McCain camp stands by tough talk on Spain

[sabra]

Source: Politico

John McCain pointedly declined to commit to a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in a radio interview this week, sparking a major story in Madrid.

Talking to a Latino-oriented radio station in Miami Monday morning, McCain would only say: "I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion."

It seems, however, like McCain was uncertain about the country and leader in question.

...

Despite all this, McCain's campaign insists he was aware it was Spain that was being discussed.

"No, 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," said McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Schuenemann in an email. "Senator McCain refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview.:


Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0908/McCain_camp_stands_by_tough_talk_on_Spain.html?showall

[d_b]

1. McDump F's up

and now they have to play hardass...against Spain.

:rofl:

[Karenina]

2. Unfassbar!

:rofl:

[foxfeet]

33. Aber ganz glaublich

Forget Spain, did McCain know where HE was when he said this?

[CBHagman]

51. More like FUBAR, my German-speaking friend.

There's no suffix in that particular military expression...

[Karenina]

53. BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[habitual]

7. exactly, i mean, they can't very well come out and say

that he really is a dumbass. They are forced to pretend that he meant it, too funny.

[HereSince1628]

3. Do they teach that George Custer pigheadedness at the Naval Academy?

Or did Johnboy pick that up all on his own?

[gratuitous]

4. Okay, so McThuselah understood the question was about Spain

That's good, since the interviewer mentioned Spain twice in the set-up to the question. What's left rather ambiguous is whether McThuselah understands that Spain is one of our NATO partners, and meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister is no more or less controversial than meeting with England's Prime Minister.

Tell me again about McThuselah's foreign policy acumen? Because answers like the one he gave to the question and his campaign's stone-brained refusal to admit that he didn't know what he was talking about sure doesn't augur well for U.S. foreign relations under a McCain administration.

[nickyt]

8. My best guess is, he's exhausted from backpedaling and flipping and

floundering and gaffing and explaining, so he said fuck it, I gotta look like I know what I'm doing JUST THIS ONCE.

[Phredicles]

9. Maybe he's REALLY pissed about Zapatero pulling Spain out of our war in Iraq?

That was about the first thing Zapatero did on taking office, after all, and it was a major component of his campaign - his conservative predecessor had joined the Coalition of the Bought, I mean Willing.

[Lautremont]

22. He very explicitly said in another interview that "bygones should be bygones,"

blah blah blah. I'm going with Senior Moment on this one.

[SpiralHawk]

35. "bygones should be bygones" could be a reference to republicon diaper sex

And the core republicon belief that Sen. David 'Diaper Sex' Vitter (R) deserves a standing O for weasling out of his perversion by claiming Jesus told him "bygones should be bygones."

I'm just sayin...

[gratuitous]

24. Well it has been a day or two . . .

It has been a day or two since McThuselah’s last after-the-gaffe clarification. After saying the fundamentals of the economy were sound on Monday morning, with bodies splatting on the pavement of Wall Street, McCain had to say that by “fundamentals,” he was talking about the American worker, a subject he hasn’t been too keen on during his entire career in public office. Yeah, Mr. McCain, the workers; sure.

Now, even with a day to get up to speed (I’m guessing he confused Zapatera with Zapatistas and some dimly-lit corner of his lizard brain said “Boo!” when he tried to remember whether the Zapatistas were good guys or bad guys in Republican World), his campaign is still floundering around. They might, if they’re lucky, come up with some rationalization for McCain’s bad-mouthing one of our allies – the Spanish pull-out from Iraq is probably as good as any – but there’s ample evidence and precedent for the dispassionate observer to conclude that McCain didn’t have a clue.

[Democrats_win]

5. Calamity McCain strikes again. At this rate his campaign staff will have a mcCaine Mutiny.

Spain? What's next, Let's go kill a Mockingbird? The effective leadership of change?

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Spain is the new France.

Freedom Olives!

Freedom Flies!

[kestrel91316]

11. Freedom Rice!!!! (paella) Freedom snackies!!! (tapas)

[mikeytherat]

18. There's a rose in Freedom Harlem

Ah, Johnny Mac and his never give up, never think things though spirit.

mikey_the_rat

[truthisfreedom]

10. With 1000 soldiers in Afghanistan, McCan't-admit-a-gaffe is turning on them?

WTF? All to cover up a gaffe?

[Shiver]

12. Seriously

McNugget needs a vacation. At the very least, he's got to start going to bed at 8:30 again. The man is gettin' cranky from all the late-night campaigning.

[Yavin4]

13. So, We're Going To War With Spain ?

I like Spain. Spain is one of the coolest nations on the globe.

[damntexdem]

27. Once a century, huh?

Three cheers for the Union and may it rain on the Spain?

[Yavin4]

30. I'm on Spain's Side

They have great food and beautiful women.

[awoke_in_2003]

38. "may it rain on the Spain?"

It will, but mainly in the plain.

[Lucky 13]

14. So now we have a problem with Spain?

I don't know much about Spanish-American relations... what's the issue?

[calico1]

20. Apparently, McCain got a bad paella and now

he is really pissed!

