(CNN) – Arizona Sen. John McCain responded sharply Monday to the disputed election result in Iran showing victory for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling the whole process "corrupt" and questioning the legitimacy of the current investigation into the matter.
"It's very disappointing ,of course, but not astonishing," McCain told CNN Monday. "The Muslim cleric extremists control the political mechanisms of Iran and it's not encouraging in a year that the ones who perpetrated this fraud are now going to be in charge of the investigation."
"I hope that we can succeed in our relations with Iran, but this is not a good sign and we should speak out strongly in opposition to what was clearly a corrupt election," said McCain.
The comments come after three days of unrest that prompted Iranian authorities to launch a probe into Friday's election result showing an overwhelming victory for Ahmadinejad over reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi.
The incumbent claimed 62 percent of the vote, prompting suspicion at home and abroad, particularly among Western countries already at loggerheads with Ahmadinejad over an Iranian nuclear program they fear is non-peaceful.
McCain's comments go significantly further than those of the Obama administration, which has not directly called the vote result a fraud but has expressed "concern."
"I think there are a number of factors that give us some concern about what we've seen," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday.
From CNN Politics
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He was silent about the corrupted Bush Election that took us down the path of ruin.
@ John Starnes Tampa Florida:
So where was McCain's outrage when the US elections in 2000 and 2004 (first time ever that UN elections observers were BANNED from the US) were tampered with by the NeoCons, which is what GOT us into this historical mess?
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Well put! USA had its own fradulent elections and yet not a word on McCain on that! Gore should have been president, end of story.
Just like the 2000 election, Senator?
McCain needs to go away after his weak,run for president and whinning about torture,and illegals,and limiting first amendment rights,he just needs to shut up,no one wants to hear him any more.
@ Susan June 15th, 2009 1:09 pm ET
so? what should we do then?
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Well, whatever we do let's not make them angry at us. Let's express concern. We want everyone to be happy with us. That's really most important.
john we did not care what you said before and once again dont care. go away with big dick cheney and call it a career
Since we really are sisters and brothers in this world, it is good that Sen. McCain spoke out...we should all support the voice(s) that wants to see freedoms fruits ripe.
This is how the President should be speaking......help out the freedom loving Iranians who want a better life and democracy....this is where America is supposed to shine......unfortunately we are not seeing it with Obama.
Why are people trying to compare the Iranian elections to that of the US in 2000 or even 2004? It's amazing the number of loonies out there who still think there was some vast conspiracy and the election was given to Bush. Get over it. He won. The only fraud in American elections is when ACORN gets involved.
I hope the people of Iran don't give up the fight. They are one of the unfortunate countries brought down by the zealots in power. There is no way he got 62% of the vote.
Of course McCain can say something like this, he's not President!!
We really have no room to talk about corrupt elections – not after the 2000 election, decided by a Supreme Court that had family members standing in line for Bush Administration jobs. Justice O'Conner was alarmed and quite vocal when she thought that Gore had won on election night because she wanted to retire if a Republican won. The family members got their jobs and O'Conner got her retirement. The nation got screwed and bankrupted.
Of course, he wasn't at all concerned when Cheney/Bush stole the 2000 election and tampered with the 2004? Because he profited short-term by having his friend become president, and we all lost long-term by LOSING OUR FAITH IN DEMOCRACY. Thanks for the 'leadership,' grampaw, but the barn burned down while you were snoozing in the sun. Go away, irrelevant old guy, thanks.
"Who cares it's not our affair. Deal with whoever is there. We are not in the position to pick the leaders of other countries."
Thats right, that position belongs to the Iranian people, and it was stolen from them. (Technically in their theocratic pseudo-democracy, they never had it to begin with).
It does not matter, nothing will change. Seven Games! how is it it"s always a Tie after Six. Same thing here. It"s pretend...
And we care what McCain thinks......................why?
Funny time for McCain to speak up. I note that he didnt have anything to say about Netanyahu becoming the prime minister even though he didnt win the election in Israel. Ahmadinejad 'won' in Iran for precisely the same reason that Netanyahu 'won' in Israel. It should come as no surprise – particularly given Israel's recent vows to bomb Iran.
We sure like to lecture other countries about their electoral process. The US doesn't have independent election monitors, its candidates are primarily chosen by their party elite, the media announces election victories prematurely all the time, and as of 2000, the candidate with only the second most number of popular votes gets to be president. We disenfranchise millions of Americans, and we hide the results with manipulated electronic voting machines that in 2004 registered thousands of votes on them before the polls even opened! Before we lecture others about their elections we really need to clean up our own system!
It's just as outrage as the US election in 2000 Mr. McCaine
There goes the media and U.S. politicians again; making statements to which they have no facts. Show me the facts, then, and only then, I will listen to you.
Where was McCain's outrage in 2000 when the will of the people in America was clearly ignored?
I believe him. There's no group that knows more about election fraud than Republicans !!!
Wish someone had expressed concern over the 2000 so-called election. We'd be far better off today had the Democrats stayed in power.
And Senator McCain can say anything he wants...he's not in charge, is he?
I agree with McCain, but what can we do.
The Iranian people have find thier own George Washington and fight tier own revolution.
Clearly, the facts are what they are, just like in 2004, when Bush with help from out top court stole the election from Gore and the American People. Although I would like to have protested that election, I would not stand for the UN stepping in and making it a fair election.
The Obama administration will make an announcement about the Iran election when they think it's time. I wish all these people like that nit wit Pence and others would stop saying " when is the white house going to respond" they will in their time, not because these dummies keep shooting off their mouths.
I do however agree with mccain, the first time I ever did that.
Whoa! Now THAT opinion is going to carry a lot of weight in the middle east.