September 29, 2008 05:30 PM
Get This Man An Atlas! John McCain Says Venezuela Is In The Middle East
Aravosis at AmericaBlog noticed this one...I guess that McCain should thank his lucky stars that most GOP are low info voters, so hopefully not many of them picked up on this:
This, two weeks after he said that Spain was in Latin America. Here's the video from McCain's economic forum that just took place today - Ben Smith has the transcript:
McCain, talking about energy policy, stresses the importance of "ensuring that America is secure, and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez or other parts of the Middle East which is, as we know, could be destabilized under certain sets of circumstances."
Can we just get this guy a map or a little mini-globe that some staffer can keep handy?
What a disgrace!
I guess they could turn up his earpiece? Feh: like he listens to anyone else anyway.
I'm sending this to Rachel Maddow pronto.
That's reaching. C'mon, we're better than this. I know we're all ready to jump on his gaffes, but wasting it on one like this that is easily disputed is counter productive.
Not defending McShame, but, the rest of the sentence is so patched together that I think he said "other" without meaning to, if you know what I mean. What does he mean anyway? He's mean.
Someone teach this guy how to Google.
Seriously, anyone with half a brain can see this is just more shades of Bush. Just say no to 4 more years of ignorance in the White House!
Bad English. Seems to be a Republican thing.
How that Tax Rebate (bribe) work out for ya Bushbots?
Pretty pathetic considering he was born in Panama. He was almost last in his class, it shows. Anyone voting for this moron is hurting America.
and don't forget john, zapatero is the leader of a rebel group in chiapas, mexico.
If you're looking for full-time employment, pointing out every single brain fart of McSame's will probably keep you busy.
Hell, I doubt if he knows where he is, let alone Venezuela. The dude is probably stressed beyond limits. He's trying to keep his finger in everything and as a result he isn't doing anything well. Even though he said on tv Sunday that he was "happy, happy" that Palin was on his ticket, unless he is mentally incompetent he has to be worried about her performance Thursday night.
These bots like Mac "react" from their fight and flight reptilian brain.
Thats why they babble without thinking about what they are saying.
This does not inspire confidence.
Definitely reaching on this one. I'm not a fan of the man, but he's referring to two different things here: "Hugo Chavez or other parts of the Middle East."
He just got lost in formulating his sentence. Also context matters - he could have been responding to an awkwardly phrased question.
sulphurdunn @ 13:
Waz a matter. Don't you want to grow some hair on your chest?
Oh geez.. I'm not fan of McCain.. but clearly he's talking about Oil in Venezuela and Oil in the mid east.
You guys are digging way too deep. You don't even have to, McCain is a douche.
You could buy him a globe, but I doubt you could make him read it. After all, he's a 'maverick'...didn't you know that?
{Deleted, Spam. SiteMonitor}
christ on a crutch he's really losing it.
This kind of attack on McCain is never going anywhere. He has said this kind of thing many times before. It isn't that he doesn't know where Venezuela is. It's that he's an inarticulate fool, who is very sloppy with words.
He's also a complete POS. He should be a shoo-in for Time Magazines "Biggest POS of the Year."
Sometimes I think it is all a master plan on his part to get back at the Republicans for what they did to him last time he ran...
I'm fairly confident that John McCain knows where Venezuela is. Digging into him for this is no better than those who mocked Obama for his "57 states comment".
Ian @ 15:
Sure that is correct. The real problem is conversation or debate with these Republibots, they always see it as a competition rather then a productive creative process.
They all applauded... Why did they all applaud? I've seen the audience on Jerry Springer do that; applaud for no good reason... Why did they all applaud?!?!?
That's what's called, in the manly arts of self-defense, "telegraphing a punch."
If I were Hugo Chavez, probably I'd stay close to home, and hire a taster...
Not satisfied to up-root the tenuous peace reached in Bolivia and try to foster a civil/class war, they're not gonna rest til they bring down Chavez, one way or the other.
Stick a thumb in their eye? They're gonna stick your thumb, and your arm, and your family, and their friends up YOUR ass...
The arteries are clogging, we're watching him fade by the week.
