Issue summarized here: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/18/bush-mccain-zapatero/
But back in June...
"The Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, is ready to change the politics of distance with the Spanish government started four years ago by George Bush. He declared himself in favor of plainly normalizing the bilateral relations and that Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero would be invited to the White House. In an interview onboard the plane that he took from Memphis, where he had participated in the events to honor the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, to his home in Phoenix, Mcain declared that "it is the moment to leave behind the disagreements with Spain" and added: "I would like for [Prime Minister Zapatero] to visit the U.S. I am very interested, not only in normalizing relations with Spain, but also in achieving good and productive relations with the objective of attending to many issues and challenges which we will have to face together," he declared."
Key points, for the lazy:
People assumed it was a gaffe and he was confusing the prime minister with somebody else, but his foreign relations adviser (a Bush administration crony) Randy Sheunemann confirmed that McCain was indeed talking about Spain's prime minister and was not confused, and that McCain may take Bush's unspoken grudge against Spain and make it official. WTF?
Pretty funny quote though, after McCain spends two minutes babbling...
INTERVIEWER: OK, what about Europe? I'm talking about the president of Spain.
McCAIN: What about me what?
Haha...
Yeah I think just senile, and Sheunemann is just covering up for his gaffe...
But back in June...
"The Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, is ready to change the politics of distance with the Spanish government started four years ago by George Bush. He declared himself in favor of plainly normalizing the bilateral relations and that Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero would be invited to the White House. In an interview onboard the plane that he took from Memphis, where he had participated in the events to honor the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, to his home in Phoenix, Mcain declared that "it is the moment to leave behind the disagreements with Spain" and added: "I would like for [Prime Minister Zapatero] to visit the U.S. I am very interested, not only in normalizing relations with Spain, but also in achieving good and productive relations with the objective of attending to many issues and challenges which we will have to face together," he declared."
Key points, for the lazy:
- Spain is a NATO ally, has troops in Afghanistan, has the 8th largest economy in the world, is incredibly influential in Latin America, and is an influential country within the EU.
- Bush -- man who claims we need to bring democracy to the rest of the world -- hates Spain's prime minister for pulling out of Iraq, which is the action his people wanted.
- Since then, Bush has been very stand-offish of Spain's prime minister, even refusing to accept congratulatory phone calls.
- McCain, now, refuses to say he'd meet with Spain's prime minister, dodging the question, seems to be confusing the prime minister with something to do with Latin America
People assumed it was a gaffe and he was confusing the prime minister with somebody else, but his foreign relations adviser (a Bush administration crony) Randy Sheunemann confirmed that McCain was indeed talking about Spain's prime minister and was not confused, and that McCain may take Bush's unspoken grudge against Spain and make it official. WTF?
Pretty funny quote though, after McCain spends two minutes babbling...
INTERVIEWER: OK, what about Europe? I'm talking about the president of Spain.
McCAIN: What about me what?
Haha...
Yeah I think just senile, and Sheunemann is just covering up for his gaffe...
