Tuesday Video File: Top 10 Middle East Gaffes of the Presidential Campaign

10) Israel is a Strong Friend of Israel's

9) Obama Confused about Afghan Language

Obama, midthought, seems to realize that Afghanistan isn't a predominately Arabic-speaking country. Pashto and Dari are the official languages of Afghanistan.

8) McCain mistakenly claims that Iran is training Al Qaeda.

With a whisper in the ear from Joe Lieberman, he immediately corrects himself.

7) Obama calls for an "Undivided Jerusalem"

Obama promises an "undivided Jerusalem" as Israel's capitol, outraging peace activists because the statement seemed to preempt final status peace negotiations and contradict international law. Obama, in a follow-up interview, explains what he meant and admits that his words were "poorly chosen."

6) We Went to War for Oil

Sometimes the most costly gaffes are when candidates simply speak the truth. This clip from McCain, picked up by MSNBC's Hardball, is a case-in-point.

5) 50 years? How about 100?

McCain states that he wouldn't mind U.S. troops being in Iraq for "a hundred years." He seems to be talking about military bases–and not active combat units fighting off a never ending insurgency–but he gave a crucial sound byte to the other side.

4) The Bush Doctrine: In What Respect?

More than a mere simple slip-of-the-tongue, in this clip Sarah Palin reveals that she simply does not understand the Bush Doctrine–or even that such a thing exists.

The Bush doctrine is the belief that we can invade another country even if they don't pose an immediate threat (but pose perhaps a long term threat, as Iraq arguably would have were it really stockpiling weapons of mass destruction). This is a policy that has been hotly contested and was central to the rationale that led us to war.

3) He's not an Arab-He's a Decent Man

When actually trying to do the right thing and defend his opponent from vicious personal attacks, Senator McCain ended up implying that people of Arab decent are not "decent". Watch:

2) Obama "Will be Tested"

Joe Biden, probably the most gaffe-prone politician on either ticket, created quite a ruckus when he suggested that Obama would face an "international incident" to "test his mettle." The fact that he is probably right and that either candidate will be tested by a crisis does not to change the fact that Biden provided the McCain campaign crucial ammunition to further their "Obama is not prepared to lead" argument.

And the number one gaffe of the presidential election so far...

1) "Bomb Iran": the Musical

McCain "jokes" about bombing Iran, a step which could cost both Iranian and American lives and lead to a wider conflict throughout the region. Most of us didn't find it particularly funny.

Rather than apologizing, McCain tells his critics to "get a life."