Someone, tell Mrs. Palin to stop studying and get ready to move into the White House.
stupid is forever
Much ado about nothing. You KNOW what he means. If someone on the right made a comment about some slip of the tongue Obama made you guys would vivisect him. McCain does it and it's open season? Grow up. I mean it's not like he said Iraq borders Pakistan...
John McCain served his country and was in pirson in Vietnam when Contental Drift moved Venezuela from the Middle East to South American. Dam all you left wing meanies.
Terrible @ 27:
People remain stupid (ignorant) by choice.
Somewhere the Superintendent of the Naval Academy is chanting: I hate you, you MFing legacy, I hate...
Stupid is as stupid does.
I think this criticism is a bit of a stretch. McCain most likely wasn't implying that Venezuela was part of the Middle East. It was just a poorly worded statement.
BTW - as a Canadian, I'm supporting the most progressive candidate in your silly election process. But I understand your need to post something that infuriates your readers.
Glad to see others already making the point: This was sloppy syntax, period. We don't need to create or artificially gin up gaffes when it comes to McCain. Our cup already runneth over in this regard.
Lyon @ 28:
I wouldn't wanna be within a block of the place where they eventually upen ol' Bombin'' Johnnie up, post mortem. This is a person so rotten, so corrupt, so delusional, so crazy, so fucked-up in so many ways, that the first scalpel cut is gonna unleash SUCH A STINK, it'll clear a city block...
I have to agree that this is a pretty weak thing to attack him on. I would also add that attacks like this "dilute" the attacks on real substantive issues.
In other words, someone will say "they're attacking McCain here" and when the poor sap follows the link it's a piffle. A tempest in a teapot. Nada.
So that encourages them to ignore all attacks on McCain from this source as being irrelevant tripe.
Ian @ 15:
Agreed. This is hardly a gaffe. We undermine our own cause by trying to make anything of this. It makes progressive look petty to nit pick over a comment like this.
Please, let's stick to tangible policy issues. There's plenty to win with there. McCain clearly didn't mean to suggest that Venezuela is in the Middle East.
My god. Do you know what your priorities are? Do you know what is a big story and what is a trifling, niggling waste of your and my time? He combined two thoughts poorly, and you jackals pounce. This is not news.
I despise the GOP and would like them in jail or dead, but this is junk.
I think McCain is qualified to be comedian Ron White's agent.
I'm still stunned he was with Palin during her interview. It was creepy. Was he going to hold her hand? Eew!
This is a stretch, at best. The guy speaks and testifies dozens of times a week, so give me a break on this one and give him a break.
Canuknotusa @ 32:
i stick with my earlier opinion: he was conveying a message to a (potential, future) adversary. He's got South America on his mind. He's got connections in Colombia, and the US has large investments and bigger plans for the region. The hegemons easily could steer McC(umst)ain into a bloody intervention down there. Mebbe they've already told him they're going to...
How ridiculous, it's obvious what he actually meant here.
Let's stop grabbing at straws. We hardly need to at this point!
Tyler Durden @ 1:
You said it!
McCain is starting to remind me of James Stockdale. More precisely, he's reminding me of the SNL skit where the late, great Phil Hartman played Stockdale to Dana Carvey's Perot.
Love your blog John, and you are usually 100% on the money--but this is reaching--this is what the right wing does. This isn't even a gaffe--it's just odd phrasing. McCain is out of touch, and far from the guru on Foreign Policy that our MSM makes him out to be, but this is not a case of either--
A reach no big deal I'm pretty sure he knows and unlike Palin (Ms Misspeak), this is innocent Mis-speak
C'mon. I don't like McCain, but that was a flub, not a serious mistake.
Surely, he meant to say "other parts of the world" or "the middle east" and accidently combined the two. I do that all the time.
This kind of stuff comes off as petty. He's made much more serious mistakes, e.g. Keating 5. Let's focus on them, people.
Ian @ 15:
uh huh... responding with an awkwardly phrased answer...
woody, tokin librul @ 41:
You are right. He is projecting.
Whether he meant it or not, I want a president who can say what he means and mean what he says. The constant translations that the Republican ticket requires is an insult to those of us who want to be governed by people smarter than ourselves.
Cufford @ 42:
You're right, he is sinking all on his own as many sources have pointed out.
"He just got lost in formulating his sentence. Also context matters - he could have been responding to an awkwardly phrased question."
