Here’s the transcript:
Yes, it does seem to substantiate precisely what Senator McCain is saying. Rubin initially claimed that McCain “was ready to do business with a Hamas-led government.” But the full transcript shows that any business with Hamas was contingent on Hamas meeting certain conditions, i.e. renouncing violence and recognizing Israel’s right to exist. This is no different than his position today. Rubin now offers a pathetic defense of his smear at the Huffington Post, complete with the exculpatory response from McCain that engagement would depend on Hamas, not the United States. But does anyone believe that he had not seen the full transcript before writing his piece in the Post? Or that the paper’s editors would have allowed him to publish this smear if they’d seen the full transcript themselves? The Post got hoodwinked, and they must be furious. It’s hard to imagine they don’t rebuke Rubin with a prominent correction in tomorrow’s paper.
