the Soviet Union did in its day.
Speaking at the Restaurant Industry's annual meeting, the Arizona Senator calls those "very serious deficiencies for an American President to possess."

“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.’”
This is decidedly a Ron Paul like statement from Obama and I applaud him for making it. Naturally, John McCain attacked him for it.
aul style non-interventionist foreign policy the biting will continue.

BILLINGS, Mont. - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama continued to spar over foreign policy Monday as Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigned in Kentucky a day before primaries in that state and in Oregon.
McCain, speaking on Obama's home turf in Chicago, accused the Democrat of inexperience and reckless judgment for saying Iran does not pose the same serious threat to the United States as the Soviet Union did in its day.
n posed a threat to us," Obama said Sunday. "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.' "

By JOHN SULLIVAN Senators Barack Obama and John McCain traded blows over foreign policy in separate speeches on Monday in which the two presidential

BILLINGS, MT - Obama responded to McCain's criticism of recent comments the Illinois senator made about Iran, linking the presumptive GOP nominee to what he called the failed policies of George Bush.
Obama said both Republicans' stance that Iran must meet a list of preconditions before engaging with them directly was "naïve, wishful thinking."
na senator also argued that meeting with Iran's president without preconditions would legitimize a dangerous leader on the world stage.

I think he’s getting a bit of a bad rap on this today, but for the record, via Ace, here’s his latest pronunciamento on the subject from a town hall this morning in Montana.
“The Soviet Union had the ability to destroy the world several times over, had satellites spanning the globe, had huge masses of conventional military power, all directed at destroying us,” he said. “So, I’ve made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave. But what I’ve said is that we should not just talk to our friends. We should be willing to engage our enemies as well. That’s what diplomacy is all about.”
ars ago is because of the Bush-McCain policy of fighting in Iraq and refusing to pursue direct diplomacy with Iran. They’re the ones who have not dealt with Iran wisely.”

Although the Democrats officially have not settled on a choice for president, Barack Obama and the GOP’s likely nominee John McCain have been going at one another as if they had. Over the past few days, the two have “debated” each other over issues such as how the United States should deal with threats such as Iran.
Yesterday in Oregon, Obama said:
n the American public should be truly scared at the thought of a McCain presidency.

By Jim Malone Presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama debated the wisdom of dealing directly with Iran Monday. The exchange on foreign policy

Sen. John McCain - speaks to members of the National Restaurant Association May 19, 2008, in Chicago. (Associated Press)
Updated 2:57 p.m.
ace that the United States should be willing to meet with its adversaries.

Over the weekend, responding to criticisms from Bush and McCain, Barack Obama explained his perspective on diplomacy.
For those of you who can’t watch clips online, Obama explained, “Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That’s what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That’s what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That’s what Nixon did with Mao. 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.’

By Steve Holland CHICAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - US Republican presidential candidate John McCain accused Democratic front-runner Barack Obama on Monday of

Before he started talking about the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Farm Bill, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain today departed from his prepared text to take issue with some things that Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama said yesterday about Iran.
Sunday, Obama said that:

by FOXNews.com The foreign policy fight between John McCain and Barack Obama flared up again Monday when the candidates jabbed one another over over how to

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain Monday faulted Sen. Barack Obama for downplaying the threat from Iran and again called the Democratic front-runner's judgment

We start with Barack Obama's words in Pendleton, (link is to the YouTube clip for those receiving this via email subscription) Oregon on 5/19/08.
“They don’t pose a serious threat to us in the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us."
use they also had nuclear weapons. Obama seems to forget that the entire point of our Iran policy is to prevent being put in the position of having to cut deals with a terrorist-supporting, radical Islamist non-rational state. When the enemy already has the capability of destroying you several times over, negotiations are needed to keep one side from initiating a war. Only an idiot would think that the negotiations intended on disarming

Sen. John McCain used Sen. Barack Obama’s recent comments on Iran as evidence of his inexperience before delivering his prepared remarks about trade here

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., continued to hammer at Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, Monday with the same line of attack that he took last week, criticizing Obama’s willingness to meet diplomatically as president with isolated world leaders, like Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Watch the VIDEO HERE.
ht now Iran provides some of the deadliest explosive devices used in Iraq to kill our soldiers. They are the chief sponsor of Shia extremists in Iraq, and terrorist organizations in the Middle East. And their President, who has called Israel a stinking corpse, has repeatedly made clear his government's commitment, commitment, to Israel's destruction. Most worrying, Iran is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons…”

John McCain took another whack today at Barack Obama, in his own backyard, over talking to America's enemies.
After going after each other last week in the wake of President Bush's remarks comparing talking to rogue regimes to appeasement, Obama told Oregon voters on Sunday that "strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries" and that compared to the old Soviet Union, countries such as Iran pose a "tiny" threat.
nsor of Shia extremists in Iraq, and terrorist organizations in the Middle East. And their president, who has called Israel a 'stinking corpse,' has repeatedly made clear his governments commitment to Israels destruction.