I'm an Obama voter, but three cheers for intellectual honesty. This wasn't a gaffe.
I have never commented on C and L before, and I frequent here often, but seriously please remove this story. John McCain was not saying the Venezuela is in the Middle East, but that we shouldn't get our oil from Venezuela and the Middle East. C'mon, I know that C and L can do better than this.
Now, now, fellas. Honestly, this is a reach. I can't stand what the Mac Attack has become either, but this is not truthful on the part of CNL and a lot of you as well. This is a mere phrasing gaffe, nothing more. The Spain one is the real deal, but this is not. Let's keep to the real McSame gaffes...there are plenty of them, and there will probably be enough Palin gaffes after Thursday to fill CNL for a week or two.
McCain just meant to say parts of the Middle East not "other parts".
Saying McCain thinks Venezuela is part of the Middle East is like claiming Obama thinks there are 57 states in the US
DB @ 5:
I think so too. Or by "other" he meant not in South America. In any case, I know what he meant. And who among us has not mangled a sentence? Having just been accused of "gotcha journalism," I'd rather not engage in it.
Really disappointing article for C&L. I was hoping you were above that sort of crap.
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome
priestidiot?It's this kind of post that makes me re-evaluate the time I spend coming to this site.
Get things right.
Use your brain.
Provide a viable alternative to the main stream media, or what's the point?
Please, no more posts like this. They detract from the many legitimate criticisms of McCain's foriegn policy knowledge. The commenter who likened this to Obama's "57 states" remark is exactly right. Nail him for not knowing Sunni from Shia, and for thinking the war would be over quickly. Not for a poorly worded sentence. Otherwise, you open yourself up for "well, both candidates misspeak" equivocations.
Paging Joe LIEberman, paging Joe LIEberman . . .
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John McDramaKing is senile.
I attack people for harping on Obama for saying "57 states"
Don't stoop to their level.
Susan i'm sorry to be the one to tell ya, but there's one thing the Pukes have taught us by "winning" (not being challenged for out-right theft and fraud when they rightly should have been) 7 of the last 10 presidential elections, and that is you can NEVER play too dirty. I've met Jim Carville (named, incidentally, for the community which houses the last USer leprosorium, in Carvill, LA), and I assure you he played dirty...
Dirty play, when it works (and it usually works), leaves the impression of victory. Winners GLORY in their tactics, no matter how shitty. Rove sticking his thumb to his nose: That's a sign of victory--cuz nobody shoved the fucker into his eye; couldn't get close enough. That's the power of victory.
Power goes to those who know how to use it. Using it right means only and always to gather more. That's one of those inescapable, and tragic realities that the fantasists dabble in.
Honestly! Do we need to stoop to this level? I usually like this site but when you go somewhere like this you're really scraping...no better than Faux News frankly.
"easily destabilized": like maybe by somebody invading them. I could see how that might be a problem.
Screw McCain, I buy my gas from Citgo content with the knowledge that the oil revenues from Venezuela go to help the people there instead of lining the pockets of oligarchs and John McCain's friends at Exxon and Chevron.
I can see that this is a misreading of McCain's intended statement. I think there's a larger point to be made here though.
Honestly people -- should Americans have to worry about whether or not the president is misspeaking - again?
It's not like he doesn't have a history of such blunders. He does.
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we need to keep errors like this in the discussion. no matter how small an error, the fact that there are a lot of them will feed the narrative that mccain is out of it. it'll probably feed the narrative of the questions on his health and age.
we shouldnt hold back on any attack. the mccain campaign surely wont. as carville said when you're opponent is drowning, throw him an anvil.
What sanctimonious bullshit from the lot of you! "C&L is better than this post..." etc. Do you think all right-leaning outlets would leave this alone if it came from Obama? These candidates know they are going to be scrutinized and they open themselves up to it when they say anything stupid like this. Democrats lose elections when they turn on themselves and defend Republicans. If this was a debate without a real prize, I'd agree with you, but this is for the future of our country. When the opposition flinches, you move on it. If you let them slide, they hit you harder at their next opportunity. Simple as that.
Another senior moment ~ the question is, am I talking about McSame or Nicole? :>)
The sad part is that McCain appeared to be reading from a page or two of prepared remarks.
