McCain Gaffes: A Tough Week In The Youtube Era

John McCain is having a rough week. Not only was he panned for trying to steal Barack Obama's thunder by lifelessly reading a teleprompter in front of the big green monster, but he's introduced a few gaffes along the way. Thankfully, we have the modern miracle of Youtube, so you can enjoy these priceless slip ups again and again. Try to keep up.

Let Them Drink Hot Water

During his New Orleans speech, McCain promised to deliver 'hot water' to dehydrated infants. A quick look at the prepared speech shows that McCain actually inserted the word "hot" on the fly.

The prepared version: "We should be able to deliver bottled water to dehydrated babies and rescue the infirm from a hospital with no electricity."

[WATCH]

McCain's War On Beer

Perhaps thinking of his wife's family fortune, McCain accidentally promised to veto all earmark-filled beers. Actually, I'd support that policy.

[WATCH]

A Google

Bush taught us how to use "the Google." Now we have the McCain version, which explains his VP vetting process:

"We're going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya ... Well, basically, it's a Google," McCain said. "You just, you know, what you can find out now on the Internet. It's remarkable, you know."

The Non-Denial Denial Denial

So, first McCain gently chides the press for their treatment of Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary, saying "The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans." No big deal there, until a reporter from Newsweek asks McCain about the statement, which he then flatly denied making:

"I did not [say that] -- that was in prepared remarks, and I did not [say it] -- I'm not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage."

You decide if McCain didn't actually say what he said:

The McCain camp, realizing their candidate had created an elaborate story that hinged on a blatant falsehood, came up with a brilliant explanation: he didn't say, even though we admit that he said it:

Presented with video showing that the GOP nominee did in fact read the remarks as they were prepared, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said Newsweek's account of McCain's answer is "paraphrased and unclear."

Rogers said he was not questioning the magazine's transcription, but pointing out that they included brackets.

But, given that he was responding to a direct question about a portion of the speech, it's unclear what else McCain could have been alluding to when noting twice that he "did not." That he also pointed out that the same section had been "in the prepared remarks" only clarifies that he was referring to the passage in question.

Newsweek's Bailey said the McCain quote as included in their Q & A posted online was verbatim.

Comments

[erichwwk]

03:13 PM on 06/13/2008

Well, glad i downloaded one clip. all 4 are now censored.

[Hirnlego]

05:45 PM on 06/11/2008

McBush

[mitch4822]

06:11 PM on 06/11/2008

And this is the guy that is tied in the polls with Obama. (according to the media). Something is wrong here. Do we want this guy to answer the phone at 3:00am. this guy can't remember what he said from day one.... He is so temperimental....he doesn't feel anyone should verify any remark that he made. who does he think, he is?
We have some serious problems here with Sen. McBush. Although I love old people, Sen. McCain should just call it quits, and go play with his grandchildren....he seems insecure, and unsure of himself.
He has a memory problem and therefor, in my view, unfit to become our President. I hope you people will not vote for Sen. McCain; he is an embarrassment.

[liberaldemdave]

02:08 PM on 06/13/2008

update: "our guy" is now up by 6%... that's outside the margin of error.

dead heat? not any more. and the gap will only get wider for our guy!

[zizyphus]

05:43 PM on 06/11/2008

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=z22l57qa10

Watch McCain tell about seeing Vladimir Putin, the President of "Germany". Anyone as addled as he is, needs supervision.

[Skeptiqone]

11:31 AM on 06/11/2008

Imagine how smart he will be at 3 am!

[DallasMike]

12:58 PM on 06/11/2008

How HYPICRITICAL!!!

Obama has just as many GAFFES if not more than McCain.

Obama "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today."
He must see dead people cause that is the only way you can see fallen heroes sitting in the audience.

During his speech he talked about the need for more Arabic speakers in Afghanistan.
Obama insisted:
"If they are all in Iraq, then its harder for us to use them in Afghanistan."
The problem with this thinking is...
Afghans don't speak Arabic.

Here is a good one
When he was asked why he was not doing so well in Kentucky he explained it this way.

"What it says is that I’m not very well known in that part of the country... Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known — not only because of her time in the White House with her husband — but also coming from a nearby state of Arkansas."

Arkansas does not border Kentucky- Illinois does.
And my favorite.
" Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

Those in glass houses should not throw stones.

[AnotherMike]

01:22 PM on 06/11/2008

Well, Dallas- I suppose it's more important to get every line perfectly delivered, rather than every vote, policy and stance on social issues.

But of course you know that, considering you copied and pasted lines from an anti-Obama website, intent on filling your little head with ignorance to spew at every possible opportunity; even when you're out of your league.

How did I know?

It's hypOcritical, Dallas.

[IndyStacey]

03:59 PM on 06/11/2008

The difference is Obama admits his mistakes while McCain and his staff lie about his gaffes. Obama realized his error regaring the Arabic translators and apologized. There aren't 57 states, but there were 57 primary contests and Obama visited each one. Futhermore, it is not Obama mocking McCain for this goofs. So your glass houses remark does not apply.

[AmericanSinceFeb08]

07:44 AM on 06/11/2008

Would you vote for someone that makes that many mistakes? You want him to control the Nuke button?

Scary, very scary.

[resistance]

08:58 AM on 06/11/2008

Bonjour

"Poutine president of Germany" verbatim Cain

[Dee123]

01:02 AM on 06/11/2008

This is funny. I love it!

[mthespian]

08:15 PM on 06/10/2008

Though many of these are valid, the google reference may prove the Senator better informed than the article's author.

"Google", the search engine, patterned its name as a homophone of "googol", the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Read with that in mind, doesn't it seem just as likely the Senator said "We're going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya ... Well, basically, it's a googol," "You just, you know, what you can find out now on the Internet. It's remarkable, you know."

If he said that, it honestly sounds like a pun to me. And I kind of like it.

Not that I intend to vote for him or anything . . . just being fair.

[NOLAMoCity]

11:09 AM on 06/11/2008

Making reference to a search on the internet logically leads to the conclusion that you AND McCain are wrong. He was trying to use a word in context that he recently learned about and he flubbed. Period. It's nice to be nice but I'd rather call it like I see it.

[egal]

11:40 AM on 06/11/2008

That makes no logical sense. Your translation would basically read: "We're going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya ... Well, basically, it's (the name of) a really, really bug number."

Unless McCain is even more spectacularly unaware of proper US grammar than he appears, and has a thing for numbers and math, why would he even know, let alone use, that relatively obscure term?

"Google", however is everyday lingo, something he must hear all the time from other people even though he's clueless. And it also benefits from making sense, which the number comes nowhere near doing.

I mean, I wouldn't put it past McCain to screw up semantics and syntax; but the ubiquitous usage of the term "Google", and the illogical sentence created by switching it out is more than sufficient to tell us that

[KarlaElisa]

06:53 PM on 06/10/2008

I could watch these all day.

[macaframa]

05:28 PM on 06/10/2008

lol

[e2008usa]

05:10 PM on 06/10/2008

MacCain SAYS: Let Them Drink Hot Water .... to dehydrated babies and rescue the infirm from a hospital with no electricity Ahhahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[tschlak]

04:58 PM on 06/10/2008

I don't think he's being disingenuous when he denies saying something the day after he said it.

Look how frustrated and angry he gets when he's called out on something: I think it's genuine. I think it's because he literally cannot remember what he's said previously. I sometimes feel sorry for him when that happens. Reminds me of my grandmother towards the end of her life.

It's common for Alzheimer's patients to get angry at their loved ones because they believe they're in control of their faculties, when in fact they're not.

Whether it's PTSD, early on-site Alzheimer's, a combination, who knows. The man isn't fit to be a US Senator, much less commander-in-chief.

[tschlak]

05:01 PM on 06/10/2008

*early on-set

[Jax6655]

09:10 AM on 06/11/2008

**early onset

[oafishcad]

04:25 PM on 06/10/2008

McCain is a far more intelligent, far more capable candidate than GWB ever was. And GWB was elected twice. Don't get cocky just because the Democratic candidate is by far the most qualified. Pride commeth before the fall. A stolen election is not beneath the GOP. They've done it before.

[thisoldbroad]

05:28 PM on 06/10/2008

McCain WAS far more intelligent, etc..

This is not the McCain of 2000 - that was a fierce candidate & it took the full force of the Karl Rove smear campaign to knock him off the ladder. Much more effort than knocking Kerry out.

This John McCain I don't recognize at all. He can't hold a thought; can't carry on a conversation; won't listen to anyone - including his advisers; doesn't even try to hide his temper tantrums anymore & actually seems confused at times. Such a shame.

The GOP know this is a throwaway year for them. The plan is to pick a VP they can get behind, who will look good even in defeat. That way they can blame McCain for the defeat & set the chosen VP up for nomination in 2012. Their best hope is for Obama to have a bad 4 years so they can move in for the next 8.

John McCain of 2000 would see us in a much different place, perhaps not better, just different. The medical records that should have been released were his psych records. That's where the answers lie..

[kellygrrrl]

04:24 PM on 06/10/2008

he'll be lucky to get a job as a water delivery boy when we're done with him

[LettuceB1]

12:17 AM on 06/11/2008

I love how McBush is making the commercials for the Dems. It saves them money, all they have to do is string these clips together to have a ready made commercial to showcase McBush's stupidity.

Voila!

[Sixtwo]

04:18 PM on 06/10/2008

Can you imagine the President of the United States of America in dialogue with our Alllies duiscussion with our enemies; the Congress or the American people for that matter, who forgets within minutes/hours what he has said!! McCain is a robot who simply reads what others in the Party writes! He does not think for himself and has no clue about the economy and what the voters' needs are... The Republicans just might come up with another candidate at its convention if this keeps up...

[conscioushope]

04:15 PM on 06/10/2008

99 bottles of beer on the wall.......