:silly:

[MattBaggins]

39. He heard they sank the Maine

Spain sank the Maine now our planes are going to rain pain over the plains in Spain just because McCain has a brain on the wane.


top that one.

[semillama]

42. well, he does claim to model himself after ol' TR

of course, TR would kick his ass for being such a pansy sycophant. He'd probably go hunting with Palin, but perhaps he would impress some conservation ethics into her.

[Blue_Tires]

52. one of their actors stole our academy award!!

[Ian David]

15. Insane McCain practically adds Spain to "The Axis of Evil." That'll teach them.

He TOLD Zapatero to get off his damn lawn.

[jjr5]

16. Yep, I DEFINITELY

saw screw-ups like this coming after the whole " Iran is training Al-Quieda . . ." McCain is a FOREIGN POLICY DISASTER - Too bad Palin won't be able to help him much. Man, the Obama camp should jump on this idea so fast! McCain and Palin, the most dangerous foreign policy duo in recent history. One can't remember what he is saying when he talks to other countries, and the other can only say she that she can see "big bear" Russia from her house! What a disaster.

[KamaAina]

17. Maybe he really does "Remember the Maine".

:P

[YDogg]

31. snicker

[Ghost Dog]

19. A Spaniard in the works

Guardian Blog: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/oliverburkemanblog/2008/sep/18/uselections2008.johnmccain1

[stillcool]

21. McCain won't talk to the leader of Spain?

at the rate he's going he won't be talking to anyone. Bombs away!

[frylock]

23. gramps was probably thinking he was emiliano zapata

:rofl:

[Quantess]

25. The interview clip was discussed on CNN. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMb7-RKvbF0

[damntexdem]

26. As an aphrodisiac, will they now be endorsing Freedom Fly?

Sit down and eat a plate of Freedom rice while you think about it.

lol!

[bushmeister0]

28. Too bad he didn't have Lieberman there to straighten him out.

I think Sarah Palin might have made spanish rice once, though.

[Liberalynn]

44. You mean her personal chef did right?

I don't think Caribou Barbie knows how to boil water.

[depakid]

29. Early signs of dementia

McCain confused Zaptero with something he saw about Zapata:



Different person, different time- different situation.

[Deny and Shred]

43. I just hope he wasn't dissing Zappa.

Maybe McCain thought of himself as a Pojama Person, and was offended. Who knows.

McCain missed out on the Mothers of Invention while in Nam. Maybe that's his problem.

Seriously, if we can't start building bridges with former friends like Spain, he must think the US can just do anything it wants, no matter the cost. I think Bush has shown this thinking does have its limits. Time to recoup our losses, re-establish our post WWII position, not take Spain to task.

Is his axe to grind the pulling out from Iraq years ago? I guess we'll have Britian, Poland, Georgia and the Baltic states as our only allies from now on.

[Liberalynn]

32. McSame's cerebro no esta en McSame's Cabeza.

McSame's cerebro esta en MsSame's trasero.

MeSame es muy tonto. McSame esta es iquales Presidente Dumbya.

McSame es mono cara tambien.

Los Siento Prime Minister Zapatero!

El futuro Presidente Obama va hablamos que ustedes.

I took several years of Spanish in high school and college, but I haven't used it or kept up with it in many many years, so I am very rusty, sorry if I am slaughtering such a beautiful language.

[quiet.american]

34. More of the same. Bullheadedly running off a cliff. nt

[Andrushka]

36. Keep digging that hole, Lumpy!!

:popcorn:

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. Oh god - after 8 years of flunkies having to cover up their master's mistakes,

the Republicans are offering 'more of the same'? No, you can't start diplomatic incidents just because you want to try to cover up your candidate's screw-up. The most fundamental problem with the Bush regime is "the boy king is always right - never apologise, never admit we were wrong". That helped start the Iraq war. Substituting "grumpy old man" for "boy king" in the above sentence will be just as disastrous for the US, and the world.

[Bette Noir]

40. So, he'd rather make Spain an enemy

Than admit he's too old to follow a conversation?

Yeah, he'd make a dandy President.

[mascarax]

41. Just Admit It, John

Yes, he'd rather stubbornly stick to this LIE instead of just admitting that he didn't understand...well, he's losing it.

I mean, how many others would he alienate?!

I was appalled when I heard the interview (whole thing is interesting).

Maybe Obama & Joe need to offer some Spain-friendly news! I think they know where the country is located.

[ellie]

45. Geez!

What did Spain do?

I have to edit what Keith just said: The pain on Spain falls mainly on McCain!

Bwahahahahahaha!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

46. Maybe senility tests should be a prerequisite to running for pres.

[President Kerry]

47. So that's Bush moment # what now?

I've lost count. They are strikingly similar in how they present themselves.. and how the havoc they wreak on this nation.

[HockeyMom]

48. They elected a new leader and

pulled there troops from Iraq.

[unkachuck]

49. of course....

....isn't Spain part of rummy and bushco's 'Old Europe'?....

"I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion."


....good one johnny, the more you to try to 'change' the more you sound the 'same'...

[Jefferson23]

50. This is beyond pathetic, the exposure of this should be harped on through

the election. It clearly indicates what a complete ass he is.