So he can't read, or can't speak, or can't think. Ready to lead?
Johnny Introspective @ 14:
I am not a fan of the man either, but he did use "or" instead of "and". You're reaching a bit on this one.
This is akin to Republicans mocking Obama when he joked about 57 states. It's nonsense that doesn't help our side one iota.
We have bigger fish to fry.
Andrew Kronick @ 73:
Sorry, I meant to agree with Johnny on this one, he isn't reaching at all, Crooks and Liars is unfortunately.
It seems pretty likely that he meant to say something like, "and other parts of the world like the middle-east". So, I wouldn't read anything more into what he said other than a simple misstatement. With that being said though, the real question should be, why is McCain suddenly making so many mistakes like this? I can't even begin to guess at the answer to that. It seems probably that the stress of the campaign is starting to weigh on him. McCain has already admitted to problems in the past like insomnia. Add to those past issues the long hours and high stress of campaigning, and I think it's understandable how that could start to wear you down over time. Admittedly, it takes a pretty strong person to get through a campaign like this. I doubt I'd have the endurance for it, especially now that things like 24 hour cable news and the internet insures that information is perpetually changing round the clock. If you make a gaffe at 9pm, the video will be up on Youtube by midnight, and you had better have a video or statement out by 3am to counter that because it's going to be all over the television, internet, and on the front page of most newspapers by 6am. Campaigning now, more than ever, has become rather intense, and the pressure can really wear you down.
Now, of course, there is one very important, and serious, caveat to all of this. While it may be understandable that a candidate may be a little worn down from campaigning by late September, they really shouldn't be showing it as much as McCain has been. Sometimes, I get the sense that he's just treading water at this point and is pretty close to panic at some points. This is a serious problem because, while the campaign is intense, the stress of actually being president is far more intense. If McCain is so frayed by the campaigning process, I hate to imagine what being president would do to him. Also, contrast him with Obama who, though showing some signs of fatigue, is still holding himself together very well and has been very calm, cool, and collected even at this point in the campaign. The difference between them now is rather striking.
So much for his "foreign affair" experience. If Obama did this, the MSM would be putting that up as a credible example of his "lack of experience".
This needs to be mentioned to chip away the aura that has McCain portrayed as a "leader with experience". If you don't bring this up, it plays right into Republican hands.
In all fairness, I understood him to mean [big, bad boogeyman of the southern hemisphere] Hugo Chavez in addition to Middle East oil.
This is a non-issue and it makes us look petty.
katie @ 70:
Haw! Katie and masha are my heroes of the moment! Too funny.
Half the posters here at C&L seem to complain, not always without merit, that Obama and the campaign are not aggressive enough, and here we are, piling onto McCain to make SURE people get the message, and people suddenly wanna be civilized? Come one! Let's get him!
“There are no accidents in politics”, said Joseph P. Kennedy to a reporter in 1960. (full quote:”We’re going to sell Jack like soap flakes. There are no accidents in politics.”) LBJ and FDR have been purported to have said the same thing.
No worries mate... The MSM media will keep trying to make him a viable candidate.
Wait til you see how they handle Palin when its her turn. "OH SHE WAS DYNAMIC AND REALLY TOOK TO BIDEN" WHAT A STRONG TICKET.
LMAO>>>>>
Eeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh......
I despise McCain as much as the next informed person, but I have to agree with some--this is a reach. Let's not force it, and give the McCainiacs actual reasons to complain.
Must be a slow McCain/Palin-embarass-themselves news day.
I do wish that he would stop saying "worshington".
I agree with the skeptics here, like:
"Agreed. This is hardly a gaffe. We undermine our own cause by trying to make anything of this. It makes progressive look petty to nit pick over a comment like this.
Please, let’s stick to tangible policy issues. There’s plenty to win with there. McCain clearly didn’t mean to suggest that Venezuela is in the Middle East."
I'm a certified C&L junkie, but this one was chincey, Nicole.
Tim @ 17:
I gotta echo this sentiment. This really doesn't evidence anything but a slip of the tongue. With the mountains of genuinely disturbing McCain gaffes, I'm not sure why we'd note this one.
you picky stupid motherfrackers. I *DETEST* McCain, but I am QUITE certain he knows Venezuela is NOt in the Middle East. What you have here is poor diction, not poor geography. He distributed the subject (dependence on oil) across a person (in one place) and a place (full of persons), hence it came off as Venezuela is in the Middle East, which is absurd.
when dems act like this, you come off as a bunch of ninnies.
