John McCain just forgot where Spain is...seriously

[psychopomp]

/snip

...John McCain didn't appear to know that Spain was in Europe, or that the leader of Spain was named Zapatero, even after he was told that Zapatero was the leader of Spain.

When asked about Spain and Zapatero, by a Spanish reporter for a Spanish newspaper, McCain responded about Mexico and Latin America. A reader suggested something that Josh had already considered, that perhaps McCain thought the reporter was talking about the Zapatistas in Mexico, the guerilla group. But that's not possible as the reporter clearly said she was talking about Spain and Spain's leader, Zapatero. She told McCain this twice. Let me tell you exactly what she asked McCain (per the translation):

"Senator, finally, let's talk about Spain. If you're elected president, would you invite President Zapatero to meet with you in the White House?"

McCain then gives this odd answer about America's friends and America's enemies. He also, oddly, talks about Mexico (why Mexico? The question was about Spain) and how he'd invite friendly leaders to the White House. She then asks him again, would that invitation include President Zapatero? He says again that he'd have to review relations first, blah blah. She then says again, "so you'd have to wait to see, so would you meet with him in the White House?" He again repeats his weird statement about friends and enemies. McCain also throws in, oddly, to the Spanish reporter, when she's asking him about meeting the Spanish president, a line about the importance of our relationship with Latin America (this is now the second time he answered a question about meeting the president of Spain with an answer about Latin America). She then says to McCain one last time:

"Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?"

This time, there was no room for confusion. McCain then gives this very bizarre answer:

"I will meet with any leader who has the same principles and philosophy as us in terms of human rights, democracy, and freedom and I will stand up to those who do not."

more
http://www.americablog.com/2008/09/john-mccain-just-forget-where-spain-was.html

[dkf]

1. OMG, he's as programmed as Palin is!

I guess whenever he's asked about meeting foreign leaders, that is his stock answer.

[psychopomp]

4. Yep, I think he's cracking

He probably thought he'd dodged a bullet, but that vague reply only made his confusion look worse.

I don't see him holding up well under the rigorous campaign schedule he has ahead of him. He can't even count on Gov. Palin to continue to draw heat for him as she is beginning to unravel as well.

[tekisui]

2. OMG!

He is clueless. Reporters should start playing "Stump the Chump"

He has no clue who our allies are. SPAIN?!?!? He can't answer a question about SPAIN?!??

This is insulting. He should go to the old folks home.

[lukasahero]

21. Sorry but your post made me laugh out loud

People around me are staring, but you captured perfectly my incredulity that the man running to be "leader of the free world" can't freakin' find SPAIN on a map. (Honestly, dude, it's not a trick question.)

[agentS]

3. Wonderful- he just forgot Spain is a NATO ally

Talking Points Memo is also all over this. There's no way he can spin this as not hearing the question right.
McCain is showing massive signs of senility/Alzheimer's and now there's no hiding it.
He's hit his intellectual wall already and now he's on the slippery slope down.

And just think...the Republicans could have picked Ron Paul...

[Celebrandil]

5. When was it conducted?

Does anyone know when that interview was conducted? Is it recent? McCain might have attended some geography classes lately.

[psychopomp]

7. According to the Spanish paper, Pres. Zapatero was asked to comment on this interview "yesterday"

So, sometime in the last twenty-four hours, I suppose. I live across the International Date Line and so have trouble with "yesterday" in news reports.

Link to Spanish paper:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/candidato/republicano/compromete/ver/Zapatero/gana/elpepiint/20080918elpepiint_9/Tes

[Celebrandil]

11. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I wish I knew spanish. Unbelievable.

[nc4bo]

17. Babelfish is our friend in these types of situations - Link here:

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

Not perfect but enough for you to get a good idea of what's going on :D

[PaDUer]

42. translated to English...

http://www.appliedlanguage.com/web_translation.shtml

[Hope And Change]

6. Holy shit.LMAO.K & R!

:rofl:

[flpoljunkie]

8. McCain appears to be dangerously uninformed and tends to see things in black and white--a hardliner.

[Phredicles]

27. Agreed, but this appears to go way beyond uninformed. How do you reach

age 72 thinking Spain is part of Latin America? My point is, I don't think he spoke out of ignorance but out of having lost his freakin' marbles. This I think is worse than the Czechoslovakia and Iraq-Pakistan border stuff, and it needs a lot of attention.

[IDemo]

9. It's somewhere between Pakistan and Czechoslovakia, isn't it?

or was it Prussia? Hmmm...

[Richard Steele]

37. I though it was along the Iraq-Afghanistan border? nm

[mwb970]

10. Wow, McCain is really losing it now.

What little of "it" he had left.

[City Lights]

12. His mind is clearly going.

:scared:

[KittyWampus]

13. Is there videotape?

[psychopomp]

18. It is a telephone interview

Audio at the link.

[JBoris]

14. Maybe bush can remind him its above the "country" of Africa. nt

[karynnj]

15. Politics aside, this is very sad

If this is really accurate, it is mindboggling. On the personal side, I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's on anyone - you lose yourself. If true, it could explain the personality changes and bouts of anger (though here, he seemed prone to them even when young) It can also explain his constant repetition of the Sunni/Shiite mistake even after it was repeatedly corrected. The Debates should be interesting.

If true, there is a dilemma for the Republican party. This is not Reagan where it developed after he was elected, but deliberately putting a leader into office who really can't do the job - at one of the most dangerous times in history. It may be a cynical acceptance that powers behind the scenes will make the decisions.

