KEY POINTS:
Republican presidential contender John McCain, known for his quirky sense of humour, responded to an audience question about military action against Iran by singing the surf-rock classic Beach Boys Barbara Ann, with his own words. "That old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran ... Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ... "
He then turned serious and said he agreed with President Bush that the United States must protect Israel from Iran.
The episode echoed President Ronald Reagan saying, live on radio in 1984 at the height of the nuclear arms race: "I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." Reagan thought he was testing the microphone.