I hope and pray to Bob every day that McCain loses, truly. But would you people kindly pull your heads out of your asses and pay attention to REAL news, and not this trivial horsecrap.
Well, I guess it is useful to have a big stock of these utube clips just in case some right-winger makes a big to-do about Obama's remark about "57 states". But otherwise, it is clearly just a slip of the tongue we should ignore for two reasons: a) there are far more seriously confused and scary things McCain has said intentionally (like the President of Spain thing) b) if we are going to spend time on mere accidental slips of the tongue then this one pales next to McCain saying he wants to veto all beers. That one might even carry Alabama for the Democrats.
tree @ 71:
Perhaps yourself?
Dan B @ 22:
I agree. He didn't word it well, but come on. Making a big deal out of poor syntax makes us look bad.
He could've made that sentence neater/tighter, but posting things like this just makes you come across as shrill tools. You're reaching right wing levels of ignorance and blindness here.
Dan B @ 22:
Or Biden for saying that FDR spoke on television.
afterburner @ 86:
Oh! Gee! Now I'm listening to you!
It's one post, you angry fuckwit.
Make no mistake, my mother is slowly withering away from dementia (commonly confused with Alzheimer's) so I'm not making fun of this disease but at his age and what he's been through and who he is, A US Senator, how can this man confuse Venezuela with the Middle East if there is not something wrong with him? This just isn't right anymore. I'm starting to wonder if he confused Sarah Palin with Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Okay, now that was making fun of the disease. I apologize.
It could be that most people don't realize that McLame was trying to be smarmy about his knowledge that most of Venezuela is actually east of the US. The capitol Caracas is located at longitude 66°58"W which is actually EAST of Washington DC at longitude 77°02"W. Or it could just be another 'senior moment' for the inept Senator from Arizona and we're watching this slow-speed train wreck of a campaign play out. Dibs on the latter.
To the people that think this is a simple misquote, realize he went out of his way to associate Hugo Chavez with terrorism. He knew exactly the conclusion he wanted people to draw, he just screwed up the delivery. His goal is to make people equate Hugo Chavez (who does have some issues of his own) with the likes of Osama bint Laden (No that isn't a typo that is an Arabic pun on his name -- basically calls him a little girl). If you're going to try to make these kinds of wild assertions and you screw up in a public forum then you earn the right to be criticized.
"The dead have risen and they're voting Republican!" -- Bart Simpson
I'm older. I'll give him "or other parts of __OPEC__". Probably what the mind was thinking before it got to the mouth.
But it is a question of how many swallows make a spring. True, there are enough examples of soft-headedness for questions about his mental condition.
Andrew_Kronick@73
Actually, the key word in the gaffe is "other". Watch:
...and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez or parts of the Middle East ...
...and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez and parts of the Middle East...
Not much of a difference there.
...and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez and other parts of the Middle East
Or here. But what I think he might have been trying to say:
...and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez or other OPEC countries...
Which makes sense. But he didn't say that. And when you're a head of state, little words cause big hurts, even when you think they shouldn't. That's why the best diplomats think before they speak. McMaverick has a hard time with thinking before doing anything.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
Space_Poet @ 4:
and if it were OBAMA IT WOULD BE EVERYWHERE.you reap what you sow
Karen @ 85:
You're almost certainly right about this being a simple slip of the tongue but now we've got to go and check to see if McCain really can accurately identify where exactly Venezuela might be found. He might need a refresher on geography. He might think it's on the border of Iraq and Pakistan. Who knows? He is under a lot of stress. He's still trying to figure out how the whitest man in America can stand behind Palin at the upcoming debate and remain unobserved while whispering answers in her ear. For the record this sort of thread is just for fun. Enjoy it. They'll be plenty of more serious outrage later.
As a staunch Obama supporter, I feel these type of irresponsible stretches in truth will only minimize the many future gaffes this man and his sophomoric running make will make in the future. I understood what he was saying and I think most other do as well.
It must be hell to be so old and have your mind slowly fall apart.
Elizabeth M @ 89:
syntax?
Gotta agree with Space_Poet... McCain is a simpleton, but this soundbite is a bit of a reach.
Space_Poet @ 4:
ok...the man has problems putting together a cohesive thought
but i think you guys should post the cursing part of the debate
the man said horseshit twice
Not to cut him any slack but this was just a poorly worded sentence. McCain knows where Venezuela is.
I wonder if the MSM will highlight this the way they've been highlighting Biden's supposed gaffes. (Most of which weren't gaffes to begin with.) Somehow I doubt it.
this is a garbage blog post. mccain was talking about foreign oil, that includes both Venezuela and the mid east. come on now.
obama has said there are 57 states. i agree it was a minor and meaningless misstatement. but this incidence by mccain is even more meaningless yet its overblown as significant in some way
Uncle Joe Mccarthy @ 103:
!!!
He did not! Did he? I was in a crowded room with a lot of hooting a cheering and hissing; I might have missed it! Yer pullin' my leg...
I can't stand the guy, but he obviously doesn't think Venezuela is in the Middle East.
Let's keep our attention on his real shortcomings - the ones that will send current seventh and eighth graders to die in a war.
i like the irony of the previous post btw. sound bytes to attack with.
I agree that this is making much of nothing much. On viewing, what he said does not indicate that he thinks Venezuela is in the Middle East. He threw the word "other" in there as he was thinking ahead and choosing his words.
I think he was just trying to lump that evil socialist bogeyman Chavez in with those evil terrorist Middle Easterners, who are so mean and unfair to gang up against us with their oil. I think it was just McCain seeing an opportunity to throw a quick vilification of Chavez into his monologue, and mixing his thoughts up a little.
I very much enjoy Crooks and Liars, and appreciate the way they keep on top of media lies and half-truths that slip through the gaping cracks in mainstream coverage. But honestly.... you only strain your own credibility when you mischaracterize a minor gaffe of this caliber in such a questionable way.
Karen@85
Slip of the tongue? It's not evident to me. The only thing that's evident is that he said what he said.
It's just as evident that he's sending a message that Venezuela=Middle East=terrorist state. Being that he's elderly, he can try to shrug it off as a slip of the tongue, but who knows, really? Might have been the subconcious speaking, or it might be he said it on purpose- like, "bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran".
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
Agreed. There are plenty or REAL issues with this guy. Let's not pounce on every slip of the tongue.
John Amato, please ask Nicole to stop posting stupid bullsh*t like this. Despite his retardedness, even Bush knows where Venezuela is. This makes us look bad. Report a real story.
To be fair, he didn't say Venezuela was part of the Middle East, just Hugo Chavez.
This is a non-issue. Yes McCain is a little slow, but do we really all believe he doesn't know where Venezuela is? Obama said there were 57 states....These are 3rd grade attacks.
Focus on the issues people! This is how Obama will prevail.
Bonkers @ 106:
He did. http://www.236.com/feed/2008/09/27/horseshit_9173.php
Cripes, I am outta here. I am not wasting time watching a bunch of people bitch about one post in which, YES, John McCain DID say that Venezuela is in the Middle East! Did he mean something else? Mayyyybe. BUT WHO GIVES A SHIT? Did it occur to any of you that Nicole might have been making a joke? Or conversely, did you miss all the other stellar posts she makes every day?
Ahhh, whatevs. I'm out of this thread.
This stuff is pretty weak attack-wise. I think he made an honest mistake UNLIKE the claims he made that Al Qaida was being trained in Iran. We have enough to beat McCain over the head with without resorting to petty bullshit.
Ah! But I caught your link on the way out, Fanon! Thanks, to you and Unca Joe.
NOW I am out.
Well, it is a little known fact that Hugo Chavez's middle names are Osama Hussein. LOL.
Now that I think about it, I'm starting to think that me meant to say this. I'm taking a different tack than Nicole, though.
"McCain, talking about energy policy, stresses the importance of “ensuring that America is secure, and not dependent on oil from people like Hugo Chavez or other parts of the Middle East which is, as we know, could be destabilized under certain sets of circumstances.”
Circumstances like an invasion to topple the leader we don't like?
