Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee who is running on his foreign policy experience does not understand the distinction between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

The Washington Post reports that the Senator from Arizona while speaking to reports in Jordan claimed that

"He and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back."

An odd comment for a Senator to make as it is void of a basic understanding of Middle Eastern politics.

"Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, standing just behind McCain, stepped forward and whispered in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then said: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."

• http://blog.washingtonpost.com...