McCain Fails on Spain
John McCain used normal Republican talking points when speaking about Latin American leaders in an interview with Union Radio. He labeled the usual leaders of the South as despotic, authoritarian, anti-democratic heads of states. Amidst this he must have been confused about Spain and its geographical location or who Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero was at all because he offered a vague response to the question.
McCain, when asked if he would meet with Zapatero, claimed, “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."
What the f*ck?
Are you kidding me McCain? Repeating talking points when you do not know what the hell you are talking about is not the best strategy. It is a sham to claim that you are in touch with Hispanic issues because you have visited Latin America. It does not matter if you do not know what the heck is going on in the region.
Lisa Abend of TIME notes, “The Spanish press has concluded that the Republican candidate, who hails himself as the experienced foreign policy choice in this election, confused Spain — a NATO member and key ally in the fight against terrorism — with one of those troublesome Latin American states.”
The Spanish newspaper El País adds, "In the best-case scenario, [his answer] demonstrates his ignorance with respect to Zapatero."
Yoly Cuello could not have been any more helpful . . . perhaps she could have shown him on a map where Spain was located or who Zapatero was before the interview. Cuello reminded McCain that she was talking about the Prime Minister of Spain and mentioned Europe but apparently that was not enough to jog McCain’s memory.
Steve Benen adds, “Forgetting Zapetero’s name is almost forgivable, though hard to explain for a candidate who claims to be an expert in foreign policy. But the interviewer kept using the word "Spain." She even gave him a big hint with the word "Europe."
Although this is major news across Spain (understandably) it has not made much of a dent in the states. This begs the question . . . what if it was Barack Obama that made this gaff? Would the political establishment and media not have a field day?