McCain's statement is both dog whistling and a shot across the bow.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
What's really interesting to me is that in addition to missing the "Horsehit" moment, no one's mentioned that at the end of the debate, when Obama and McCain shook hands at the front of the podium, Obama said "Good job, bro."
A president who says "bro"...cool.
You know... I think McCain sucks and all... but C&L may be reaching a bit on this one... I think if anything is to blame is the lack of grammatical skills McCain possesses.
P.D. @ 39:
Just be glad he wasn't wearing a santa outfit, and her sitting on his lap..
'what would you like for xmas little girl ?'
'some more cue cards for thursday please'
upchuck @ 100:
its the reason actors and politicians retire.
mindblown @ 97:
But see, Obama himself would disagree with that sentiment. He has tried very hard to stay on the high road, and avoid jumping into the mud with the rest of the swine.
I often see comments, even in the media, how this "timidness" might be harming him. I've seen suggestions that he stop pulling his punches. Some wanted the gloves to come off in the debate. Much post-debate analysis found fault in his frequent agreements with the statements of his opponent. The Republicans themselves trumpeted this fact in campaign ad.
But guess what... despite the notorious gullibility of our electorate, I think it's working. People are seeing one candidate's campaign flinging the same kind of lies and distortions that we've grown so used to... even after stating up front that he wouldn't. And they're seeing this other candidate, who doesn't want our politics to devolve that way any further. They're noticing, and I think people are appreciating the difference, finally, as it becomes more and more exposed to the light of day.
It helps that Palin tends to do this a lot, too. She attacks Obama and Biden, and yet people can see that she really has no moral or ethical or political superiority to be riding such a high horse. She gets more press than Biden by far, though he attends fifty times as many press conferences. And she basked in the glow of her break-the-glass-ceiling feisty-hockey-mom-of-five new-breed-feminist mythology for a bit, but the sheen has faded in the light of her history of governance as the facts have emerged, and her ineptitude to properly dispense the manure during an interview.
FreeDUMB@117
No, no, no...The Iran/Al Qaeda remark, the "gaffe" about the (left of center) leader of Spain who pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq. This is a pattern of "gaffes"- dangerous, hawkish "gaffes".
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
wow.......let's have alittle fun with this. most of us
realize this isn't earth shattering news. having said
that mccain does have a ongoing behavior of these
mini mental gaffes. at his age (no disrespect) there's
a better chance than NOT under this type of pressure
we could see/hear more of this.
Johnny Introspective @ 14:
This is a pathetic O'Reilly-esque attack on him. Don't post this garbage C&L. It is perfectly clear what he meant. Many people mistakenly say "other" when they should not use it -- I do that all the time along with other fools.
Listen, I hate McCain and Palin just as much as anyone who frequents this blog. But inferring from this that he didn't know he was talking about two different regions is a little preposterous. Listen to the sentence, and really ask yourself what he meant. C'mon, thats digging a little deep guys. We got plenty of ammunition against McCain, but this is nothing.
Either way, GOBAMA 2008!
OMFG, this is bullshit.
It's not like his Iran/ Al Qaeda gaffe, or even Biden's FDR on TV gaffe.
Cut the fucking shite already.
I'm sure someone else has said it already, but I'm too pissed off, lazy, and homicidal to check the previous posts: "Hey dumbfuck, everyone know Venezuela is right next to Spain, somewhere off the coast of Cuba..."
Sorry, twenty-some days sober was too much, but thank Jesus (Jesus Lopez, my pawnbroker in Dade Co, FL) he wouldn't sell me a firearm tonight...
Rot in Hell, you worthless POS, Grampa. I'm stuck here in Rethug America (Orlando, FL, the land that Mickey
boughtBLEW. I can't believe this xtian rathole shares the same real estate as Miami...) Can't believe that McPalin signs far outnumber Obama/Biden signs here. So few brain cells, so little propane...That is totally lame to point out this "mistake". Obviously a slip of the tongue. Let's point out things that are REAL, as this kind of argument just undercuts our legitimacy. Very Limbaughesque.
Peter G @ 98:
OK - sure fine. I home you piss blood and can't get it up any more, and then while you're lying in some bed gasping for breath you choke to death on your own tongue.
But hey - this is all in fun, right?
