Spain's Media in Uproar Over McCain's Comments Regarding Prime Minister Zapatero

One of the many criticisms levied by the McCain campaign against Barack Obama has been his lack of foreign policy experience. To make that point, Sen. McCain went on a whirlwind trip this past summer to Mexico and Colombia to prove he has a handle on what's happening south of our border and that he knows the leaders of South America.

Spain's Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

Yet before Sen. McCain boasts too loudly, it would be nice if he got briefed on which countries actually were in South America and who their leaders are. In a radio interview that is sweeping the airwaves and headlines of Spain, Europe and South America, McCain came across as less of a candidate who has a handle on foreign policy and more like a clueless politician sticking to his campaign's playbook on how to answer questions about foreign policy.

The now infamous interview was with reporter Yoli Cuello of Radio Caracol Miami for exclusive broadcast by Union Radio stations. What happened in the interview sent shockwaves throughout Spain almost immediately because in the interview when Cuello asks McCain if he would meet with Spain's Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, McCain totally evaded the question implying that Spain isn't a friend of the United States.In the interview, which has been written about, posted and rebroadcast throughout Spanish-speaking countries now, McCain's reluctance to commit to meeting with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's Prime Minister can lead us to only one conclusion -- he didn't know who José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was.

Even if we give the benefit of the doubt to McCain and make excuses for him -- the reporter had a heavy Spanish accent, the questions leading up to the one about Spain's Prime Minister dealt with Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba and Zapatero does sound like zapatistas to an untrained ear -- it doesn't erase the fact that the reporter clarified to McCain that she was talking about Spain and Europe.

The "oh sh!t" moment for McCain could be heard in that very pregnant pause once he realized his mistake. But since presidential candidates are never wrong, rather than admit he got confused, he belabored the same theme.

What's interesting is that McCain has more in common with Zapatero than he realizes. Zapatero's administration has come under fire for cracking down on undocumented workers and supporting the European Union's new "Return Directive" which will go into effect in 2010 and allows for the jailing of undocumented migrants for up to 18 months while awaiting deportation.

In the Republican playbook, Zapatero should be a great ally.

Yet, because Sen. McCain knows the leaders of foreign countries, as he says he does, Zapatero and Spain must be viewed in a cautious light with further evaluation before Zapatero would be invited to the White House under McCain's watch.

To his credit, Zapatero is downplaying McCain's remarks and chalking it up to the "election process." However, Spanish pride being what it is, the people and media of Spain aren't letting this obvious goof-up pass quietly.

The distributor of the interview, Cadena Ser and CadenaSer.com have erected a web site page addressing the global outcry to McCain's interview.

On the page, they say that in the hours after the interview aired, their site received an unusual increase in site visits and that the major media outlets in Spain, along with digital media, blogs and even TIME magazine, have commented on this interview.

Because of all the attention, CadenaSer.com has posted the original interview with McCain in English, the translated interview and an interview with the reporter (in Spanish) on their site. The following audio is the English interview with McCain and the interview conducted with the reporter by Spanish media who wanted her personal perspective on McCain's answers.

While some people may dismiss the fuss over McCain's mistake, it nonetheless reflects badly on a candidate who at every turn touts his own foreign policy knowledge over his opponent's. Sometimes it's better to just quit reminding people how much better you are than the competition because it always has a way to come back and bite you where it hurts.

Comments

[lagumbo]

John Mcain is not qualitified to run a dog pound. He says what ever comes off the top of his head, which seems to be nothing. The media has been leting him get away with this for all this time with out checking him on anything, so he just rattles on. His campaign says he does not run his campaign, so what do we expect. But someone better stop this man before he has us in trouble with all our allies. John Mccain is a dangerous man and need to be stopped.

[galinha]

If you believe in boasting about America's military might and how it does not do business with unfriendly countries, if you believe in blasting with a gun first and and thinking later, then McCain is your candidate !!

If you believe in winning friends over, in always trying diplomacy first before you pick the gun as a last resort then Obama is your candidate!!

If you are in doubt please assess how both candidates handled the Georgia issue.

If McCain is your candidate you will believe that Obama is weak because he was diplomatic. If Obama is your candidate you will believe that McCain is scary because he was trigger happy.

[deliriousgod]

never mind Spanish pride- no one is forgetting what came out of his mouth. Canada is used to this kind of garbage from FoxNews, but this is the candidate for President intimating that the US will continue to regard istself as the sole arbiter of which world-leaders are 'freedom-loving' and which ones are to be dismissed with a flick of the hand.

[marm]

If it wasn't crystal clear before, it certainly is now. The reason Lieberman and McCain were like Siamese twins up till Palin's entrance into the equation is that the Connecticut turncoat was always at McCain's side to correct his misstatements, sotto voce. Small wonder he was McCain's real preference for the vice-presidential candidate. Without that backup, McCain flounders like a fish out of water. I'm sure it's very hard to coach Palin regarding basic facts relevant to national and international policies without knowing the scope of her ignorance in advance, so I don't think she'll be able to rescue the other half of the ticket anytime soon.

[SpaceCadet]

McCain will not negotiate with Spain until they stop letting terrorists cross their border into Afghanistan. That's the kind of tough foreign policy expertise America needs!

