So, under McCain, we're going to war with Russia, bombing Iran, and fully alienating the EU. greaaat!
oh, and china? don't worry about all the US paper they're holding- to hell with them too!

Ummm...not the nuanced answer. McCain refused to "commit to a WHITE HOUSE meeting" with Zapatero.

Not that he opposes a meeting. Or, taht he wouldn;t meet him somewhere outside the White House.

The reason for this is because Mccain said earlier this year he WOULD meet with Zapatero.

But, I'm nt sure the questionaer was specifically asking MCcain about meeting Zapatero in the White House, or more generally.

Say what you want about Chavez's politics, but to call him a dictator is flat out wrong. He was elected, and has survived an attempted coup and referendums. That "dictator" crap is just a right wing frame.

Ok, this is just the standard Republican response to anything. Everything is campaign issue, only a campaign issue, and nothing but a campaign issue. It's why they stink at actually governing.

Yes, Obama is a weak Willy. He'll talk with our friends. He'll talk with our enemies. He'll talk with anybody.

Not tough-guy McCain! He'll let his bombs do the talking.

And by the way, wasn't Spain formerly under MUSLIM rule?

"...Spain is also part of NATO, binding us to defend their territorial integrity...."

NATO is just a treaty; we don't need no freaking treaties!

If Obama constantly made these kind of issue-oriented gaffes, he would be pilloried for it by the Right-Wing Noise Machine as well as all the Tweetys of cable news.

Somehow our national discourse has brought us to a place where it does not matter if a Republican knows anything, or lies about everything.

"... He stood up to Hugo Chavez, a dictator who is actually problematic for the U.S. ..."

I hate to nitpick, but Chavez is not a dictator.

Second the motion from John Howard re Chavez being a dictator.

Good try Hesiod, but listen to the interview or read a transcript. The interviewer initally asks about a White House meeting, but later simplifies it to "Are you willing to meet with him if you're elected president?"

McCain gives the same boilerplate about friends and enemies and doesn't answer the question.

The wily French have managed to focus McHindenburg's senile dementia onto the Spaniards. Smart.

"Hugo Chavez, a dictator"

I realize that this has been pointed out above; but really. Since when is it ok for Democrats to declare a fairly elected head of state a "dictator" because you don't like their politics.

Sadly, I bet that you get angry when people imply that Bush isn't a 100% democratically elected leader because "it turns of -regular- Americans".

But Palin would go to war with Russia if Georgia was admitted to NATO.

These people and their supporters are too damn dangerous to be anything but institutionalized.

Knowledge? We don' need no steenking knowledge!

Just wanted to add my support to the John Howard motion - calling Chavez a dictator just makes you look gullible. Not a good look for a political commentator.

once more on the chavez line.
don't worry synykyl it is hardly nitpicking.

making that comment isn't just incredibly sloppy but really inexcusable for anyone who wants to be taken seriously when commenting about world affairs.

again regardless of what one thinks about his policies or politics the electoral system in venezuela is far more fair and democratic than in the US and chavez has far more claim to being elected democratically than Bush.

And when you consider the US-sponsored coup attempt you could say that Bush is almost like "a dictator who is actually problematic for" Venezuela.

Kick Spain out of NATO so Georgia and Ukraine can join and McBush and Mrs. Lightweight can get their war on with Russia!

Add me to the growing list of Chavez = Dictator.

I really expect more from the Prospect, even from Cheeto munching bloggers.

Richard Blair, Obama's position on Georgia isn't much better than McCain's.

In what sense is Chavez a dictator? In the sense that Bush doesn't like his politics? What the hell? Why repeat this right wing nonsense?

Look, it's called hearing loss, both my grandmothers had it at his age, it happens to the best of us. Per the TPM transcript:

Interviewer: "But what about Europe? I'm talking about the President of Spain."

McCain: "What about me, what?

His response indicates that he thought he heard "what about your..." So rather than dwell on it, he tried to brush past... my grandma does this to me ALL THE TIME

Note to the McCain campaign: don't compound the problem, get the man a hearing aid... else we're taking away his keys...

Hearing loss as an excuse?

That's just great. I can just hear it now. "What?? I thought you said to press the red button?!"

"But what about your rope? I'm a tall king, a bout of pressing dentist pain!"

have been a much better choice than "I'm a crazy guy who does not consider Spain an ally". But the latter is McWar went with.

I mean what does it say if he chose to cover up a hearing problem by pretending to be crazy? Worse, what if he isn't pretending?

Brilliant play by McCain. I can see the next campaign commercial now. Cue ominous sounding background music: "Barack Obama is willing to unconditionally meet with our allies. In a post 9/11 world, such a willingness is dangerously naive. If I am elected, our allies will have to earn the prestigious honor of a meeting with the President of the United States."

Brilliant play by McCain. I can see the next campaign commercial now. Cue ominous sounding background music: "Barack Obama is willing to unconditionally meet with our allies. In a post 9/11 world, such a willingness is dangerously naive. If I am elected, our allies will have to earn the prestigious honor of a meeting with the President of the United States."