Like Afterburner, I utterly detest McCain. I think he should be put in jail with the rest of them, found guilty for the most obvious crimes of aiding and abetting Bush, and then lined up and shot with the rest of them for being the fascist pigs they are.
The country is on the cusp of a complete catastrophe, but it's OK to "have some fun" at the expense of the one of the War Machine's candidates? Afterburner hit this on the head with a hammer. This kind of nonsense is just a total distraction. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BALL. When this website cooks up this kind of crap CALL THEM ON IT.
If it's a slow news day, and you need "post something" try going into the international news and look at the endless stream of misery the American Lifestyle is wreaking upon the planet. Today, slashdot (SLASHDOT!) put up a story how the methane on the ocean surface north of Siberia is up 100x over 10 years ago. THE CLATHRATES ARE MELTING.
THAT'S news. Not some boneheaded bit of diction by McCain. But hey - what do you care? You have central heating... Obtuse? Random? What do you expect from Tweakerbell?
I think I would have to give McSame a pass on this one. The quote is so rambling it would be hard to make the case that he was trying to say or imply that Venezuela was in the Middle East—actually the whole thing is so rambling it's hard to figure out what he really point he was trying to make. A lot of times there seems to be a striking similarity between McCain and his running mate.
I agree. Definitely reaching on this one. It's two different things - Chavez and the Middle East....
Please don't post silly attacks like this. If someone was following you around all day I am sure someone could 'gotcha!' you too. Don't lower the standards of this very good blog. There are too many real concerns about McCain to fabricate.
It's funny but I never thought Hugo Chavez looked Sunnish.
tweakerbell@133
Hey, I'll agree with you that Nicole is spinning this story from a kinda trivial angle.
But I'm glad she posted it. See my last two comments, Andy_K@120 & Andy_K@126 . The focus shouldn't be on the geography, but the history. What's the allusion McCain is making with:
"...or...parts of the Middle East which...as we know, could be destabilized under certain sets of circumstances"?
Is he talking about the effect of the invasion of Iraq on global oil prices? Why would he be talking about that?
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I don't think I've ever seen this much concern trolling in a C&L thread.
[Yup, you'd think that someone would actually e-mail us. The urge to gripe publically after twenty other people have done the same is something I can't figure- but I don't get the deal with lemmings, either. I can think of one other thread in the last few months with at least as much concern trolling...But I don't want to pick that scab, so I won't name it! :D Site Monitor]
bateman @ 139:
SiteMon -- You can't figure out why people like to publicly gripe? You work on a blog! That is what blogs do (and they do it even after twenty other people have posted the exact same thing). But seriously, this is not "concern trolling" this is readers asking C&L to stop posting this crap. There is a legitimate reason (as others have pointed out) -- it diminishes the value of legitimate points made about McCain. Don't be so obtuse!
Come on guys... don't act like the other guys. This is petty and not worth the blog space.
There are better reasons for opposing McCain. His meaning is clear enough. We do not need a herd of folk falling in line around issues like this when there are huge reasons for opposing this man.
At least Palin knows where Alaska is.....
this post is moronic. john mccain says enough dumb stuff without having to invent 'gaffes'.
I think the Doritos are making everyone stupid in this crumbling nation.
You people are much too harsh on McLame.
In a four-dimensional world Venezuela could very well be in the Middle East.
Just shows you that McLame is way ahead of us after inventing the blackberry then conquering email and the google on the internet.
Truly a maverick
This attack is ridiculous.
He doesn't think VZ in in the Middle East.
It was clear to me that he was unable to seamlessly move from VZ to making a point of OTHER places in the world LIKE the Middle East with his comment.
That said, this inability to clearly communicate is a red flag to those who may want to support this man and think his garbling of ideas from brain to lips will serve us at all at the world's negotiating table.
Hey, count me in with the "not a gaffe" folks. Let's not dilute our righteous anger with these dumb things. There are plenty of REAL problems with McCain, we don't need to stretch.
I look forward to President McCain's first visit to South America, where he'll visit Brazil, Argentina, and Spain...
...and to his first trip to the Middle East, where he'll visit Iraq, Israel, and Venezuela.
Can't forget his trip to Czechoslovakia.
Don't forget The Soviet Union.
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