[glitch]

56. "cynical acceptance that powers behind the scenes will make the decisions"

that's my best guess, all the rest is circus.

[nc4bo]

16. So I wonder how those Presidential debates are going to go? He will need help and will get it. nt

[qanda]

19. I guess Palin borrowed his Cliff Notes

And hasn't returned them yet.

[krkaufman]

20. What the he**? PLEASE let that be on video. n/t

[psychopomp]

22. No, its a phone interview

Audio at the link.

[krkaufman]

23. Ah, thanks. Audio's better than nothing. (even if muddled by translation) n/t

[zonkers]

30. In big bold letters, it would be easy for viewers to follow the English.

[medicswife]

24. Ugh. nt

[faithfulcitizen]

25. Pathetic & embarassing, just like bush.

"where's my buddy lieberman when I need him?" :nopity:

[Cha]

55. bush redux!

Stuffy ol losers who think they're deciders.

[jberryhill]

26. In all fairness, I can see how a Spanish-American war vet could mix that up

He keeps referring to Czechoslovakia too.

[complain jane]

32. But he's running for president NOW.

[AspenRose]

36. I love that picture of Dr. Maddow.

:-)

[complain jane]

49. Thanks- she rocks, right?

[jberryhill]

45. Well, gee, if you want to get picky

Fine, then YOU go tell him that Francisco Franco died.

[complain jane]

48. LOL

[me b zola]

28. NOT ready to lead

Geebus, republican voters need to get over themselves and do the right thing and cast their vote for Obama.

[zonkers]

29. I have been bookmarking on camera/radio mcCain. gaffes. He is such a toon.

"I will veto beer", "Al Qaida in Iraq", The incoherent response to Ron Paul's debate. And now this one. Too many to mention. StiI have been looking for Chelsea/Jan set Reno joke if it exists.

[complain jane]

31. That's sexist!

:P

[Top Cat]

33. He's lossing it real fast.... I think he will crack by weeks end.

Keep up the pressure....

[Chloroplast]

34. McCain must be obsessed with Mexico.

He brought up their gang-style killings in front of a group Puerto Ricans and now doesn't know the difference between Mexico and Spain? If voters can honestly look at McCain's answers to questions and STILL think he's qualified to be President, my hope for this country is going to tumble faster than the DOW.

[ladjf]

35. McCain should be familiar with the location of Spain. That's where

he was flying when he collided with some power lines with his jet fighter.

[woo me with science]

38. I'm sure he's brushing up on his Latin,

since he has to meet all those leaders like Zapatero from Latin America.

[regnaD kciN]

39. As TPM put it...

"The Rain in Spain is falling on McCain." ;-)

[Jennicut]

40. Hey, its McAlzheimer's! Seriously, is he for real?

The guy is losing it, really really losing it. My Grandmother happens to be in the early stages of Alzheimer's and I think I see similar symptoms in McLame. The mixup of Sunni and Shiite in Iraq earlier this year was the start.

[Pisces]

41. Where is the MSM on this issue????? They are hiding his incompetence!!

[Aloha Spirit]

43. TIME has the story online...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1842156,00.html

'You gotta feel for José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Here the Spanish prime minister is only four months from an end to his government's strained relations with that of President George W. Bush and blam! — along comes John McCain to suggest the next four years might not be any better. During an interview in Miami earlier this week with Spanish-language station Union Radio, a reporter asked McCain whether, if elected, he would receive Zapatero in the White House. McCain answered, "Honestly, I have to analyze our relationships, situations, and priorities, but I can assure you that I will establish closer relationships with our friends, and I will stand up to those who want to harm the United States."

Ouch.'

[Aloha Spirit]

44. and the Washington Post online... McCain adviser says it was intentional. Joke's on us I guess! Haha

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/18/mccain_slights_spanish_prime_m.html

'The confrontation resulted in mega-headlines around the Spanish speaking world and pitted Chavez, Castro and others against the Spaniards.

So, was McCain purposely trying to diss the Spanish leader? Questions about whether McCain forgot which country Zapatero leads, got confused about Spain's geographic relationship to Latin America, or confused Zapatero with the Zapatista rebels from Mexico have exploded on blogs since reports of the interview first surfaced.

McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Sheunemann said McCain's answer was intentional.

"The questioner asked several times about Senator McCain's willingness to meet Zapatero (and id'd him in the question so there is no doubt Senator McCain knew exactly to whom the question referred). Senator McCain refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview," he said in an e-mail.'

[psychopomp]

47. "Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?"

No, I don't believe that Sen. McCain would have let the gag go on that far, to the point where the reporter had to remind him that Spain is in Europe.

What fools these GOP'ers take us for!

[Major Hogwash]

46. McCain's racism is showing.

Someone mentioned Spain, and McCain thought about spanish-speaking people, which made him think of Mexico, so he started talking about our relations with Mexico.

McCain hates Mexicans.

[polichick]

50. I just heard the clip on CNN - McCain is definitely NOT all there!

[alsame]

52. CNN - Rick Sanchez is now interviewing the Spanish reporter

who conducted the interview.

[polichick]

53. Heard that - she doesn't seem to think he was as confused as he sounded to me.

[old mark]

51. Guess he's not flying the plane anymore. nt

[donnrfl]

54. clearly..

this must have been a trick question!!! damn that liberal media!!!



:nopity: