McCain Clueless about AIDS prevention - WTF??

[happy5]

Hi all,

I just posted this in my blog, but to eliminate shameless self-promotion, I am providing the direct source instead.

The man who could one day become president of the most powerful nation ever on Earth is clueless about the deadliest disease to ever affect mankind - HIV/AIDS. The ignorance needs to be read to be believed. Please kick & recommend!

This is from "The Caucus Blog" of the New York Times. Again, it needs to be read to be believed!

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/mccain-stumbles-on-hiv-prevention/#more-1367

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.

Feeling awkward answering difficult and important questions is not unusual, even for a speaker at McCain’s high level. Giving a bullshit answer, though, is apparently within the reach of McCain’s level. All emphasis is mine:

A transcript of the encounter follows. (Weaver is John Weaver, his senior adviser, and Brian is Mr. Jones, his press secretary):

Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?”

Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”

(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)

Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.”

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 folks, there you have it. I was going to sneak in some figures of HIV/AIDS, like 40 million worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, with 25 million of these living in sub-Saharan Africa, 48 million orphans in Africa, a quarter because of HIV/AIDS, but my guess is facts are worthless with these bunch of conservative idiots.

And by the way, asking your assistant about “your” position on a subject is preposterous when it comes to AIDS. If it were something like the microeconomics of Indonesian farmers I would cut you some slack, but AIDS? Give me a break.

Again, please, PLEASE, kick and recommend!!

[Robbien]

1. McCain doesn't know his position because his position is now

the rabid right's position and he hasn't yet learned all about what the fundies want.

[Maven]

2. K/R

What a lying weasel.

He knows damn well that condoms prevent HIV transmission. It's more of this:



:grr:

[shain from kane]

12. I hope he was wearing his condom that night. Can you imagine a love child

with GWB and McCain as the parents?

[cassiepriam]

23. Oh God, you are going to give me nightmares :(

[BearSquirrel2]

15. McCain is ...

McCain is through substance what they accused John Kerry of being through style. He's a backflipping mush mouth and the antithesis of the previous holder of his seat, Barry Goldwater.

I remember standing behind the grandstand at a Dan Quayle rally at Purdue University. This was at a time when I was abandoning the self aggrandizing beliefs of conservatism. In the sequestered event held on the footsteps of Hovde hall Dan Quayle produced an Eggo waffle and proclaimed it was an 8x10 picture of Bill Clinton. It was a damned lie. Clinton could always dance but he largely stuck to his guns.

The waffle would be the most appropriate breakfast item for the "straight talk express". Photoshop guys, lets see a a waffleized photo of John McCain because all the guy does is backflip, hem-haw, see-saw, turnabout and just plain kiss fundamental-ass for his goal to be President of the United States. The "founder" of conservatism would puke if he knew what had installed a spinning desk chair where is once solid Senate chair once stood.

John we all appreciate your service to our nation in Vietnam. You were a brave soldier. Your courage in the face of torture was a monument to courage. No doubt pride and devotion took you through those dark days. Is it ENVY that brought you to the lamentable state of turning cartwheels for the sake of occupying the oval office?

[tanyev]

3. That Straight Talk Express keeps running off the rails.

[Vexatious Ape]

4. Insane McCain.

If the entire voting population where to read that interview McCain would get creamed in the primary's. I hope the msm jumps on this story as eagerly as they jump on a Britney or Paris Hilton "story". How could anyone be so stupid. If somebody told McCain that he could pick up support from the religious right, thus winning the nomination, by cutting of his balls, I think the dumb vicious bastard would do it without pause.

[BearSquirrel2]

17. Gore's campaign advisor

Perhaps he's found some help in the former Kerry and Gore campaign advisors. Give em' hell McCain was a cool guy who went down for his beliefs. Then instead of mounting a second campaign, he just surrendered.

The straight talk express is gathering lots of "Joe-Mentum". It's a good thing to see.

[Graybeard]

5. Any doubt why McCave is 20 points behind?

...Buh-bye John.

[lwcon]

6. Great work!

I've linked to your post on a couple sites. Well done!

Oh, and K&R.

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[Hav]

7. .

That was really a stunner.
The one who asked the question actually tried to make it easy for McCain by expressing at least two times that McCain would agree "that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases".
But damn, somehow McCain just couldn't confirm that? What the hell is up with that? Are fundies against condomes because they don't like the thought of people having sex? And I guess there are some who are against it because it is somehow preventing life according to them. It sucks when one has to appeal to these idiots.


"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"

Are we sure that this isn't from the Onion?
That was weak, McCain.

[happy5]

21. It is NOT from the Onion...

but straight from the New York Times. The big liberal blogs have picked this up as well. If there is a video of this he is toast, at least with the younger crowd and from anyone who uses condoms... that would be most of us, except the fundie base.

[sam sarrha]

8. Pathetic.. '''my position was what the persidents is''''. i do what i am told

[electron_blue]

9. Gawd forbid we get anyone who can think on their feet for President.

How appalling.

[Ninja Jordan]

10. Is there video of this?

McCain is toast if there is....

[solara]

11. That is just indefensible.

But, I feel a little sorry for McCaine.....how did he become so pathetic?


INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT INCARCERATE :patriot:


k&r

[shain from kane]

13. In the future, questions will be limited to lettuce picking, as channeled through his nosepicking

buddy, GWB.

From the internets ---
"McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona."

[Alcibiades]

14. Where has he been

the last 25 years? I mean, I'd understand if he had been in the Hanoi Hilton, but sheesh--read a book, people!

[shain from kane]

18. Like St. Ronnie, he doesn't want to talk about AIDS. Remember, he laughed at whether the Statue of

Liberty caught AIDS from the mouth of the Hudson River or the Staten Island ferry.

[TwilightGardener]

16. This isn't a way to dodge a question or calculate a position,

this is McCain being old and slightly confused. This is why really old guys shouldn't run--period. If he can't remember what position he's "supposed" to take on the subject, then at least he should say what he immediately thinks, and take a risk of flip-flopping. But his answers indicate that he can't even formulate a position on his own, and maybe doesn't understand what the guy was asking him. That's sad--he needs to retire. This campaign is clearly too stressful for him. His brain is muddled.

[BearSquirrel2]

19. He needs to look back at history ...

He needs to look back at the last doddering old fart who ran for the nation's highest office. Remember that Reagan never took any policy positions directly. He just fabelized and made general statements like "government is the enemy". It was left to others to tell exactly which parts of the federal government were doing the harm to be lanced. After all, EVERYONE receives some service from the government. Even rich guys get subsidized from the trough. Stating which portions of the trough are being misused will alienate somewhat so it's best to be as vague as possible, especially when you don't know what you're talking about to begin with.

[shain from kane]

20. There's a cancer on his presidency, and it hasn't even started.

I'm ashamed of myself.

[cassiepriam]

22. My 10 yr old knows the answer to this question. Why doesn't McCain?