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NO SPIN PWN.
Tim already posted the new campaign line on McCain's response to questions about Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero, but the problems is they simply don't jibe with the transcript. As Josh Marshall points out, the audio shows very clearly that McCain doesn't know Zapatero is a leader in Europe. He refers to "Latin America," "this hemisphere," and "the entire region." Either he doesn't know where Spain is, or he doesn't know where Europe is, or he didn't recall who Zapatero was. But there's just no indication that he was articulating a policy toward Spain.
It's irrelevant that McCain won't commit to a "White House meeting" with Zapatero, (rather than just say, a meeting) because that's not what he originally said at all. Scheunemann's response is simply another lie. All the campaign had to say was that it was a phone interview, and McCain couldn't understand the reporter's pronunciation, but instead, they've doubled down, Bush style.
--A. Serwer
COMMENTS (4)
They trashed Hillary because she couldn't pronounce the name of the Russian President correction.
Here's one outraged response over that:
No doubt the above gentleman will be beside himself on McCain's most recent gaffe.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 18, 2008 2:19 PM
It seems obvious after listening to the interview that McCain didn't understand the question probably due to the interviewer's accent. So it does seem that the campaign is being overly defensive by choosing to sell out Spain instead of admitting that McCain didn't hear or misunderstood, which would be totally understandable. The campaign seems more afraid of the perception of a confused candidate than a reckless and combative one. Is that because they know he's totally out of it?
Posted by: shannza | September 18, 2008 2:21 PM
I'll wager dollars to doughnuts that McCain heard "Zapatero", and his aging cerebrum mentally processed it as being somehow related to the Zapatistas. That the namesake of the movement was Zapato, not Zapatero, and died almost a century ago aggravates the error slightly.
Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | September 19, 2008 8:41 AM
....errr, make that "Zapata".
Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | September 19, 2008 8:43 AM