Wow. I really thought that John McCain's Spain gaffe was just that, a gaffe, wherein he somehow got confused about what was happening and didn't understand that the question about holding a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister José Zapatero was a question about Spain and Europe rather than rogue leaders from Latin America. Certainly that strikes me as the fairest reading of the audio. Here's the relevant portion, in English: But now along comes Randy Scheueneman with an official campaign statement saying that it wasn't a gaffe, that McCain was articulating an actual "no meetings with Spain" policy: 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. That's an insane policy. Recall that under the North Atlantic Treaty, the United States is actually obligated to go to war on behalf of Spanish territorial integrity and vice versa.
Wow. I really thought that John McCain's Spain gaffe was just that, a gaffe, wherein he somehow got confused about what was happening and didn't understand that the question about holding a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister José Zapatero was a question about Spain and Europe rather than rogue leaders from Latin America. Certainly that strikes me as the fairest reading of the audio. Here's the relevant portion, in English:
But now along comes Randy Scheueneman with an official campaign statement saying that it wasn't a gaffe, that McCain was articulating an actual "no meetings with Spain" policy:
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.
That's an insane policy. Recall that under the North Atlantic Treaty, the United States is actually obligated to go to war on behalf of Spanish territorial integrity and vice versa.
smells like it ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
The Right Wing opposition and media use Bush's snubs as an argument that Spain's standing in the world is diminished because of ZP. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
And, to the surprise of no one, Randy Scheueneman is a liar. They're trying to cover for another age-driven screw-up.
The man's 72 years old. And an old 72 at that. As I said to Mig earlier, I keep waiting for someone to ask him to name the current president, and for McCain to reply with "Dwight Eisenhower" or something. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
Now if you wanted to be a good president, it might be another story. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
Not that I'm surprised by that, but I think it's worth emphasising, ready for the next time we're considering how NATO works.
(man, the English grammar at El Pais is atrocious, they can't tell if apart from whether) A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
In comments that have caused a kerfuffle in Spain, McCain seemed to lump Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero in the same category as the anti-American leaders of Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba. McCain's remarks came during in an English-language interview with Radio Caracol WSUA 1260AM in Miami, part of the Spanish-language radio group Union Radio, conducted Tuesday. ... That McCain would lump Zapatero in with such Latin American bad guys as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez comes as a surprise, because Zapatero and Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, were the protagonists in one of the most public anti-Chavez moments in the Spanish-speaking world. ... Radio Caracol is part of the Union Radio station group that is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate Groupo Prisa, which also owns El Pais.
...
That McCain would lump Zapatero in with such Latin American bad guys as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez comes as a surprise, because Zapatero and Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, were the protagonists in one of the most public anti-Chavez moments in the Spanish-speaking world.
Radio Caracol is part of the Union Radio station group that is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate Groupo Prisa, which also owns El Pais.
The journalist claims they asked the question because the Spanish owners requested it. I wonder whether they did it on purpose since El Pais had already interviewed McCain in april and he had said he wanted to reconstitute relations with Spain. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
