Why doesn't McCain just end the Jordan controversy?

I didn't expect to post on this again, but the controversy over the comments (almost certainly falsely) attributed to McCain adviser Bob Kagan that Jordan should be the Palestinian state continues to rock Jordanian politics despite his denial and has moved up into the wider Arab media.  Those reports engaged and enraged almost every actor in Jordanian politics, from the Muslim Brotherhood to the Jordanian Parliament to the King himself.   It seems virtually certain that Kagan didn't make the remarks, but the fallout continues to roil public opinion in a crucial American ally.  Why doesn't McCain just issue a strong statement denying the reports and explaining his position on the "Jordan is Palestine" question, and put an end to it? 

Some Jordanian and Arab commenters have begun to focus more on the implications for the credibility of Arab media in the incident.  Why, asks al-Arabiya director Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed, were so many Jordanians inside and outside of the government ready to believe an inflammatory statement posted on a blog?  Why didn't they check with the McCain campaign or the American embassy first, before running their stories?   Batir Wardum wonders why people didn't look at the source,  which he considers hostile to Jordan, or try to find evidence that the alleged talk took place before running with the story.   For those interested in the problems of public diplomacy and strategic communication, this is a pretty rich case study... as different public spheres interact at breakneck speed, rumors spread faster than governments or campaigns can hope to respond, and  political dynamics outrace fact checking. 

But other Jordanian and Arab pundits and politicians still want to know what McCain and his advisers actually think about the substantive issue.  Regardless of what Kagan did or didn't say, does McCain agree or disagree with the argument held by some on the Israeli right that the solution to the Palestinian problem lies across the Jordan river?   If he does, he should say so and explain why.  If he doesn't, his campaign should say so, clearly and publicly, to put an end to the controversy.   I doubt this has much significance to the campaign over here, but such a statement - or the absence of such a statement - could have some real impact over there. 

Comments

[Joe Buck]

He won't end the controversy because he wants to have it both ways, to have all sides believe that he's in their camp. McCain has a long history of doing this.

[jonst]

You don't truly expect that McCain will have a clue about all this nuanced stuff do you? Or that if did have a clue, he could express his thoughts in anything other than dumbed down drivel? He is going to need some help from someone on this. It is too complicated, too much history, for him to tackle.

[Martin Kramer]

Really, if U.S. presidential campaigns begin to formulate policy statements in reaction to every bit of fabulous misreporting in the foreign press of things never said by campaign advisers, they will have to triple their staffs. The suggestion that they do so is absurd, and on principle, McCain's campaign should (and will) ignore it. A mature media cleans up its own mess. The suggestion that it is McCain who should provide Jordan's media with a clean diaper is a pretty devastating commentary on the failings of that media.

And by the way, campaign advisers are not campaign spokespersons, they provide input, not output. Candidates aren't responsible for everything or anything said by an adviser, so even if Kagan did say it, it would be a non-story. There are plenty of savvy Jordanians who know this. They should explain it to their countrymen.

[Martin Kramer]

And here, just for the record, is McCain on the record.

Washington Post, last November:

McCain said he's committed to a two-state peace process and will do "everything in my power to move it forward."

"It's vital we have peace in the Middle East between the state of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and it's vital Arab nations join in this effort and it succeeds."

Jerusalem Post, last October:

Asked his thoughts about a Palestinian state, McCain said it should be the "ultimate end," but first there needed to be "peace," which he later explained as security and an end to terror.

Gee, finding those was hard...

[aardvark]

"campaign advisers are not campaign spokespersons, they provide input, not output. Candidates aren't responsible for everything or anything said by an adviser"

Well said. I'm sure Rob Malley and Samantha Power would agree. So would I. Better get the message out!