Seriously, when was the last time this guy went a day without a gaffe?
When McCain made a foreign policy gaffe in Jordan on Tuesday, it was Sen. Joe Lieberman who quietly pointed out the mistake, giving McCain an opportunity to correct himself in front of the international press corps. In Israel yesterday, NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum reports, Lieberman once again intervened when McCain made an incorrect reference about the Jewish holiday Purim — by calling the holiday “their version of Halloween here.”
As Yglesias noted, “Admittedly, this falls more in the ‘haha he doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ category than in the ‘holy sh*t he doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ category where the Iran/al-Qaeda confusion belongs.”
That’s true, but neither screw-up inspires confidence.
No Trackbacks To “McCain becomes a gaffe machine“
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it fucking worked for Bush
It is just a campaign strategy. He is trying to out Reagan Reagan and out Bush Bush.
j swift @ 1:
Case closed. :)
I was like, ‘Holy shit! He really doesn’t know anything about Purim.’
Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm “lots”, related to Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Haman’s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther). According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews….Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther (keriat ha-megilla), giving mutual gifts of food and drink (mishloach manot), giving charity to the poor (mattanot la-evyonim), and a celebratory meal (se’udat Purim);[1] other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.
Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.[1] Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses” and carving jack-o-lanterns…..Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the alive and the deceased would merge and the dead would become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops.The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling “trick or treat!” to solicit a gift of candy or similar items.
(both excerpted from wikipedia)
So, evidently, there’s a difference between Purim and Halloween. Would have been swell if he knew what that difference was, if he exhibited one whit of understanding of the cultures and traditions of a country that’s supposed to be our strongest ally in the middle east. I guess the costumes are what threw him off.
Can you say addled brain, Elmer Fudd….?
And we are going to be stuck with this asshole as president because democrats always fuck up a sure thing.
skycypher @ 5:
Can you say “Painful itch?”
I know what you mean. :)
If the contest for the White House followed the rules of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” John McCain would be going home empty-handed. At last four times in the past month, George W. Bush’s would-be Republican successor sounded the alarm over a non-existent Al Qaeda-Iran alliance in Iraq. But for a lifeline from Joe Lieberman, McCain would have been booted off the stage by now.
For the details, see:
“Four Strikes and You’re Out: McCain on Al Qaeda and Iran.”
broadsword @ 4:
Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s any Jewish holiday that’s “like Halloween”.
HALLOWEEN?????
Is he SERIOUS????
uhm….imagine Obama making this mistake–tell me they wouldn’t make HIM a laughingstock!
“Today, Barack Obama criticized John McCain for mistakenly saying that Iran was sending aid to al Qaeda in Iraq, which is not true. And afterwards, President Bush told McCain, ‘Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know that either.’”
—Jay Leno
Just like Ronnie Raygun they can let him hide his own easter eggs .
Maybe John McCain didn’t mean it literally?
Grandpa Simpson personified…
How come nobody is talking about McCain’s apparent senility?
Stevious @ 15:
I thought we were.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next pResident of the United States.
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 16:
He’s senile?
I thought he was batshit crazy myself.
mudshark @ 18:
One or the other. Who cares?
He has all the potential to be spun as one of the Greates Republican Presidents since Lincoln if he gets in. The right wing is writing their spin as we speak for 2009.
If a Democrat said that Purim is the Israeli-version of Halloween, would any of us here who are Democrats consider that a big deal?
Man, Yglesias’s “holy shit, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about” line made me laugh so hard I got a headache. Ah, politics. Seriously, though, whether you’re for Clinton or Obama, you have to admit … either one could beat John McCain. Hell, I could probably eat a live puppy on the Home Shopping Channel and then go on to beat John McCain in the general election.
Eric Jaffa @ 20:
Only if they were running for President.
broadsword @ 4:
what makes it worse, is that lieberman took the blame for the gaffe
so holy joe is either ignorant, or feels that mcfeeble is too simple minded to understand what purim is
its sad that someone running for pres is incapable of googling or having an aide google
also, the reason masks or costumes are worn is because god’s name does not appear in the book of esther….it is the concept of hester panim (hidden from the face) meaning that gods hand in the miracle was hidden….so the kids (and many adults) dress up and wear masks, in rememberance of this fact
if america wants another prez who has no respect for other’s religions (like the bushies) vote mcfeeble
Ed @ 21:
What do you fucking liberals have against puppies anyway? :)
I can’t really see McCain getting elected without some massive election fraud. That said it will be interesting to see who his vice presidential candidate is because they will have to expect to be running the country soon after the taking office. Do you think they are going after the sympathy vote?
Eric Jaffa @ 20:
i would
it would show pure ignorance of one of the world’s main religions
ignorance of one of the world’s main religions has us stuck in the mire of iraq
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 19:
They can write what the want x.
There is no way in hell this man will win the gen election….
I can’t remember where I read this,but The Dem turnout so far is 28 million.The repug turnout is 10 million. Either Dem candidate will crush him in the Gen election.
Eric Jaffa @ 20:
I think the answer is obvious and the answer is a very loud “YES!”
Has anything that passed Hillary’s or Obama’s lips not been scrutinized?
mudshark @ 27:
I certainly hope you are right.
Nostalgic Republicans need to remember: Just because he’s senile doesn’t mean that McCain is Reagan.
Eric Jaffa @ 20:
I would YES!!! Obama said “typical white woman” and people have spent hours of national new talking about it. Clinton said “as far as I know” and everyone left right and center jumped all over that. good grief
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 29:
the worst part is……………I read it two days ago.senior moment.hey, it happens.
McCain is just who the repugs want in the WH so they can lead him around by the nose and make the people think he knows what he is doing. I remember when he was campaigning and Cindy was with him. She constantly was whispering to him and pointing out people he should “recognize” and speak to. Then Cindy turned the job over to Lieberman and Graham. If McCain is ever turned out on his own without his caretakers he will reveal his real self and everyone will know how senile he really is. He will have to name Lieberman as his VP or he is lost. He has to have someone who will whisper the correct answers in his ear and make excuses for his mistakes.
liberAL @ 33:
McCain will do anything, and i mean ANYTHING to become President. He is like a veteran quarterback past his prime who never played in the Supper Bowl. He is past his prime and he knows it, he just won’t admit it.
Super Bowl, sorry.
What did I hear back in 04….”Dubya could NEVER win a second term”……
THEY can find a way to pull off a McCrazy win, too.
Blue Taliban Osama Buddha @ 9:
And you would be right. Way to go, McCain. Keep on showing us your ’superior’ knowledge of foreign policy that all of your government experience has given you.
This is getting better every day.
abarts @ 36:
That just means we have to find an ethical way to keep them from doing that.
Gretchen @ 37:
Didn’t i see a bunch of Jewish guys running around the diamond district in New York wearing black costumes?
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 35:
Yeah, he played in the supper bowl and spilled it all over himself.
Hey, McCain may be elected.
Democrats like to process the droppings from the
tails of Republican tails.
Also, never underestimate the stupidity of the American
people and never underestimate the ability of the
Democrats to steal defeat from the jaws of victory
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 39:
Uncle joe hussein mccarthy said at 7:34: “also, the reason masks or costumes are worn is because god’s name does not appear in the book of esther….it is the concept of hester panim (hidden from the face) meaning that gods hand in the miracle was hidden….so the kids (and many adults) dress up and wear masks, in rememberance of this fact”.
Sorry, I meant the following in posting 41 :
Democrats like to process the droppings from the
tails of Republican elephants.
“My Freindsssshh’s…A great philosopher once told this wisze wisze tail about Halloween……My Freindssssh’s…Confusious say……………….A man who..a man who..ahh…a man who farts in church…sit in own pew”
“And that my Freindssh’s is a gift…a gift of knowledge I bring to you on this wonderful wonderful Haloween shelebrsion”…
“That’s true, but neither screw-up inspires confidence”.
It inspires me with confidence that by November people will have drawn a bead on this guy much as they once did Dan Quayle. His coattails will be reduced to a halter top, and the GOP will be crushed to powder across the board.
it’s so wonderful to see someone finally recognizing the pattern with McGaffe, rather than focusing on the supposed Democratic Party infighting.
he looks like a shriveled cheney