McCain / Graham: Good Cop / Bad Cop (On Obama and Iran)

ABC’s Z. Byron Wolf reports:
Sens. Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham and John McCain said today they'll introduce legislation to help the twittering, youtubing, facebooking people of Iran. They want to increase funding for Radio Farda, increase the amount of Persian language programming on Voice of America, support Iranians with computers, and investigate non-Iranian companies that help the regime there crackdown on the Internet. Details on that legislation are to be worked out over the next week as Congress recesses for Independence day. What was equally interesting was the stark difference in tenor and message between Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz and his political ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC. (By the way, Lieberman praised the administration at this press conference for disinviting Iranian officials from 4th of July celebrations. He said maybe the administration should consider inviting Iranian dissidents around the world instead). When McCain made a jab at the "liberal left," Graham jumped in to temper the criticism. "We don't take the side of either candidate," McCain said of the election in Iran. "There seem to be some confusion about that.  We take the side of the Iranian people to have human rights, to have the freedom that we deem universal.  And this argument about that somehow the government may be more repressive if we speak out on behalf of the people, we've seen that movie before," he said. Of course it was the Obama administration making the argument about repression soon after the Iranian election. "The liberal left, during the Cold War so warned that if we spoke out for the people who are captive nations, members of captive nations, that that would lead to greater oppression.  We found out after the Berlin Wall came down that we were, in their words, a beacon of hope and liberty and freedom for them," McCain said. He went on: "So the liberal left will, again, continue to argue that we should be nice to the Iranian regime and we shouldn't encourage dissidence.  That is in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles of the United States of America." Graham gently corrected his old friend. "Well, if I may add, this is — if you look back in history, this wasn't the liberal left criticizing.  Ronald Reagan's people in his own administration tried to dissuade him from making the "Tear down this wall" speech.  And the only person, I think, that voted against resolution in the House condemning Iran was Ron Paul (the libertarian Republican Congressman)," said Graham. He went on to add that Reagan negotiated with the Soviet Union. "You know, it's not just who's president of Iran.  It's about right and wrong, and that's what Ronald Reagan understood.  Ronald Reagan understood, yes, you negotiate, but you negotiate by telling the truth to the people you are negotiating with," said Graham. The point / counterpoint continued. McCain was asked how he felt about President Obama's more forceful words toward Iran earlier this week. "I appreciate it," said McCain. "Now, I'd like to see him follow up, including supporting this legislation and other measures to help move this process of democracy and freedom along. But I would also point out that there seems to be continued controversy about this issue of negotiating with the Iranians.  The fact is that the Iranian government is now illegitimate.  And we, obviously, want to work with any regime that will be in furtherance of the United States' national security interests and goals.  But this is clearly an illegitimate regime, and we and the world recognizes that if we're going to have an relations with them." Graham said no matter who Obama sits down with, he'll have a raised stature because of the way he spoke out against Iran earlier this week. And Graham positively gushed about what Obama said earlier in the week. "I'm very proud of my President," Graham said forcefully. "What he said Tuesday, yesterday, it was correct… at the end of the day anything coming out of the mouth of Ahmadinejad has to be put in perspective. He is diminished. My president our president, is emboldened by what he said two days ago," said Graham.