"He stood up to Hugo Chavez, a dictator who is actually problematic for the U.S"

Hugo Chavez was legally elected 3 times, in internationally certified elections (unlike our current leader).

The is not the first time the Prospect has celebrated it's deep anti-Chavez bias, with naked propaganda, but could you people at least try avoid blatant lying?

this is totally because Spain ran roughshod over all comers to take the Euro Cup

Dear gott, uila, your interpretation is the only one I've seen address--and more to the point, make SENSE of--his weird initial response ("What about me--what?"). I'm sure you're right. He thought it was "your" or "you're," and it just didn't make any sense.

McCain's brain: "Your up? You're up? Me? What?"

That nails it as far as I'm concerned. And I'm sure Billie Ockham agrees. Nice.

"That nails it as far as I'm concerned. And I'm sure Billie Ockham agrees. Nice."

That makes it even worse, IMHO. Because now instead of admitting he had trouble hearing, he's insisting he meant all along to diss Spain.

I mean, what's more important here? Our relationship with one of our own allies or John McCain's ego?

President McCain: "What?? I thought you said to press the red button?!"

Sec Def: "Holy crap! You just nuked London!"

President McCain: "I did? Oh. Well I meant that dammit! I meant it all along. I said I'm keeping my options open, didn't I? I made no reckless promises to meet with America's adversaries. Unlike that uppity Senator from Illinois..."

"Yes, Zapatero is a center-left politician who pulled troops out of Iraq, but Spanish troops are also fighting alongside American troops in Afghanistan"

The Spanish aren't 'fighting alongside' American troops in Afghanistan. They are mainly sitting around not doing any dangerous fighting. They are one of the countries that has put so many restrictions on their rules of engagement that they might as well not be there. The US, the Australians, the UK, the Canadians, the French and the Dutch are doing the fighting and dying in Afghanistan. Spain's contribution is a token and a joke.

And Zapatero has openly undermined US policy in Latin America. Zapatero is the best friend that the Castros and Hugo Chavez have in Europe. He was the leader in pushing for the lifting of EU human rights based sanctions on Cuba.

Hearing aid? What if he's just plain senile? Is that any reason for the campaign to piss off Spain?

So, if they're a member of NATO, and President Mccain decides he wants to go to war with them, are we obligated to help Spain defend themselves from us?

Ths foreign policy stuff is hard.

"He stood up to Hugo Chavez, a dictator who is actually problematic for the U.S., at the Ibero-American Summit."

That is a complete joke! He only objected to Chavez calling Aznar his predecessor a "facist" and interrupting him at a summit. Only a complete moron wouldn't object to that. That is not standing up for anything more than manners. He didn't stand up to Chavez on policy. As recently as this May, Zapatero went to Venezuela and was extremely friendly with Chavez. Zapatero is Chavez's best friend in the EU bar none.

Maybe the CIA could launch a coup against Zapatero and give power back to the crown (King Juan Carlos.)

Wikipedia says "Polls from 2000 show that he is widely approved of by Spaniards."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_I_of_Spain

The Spanish people would greet us as liberators.
Just throwing it out there, what do you guys think?

Scott stop lying. Are you crypto-fascist?.
Zapatero Fidel castro friend?. jajaja.
Zapatero never has been in Cuba. With Latin America we maintain same business relationships that other European countries. And with the U.S. ... we are not going to die because you have a president who does not know where we are. We live very well, we are not interested in wasting time or ruined in wars with anyone, and we not understand people like you, Scott, liar who seems all the time to seek excuse to start fights.

Zapatero is very moderated: socially advanced , economically capitalist, and others, conservative.

In McCain's Brain: "That goddamn Zapata and his freind Pancho Villa cuased allsorts of hell around Arizona when I was a kid...by the way who is this crazy dame that keeps intoducing me? I wnat things the way they were...where's Cindy with my Cialis Martini?"

RE: Posted by: Scott | September 18, 2008 6:37 PM

Scott, irrespective of what Madrileno says, you are right on target. I live here in Spain, American Expat. Zapatero is a liar, opportunist, and none of the things Madrileno claims in respect to the man. The only way he won reelection was with the help of the Communist party here in Spain, who abandoned their own party to vote for him. Moderate? Yeah, he recently put in place a tax on all electronic equipment capable of recording. The revenues to go to those "poor artists" whose work was being illegally recorded. True story is that no one buys most of that trash put out by those so called artists. It was simply to "buy" the votes of those thousands of failed artists. He also promised to give each citizen 400 Euros if he was reelected. The citizenry are STILL waiting for the promised 400 Euros. I do not know a single person that has received the "payment." Talk about buying votes! The man has done so many things wrong, many people were astounded that he won reelection...by a small margin at that! The man is ruining Spain!

Your article is write very well, I like it very much ~
I wish you have a wonderful day!Thank you.