NYT: McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention (first major slip up of any of the top candidates)

[DFLer4edu]

McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention
March 16, 2007, 4:14 pm
By Adam Nagourney

SOMEWHERE in NORTHERN IOWA — The unthinkable has happened. Senator John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn’t – or perhaps wouldn’t – answer.

Did he support the distribution of taxpayer-subsidized condoms in Africa to fight the transmission of H.I.V.?

What followed was a long series of awkward pauses, glances up to the ceiling and the image of one of Mr. McCain’s aides, standing off to the back, urgently motioning his press secretary to come to Mr. McCain’s side.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/mccain-stumbles-on-hiv-prevention/

Read the whole story, it's getting nasty for the Flip Flop Express. This should go down as the first major slip up of any of the top candidates.

[Cha]

1. mccain will never be pres so he should

just fold up his flip flops and go back to his family in Arizona and explain why he's such a bushwhore.

[Cameron27]

2. ROFL

"Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Straight talk express.:spray:

[Colobo]

3. Stick a fork on McCain, cuz he's DONE!

[JI7]

4. hehehe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2769200

[globalvillage]

5. OMG!

What a maroon. No doubt the press will give him a pass on this, but WTF?!

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

[Bobbieo]

7. I wish he wasn't my senator!!!!

[TayTay]

8. Translation:

Let me check and see what I said that will get me in good with the wingnuts. Yeah, yeah, people may die if we don't support this, but what do I care, the dying ones can't vote in the USA anyway.

[ProSense]

6. To think this is the asshole that jumped on the RW bandwagon

asking Senator Kerry to respond to shit the wingnuts made up.

It's too bad the media and others jumped on McCain and Bush's bandwagon to try to paint Kerry as gaffe prone. The amount of mistakes and misstatements made only a few weeks into this campaign, even by so-called experienced candidates, makes it look like amateur hour.

McCain is a friggin embarrassment!

[tuvor]

9. Kicked and recommended. A definite candidate...

...for this week's Top 10 Conservative Idiots.

[Bjorn Against]

10. Read this exchange, McCain is showing he is every bit as dumb as Bush

Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

So McCain know's he supports Bush's position, but he does not even know what his position is. He has to ask his aide to tell him his position. Is there a video of this exchange? If McCain is the nominee he may have just given us a great ad.

[frogcycle]

12. good gawdamighty

"You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. "


I thought this was DU-ers making stuff up to mock him.

But its what he actually SAID!




Read my lips, asshole: I will vote for someone whom I believe to actually be in possession of a brain and who has studied the owners manual

[robinlynne]

11. damn, that's a really hard question.... (sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm) nt

[texpatriot2004]

13. Look out, the McCain Straight Talk Express just derailed. nt

[Clarkie1]

14. I really can't take McCain seriously. He's too old; there is no chance in hell he will win. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

15. I like the idea that sex workers should be instructed on abstinence.

Which is the direct implication of this idiot's mumblings on the issue. What a freaking idiot. And a total scumbag too, pun intended. They are killing people all over the world with their false-religious idiocy.

[frogcycle]

16. actually I am starting to feel sorry for McCain

It is pretty clear he has lost it completely. I don't think John McCain is in there anymore.

His campaign is hopeless; I expect those close to him know this best of all, and they'll be doing an intervention soon to tell him to pack it in. Time done passed him by. He had something to offer back in the day.