[frombcn]

I remember you, we also have been injured by a terrorism atack, Madrid 11-03-2004, and that was because Aznar (our last president), was agree with Bush (the cowboy), spanish people didn´t want to participate in this war in 90% (more or less), but the desire of Aznar of taking part of this big show brought us to hell, where are you now, Aznar?, where is your moustache, perhaps?It would be good, that all the world could be agree, for fighting against terrorism, but not with more wars, perhaps trying to understand why?, we never have taken this way before, and I think is  the solution. Sorry for my english, I´m catalan (one of this 4 nationalities inside spain, with an own idiom, history, literature, culture, that had been digest by spanish imperialism, yes, excuse me, I´m one of them......­freedom for everybody, and a lot of peace.

[shrub221]

This gaff by McCain is so disturbing. Why is this not the topic of non-stop coverage by the "liberal media"? They are not doing their job now anymore than they have been during the last eight years. This is not the man we need answering the phone at 3am. What is wrong with the people of this country?

[bigred38]

I believe that McCain is suffering early stages of age dememtia. All the signs are there. But the press and others are afraid to mention it because it is such a touchy subject. Ron Reagan is talking about it and he has had first hand experience with the dementia of his father. McCain refuses full access to his medical records. What is he hiding? there isn't a day the goes by without McCain exhibiting some sort of confusion or memory loss. Usually multiple times. Do you want a president suffering from dementia and having to hand over the office to Sara Palin?

[gardenbookie]

IF elected (oh Lord, please don't let that happen), and If dimentia, Alzheimer's or any other malady of aging persists in weakening McCain's thought process, Palin steps up to the bat. For real. (oh, Lord, please don't let that happen).

[cynthiahubbard]

I recently saw footage of an interview with then 2000 presidential candidate George Bush. Mr. Bush, I was ashamed to see, did not appear to know the names of important political leaders from other countries. What is more shameful is that we elected a president who showed us he was clueless and that cluelessness lead us into Iraq, a weakened economy, debt, and bailouts. And, let's not even go into the total disregard of the law and the constitution. Enough!!! During these very scary times we cannot elect as president another clueless person. McCain's has repeatedly revealed his inability to remember important information about Iraq and other countries, his inability to grasp how the economy works, and his inability to remember that no one is above the laws of the country, state, city, town, village.

[dynamom]

The fact that Zapatero has not been to the White House is a great source of pride here in Spain.

[BillORights1776]

Why does John McCain hate Spain?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXW64Wr47jY

[chitown8]

Thanks Maverick!

[fumerunner]

"The rain in Spain is Mexican to McCain..."

[BillORights1776]

HaW! Brilliant!

[timberdoodle]

John McCain's advanced age has made him somewhat of a loose cannon and as such is generally regarded throughout the world as bigger idiot than George Bush and twice as dangerous.

In actual fact many people think John McCain is need of adult supervision with his memory lapses and states of confusion that have been on display throughout the campaign.

If McCain ever did get elected I don't think Americans have a grasp on the ramifications this will have with other nations world wide. The U.S. will see their support diminish substantially as other countries are simply not prepared to put their military and their reputations at risk for a person who is so beligerant with other leaders and their countries.

[fumerunner]

Totally agree with the above. It's seemingly reprehensible to defend W, but he did have friends---Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin...on­ce he "looked into his soul." It wasn't all belligerent.
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As most of you probably think, the rest of the world will loathe us if we blow this and put this Scottsdale Col. Kurtz into office. And given the wholly unnecessary bluster coming from both him and his running mate, diplomacy---among myriad other things---are not their strong suit.
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[elr50]

The rest of the world ALREADY loathes us for George W. Bush and Iraq.

[Lolalabloggera]

McCain is not alone in geographical misconceptions relating to all Spanish-speaking countries and people. Many Americans call any Hispanic person "Spanish." Spanish people are those from Spain, which is located in Europe. Most of the other Spanish-speakers are from Latin America in general, then from specific countries: Cuba, Chile, Peru, etc.
It's a total shame that so many Americans don't know who their hemispheric neighbors are.

[seattledres]

When I lived in Spain in the late '80's I met another American who was pretty upset that his trip to Spain was not as he imagined - The Land of the Great Burrito. I was kind of surprised but until I found out this was his second time in Spain that I was flabbergasted. Only an idiot, I thought, would equate Spanish and Mexican cuisine. The guy I met was from So Cal, so probably not unfamiliar with Mexican cuisine, the Senior(Sen­or)-Senato­r is from Arizona (as in I think I can see Russia - I mean Mexico - from here foreign policy kinda guy) so he should know the difference too. joder

[manan01]

People from Spain are called SPANIARDS and they speak Spanish

[FZliveson]

May all be true but "AMERICA" is the entire northern and southern hemisphere we live in.
When we call ourselves "Americans" people in Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Canada all share in that description. Mexico and other Latin American countries call us the E E U U (Estados Estados Unidos Unidos) because Mexico is known as the Estados Unidos de Mexico (United States of Mexico)
We USAians tend to think like Bill Gates.... If we see it and we like it...it's ours.
The world is beginning to differ in highly visible ways. At least the heart of the "Spanish" comments above lie in the fact that all Spanish speaking nations, owe their language to the origination from Peninsulares (people from the Iberian Peninsula) as the basis)

[lynjs]

At this rate I would gather he doesn't know the governors of the United States minus Alaska's. And people want this guy because of his so-called foreign policy credential? One should at least know the names of foreign leaders. How hard is that?