McCain advisor Randy Scheunemann has a "temper tantrum"

[ProSense]

SCHEUNEMANN HAS A TEMPER TANTRUM....

Randy Scheunemann may be John McCain's top foreign policy advisor, but it appears he has the kind of temperament usually found in his boss.

Yesterday morning, the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder noted the "internal dissension" at McCain campaign headquarters, including a faction that has "begun to whisper about Gov. Sarah Palin to reporters." This faction, Ambinder explained, believes Palin, "perhaps unwittingly," keeps saying things that take the campaign off message, including her ridiculous attack on Obama "palling around with terrorists" -- a line that the campaign had reportedly not cleared in advance.

Soon after, Scheunemann contacted Ambinder via email.

Just read your post. This is on the record. This is cleared by HQ. It is a fact that Barack Obama was palling around with terrorists. It was a fact before Governor Palin said it in a fully vetted speech and it is fact today. It is bullshit to claim or write anything else.

Temper, temper, Randy. Keep this up and people might start wondering about the erratic and intemperate nature of the McCain campaign, which doesn't seem to keep its cool under pressure.

First, it's kind of odd that Scheunemann believes it's a campaign-approved "fact" that Obama "palled around with terrorists." For one thing, Obama never "palled around with" Bill Ayers, who presumably is the basis for this absurd smear. If the McCain gang has evidence to the contrary, it's hiding it well. For another, note the "s" at the end of "terrorists." Scheunemann believes it's a "fact" that there are multiple terrorists that Obama keeps on speed-dial?

Second, if the volatile Scheunemann really wants to play this game, it's worth taking a moment to consider his close associations with some strikingly unsavory characters.

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[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. McScheunemann

:think:

[BrklynLiberal]

2. THE "FACTS" about Scheunemann's associations...

But look who's advising him on Iraq, who's crafting Iraq policy. That would be Randy Scheunemann, McCain's top foreign policy advisor. And he's the guy who today accused Barack Obama of wanting to lead America to defeat in Iraq for political gain.

Scheunemann was a core participant in the lobbying, plotting and organized campaigns of deception that led America to war in Iraq. He was a close collaborator with Ahmad Chalabi through the 1990s. He helped draft the Iraq Liberation Act, which created the new funding stream for Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress. At the start of the Bush administration he signed on as Don Rumsfeld's 'consultant' on Iraq at the Pentagon. And then when the administration started cranking up the machinery for the propaganda campaign in favor of war he went back on the outside to form and lead the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, to lead the press and lobbying campaign to make sure the war got started on schedule.

Remember, US intelligence later found evidence that Chalabi, in addition to foisting a bunch of bogus intelligence and lying informers on the US and pocketing a lot of US taxpayer dollars, had provided highly classified US intelligence to Iran. Scheunemann worked closely with Chalabi for years in his efforts to get the US into war with Iraq. He was also a go-between between Chalabi and McCain. Now that he's taking such a high-profile role on the Iraq issue in the 2008, Scheunemann's history with Chalabi and the use of bogus intelligence to get the nation into war is unquestionably highly newsworthy.

and what would that imply about where a McSame administration would take us???

[ProSense]

4. He's a typical McCain ally

Morally bankrupt.

[xchrom]

3. achmed chalabi anyone? nt

[stillcool]

6. these people never go away...

[annabanana]

5. Lets just keep poking them until they blow...

They all seem so close

[Essene]

7. raw comedy...

i love it.

and let's not kid ourselves... the leaks from the mccain campaign are entirely intentional.

some folks want to hang her out to dry.