McCain forgets that Czechoslovakia isn’t a country… again.»

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/14/mccain-forgets-that-czechoslovakia-isnt-a-country-again/


McCain forgets that Czechoslovakia isn’t a country… again.»

During a press availability today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he’s been concerned by “a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days,” including “reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia.” But, as TPM’s Greg Sargent points out, Czechoslovakia hasn’t existed in 15 years. This isn’t the first time McCain has made this mistake. At a debate in Oct. 2007, McCain said that America needs to “have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland.”

Update: Sargent notes that McCain also made the Czechoslovakia mix up about three months ago on Don Imus's radio show.

[DavidDvorkin]

1. I'll give him a pass on that one

It can be just verbal force of habit. I find myself doing the same thing with countries whose names have changed, etc.

[babylonsister]

3. This is the third time he's made that mistake; when does one learn? nt

[Chovexani]

7. Except you're not running for President of the United States

It's sort of important for the President to remember what fucking country he's referring to.

[slackmaster]

2. I do the same thing pretty regularly

Old verbal habits are hard to change.

[WhiteTara]

13. and he's very old

and therefore, he will never be able to learn new things. GO OBAMA!!!!!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. Well, his mentor the Chimp called Africa a country

Geography and history apparently aren't Republican strong suits.

[Art_from_Ark]

26. And Reagan was surprised to find

that there were "lots of countries" in South America :crazy:

[LSparkle]

5. The "explore, exploit" mumbling about offshore oil was worse

He sounded downright LAMEASS when he made those comments.

[gratuitous]

6. No pass from me

If the trump card of your candidacy is your expertise in foreign policy, it's pretty important to have command of facts less than 15 years old. McThuselah will get a pass from his pals in the major media, though, because he makes such great barbecue.

[babylonsister]

14. McThuselah...

:rofl:

[gratuitous]

16. Made it up while I was composing the post

It just seemed . . . right.

[babylonsister]

17. It's perfect! nt

[timtom]

24. I was about to give him a pass, myself

for the same reasons others have given. But goddammit! You're absolutely right. If you're gonna be a leader, then learn the flipping basics.

[mdmc]

8. I can forgive him

I remember East Germany.

[Avalux]

9. If he knew how to use the internets...

How on earth can someone so obviously out of touch with EVERYTHING and more than likely suffering from the early stages of dementia lead this country?

And then I see poll #s and hear the pundits say the race is close.....



:wtf:

[DailyGrind51]

10. Are the Czechs, "Sunnis" and the Slovaks, "Shias"? ;-}

[Iggo]

11. I've made that mistake, too...

...but I'm not applying for the job of President Of Blowing Up Other Countries.

If I were, then people should definitely be concerned.

[Iggo]

12. I've made that mistake, too...

...but I'm not applying for the job of President Of Blowing Up Other Countries.

If I were, then people should definitely be concerned.

[YOY]

15. Haven't made that mistake ever.

Then again I'm kind of a slavophile.

[itsrobert]

18. Wiki updated:

----In 2008, Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain (Arizona) stated to reporters, “I was concerned about a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days. One was reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia. Apparently that is in reaction to the Czech's agreement with us concerning missile defense, and again some of the Russian now announcement they are now retargeting new targets, something they abandoned at the end of the Cold War, is also a concern.” <4> Apparently Senator McCain did not get them memo that the "country" of Czechoslovakia dissolved in 1992.---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia#After_1989

[izquierdista]

19. Just refer to him as an Indochina veteran

And see how quickly he will correct you.

[MadrasT]

20. Umm...

... Czechoslovakia's not a country anymore???

:rofl: (just messin')

[Toucano]

21. Fascists have a hard time saying the word "Republic"

even when they call themselves "Republicans".

Fox News calls it Czechoslovakia all the time.

Like Richard Clark said, they are preserved in amber.

[karynnj]

22. Psst Don't tell him - he can keep doing it through the debates!

The strange thing is that MCCain was in the Senate when it happened and has likely met leaders fro both successor nations. Isn't the operant word that he's "confused"?

[babylonsister]

23. Ha! You're being too kind! nt

[Igel]

25. I was research assistant for a professor of E. European history, once.

He needed stuff translated for a book he was writing. He was tenured. The book had already been accepted, on the strength of his rep as an expert in his field and how other experts judged prospectus for the book, and the chapters he'd written to get it accepted.

He insisted that I track down stuff from the late '60s and translate it from the original "Czechoslovak". Granted, for a brief stint in the 1920s there was the attempt to say that Czech and Slovak were two extreme dialects of one language, but few people really bought the idea. And the professor would have been an embryo at the time.

Still, I knew Czech well enough that Slovak wasn't much of a stretch, so I dutifully translated documents from "Czechoslovak".

I call the Czech part Cesko (pronounced 'Chesh-koe), and the Slovak part, well, Slovakia.

(Did you hear the old Moravian joke? "Where's Moravia in Czecho-slovakia?" "It's the -". "Czech", after all, also refers specifically to just Bohemia, not to the other two parts of the country.)

[IDemo]

27. "We are.....two wild and craazee guys!"

[Canuckistanian]

28. Hey, at least he didn't call it the Austro-Hungarian Empire

He was planning an Autogyro tour of the country when he became president.

[GOPisEvil]

29. If he mentions those pesky Hapsburgs I'm outta here.

[Postman]

30. McCain is stuck in a time warp. What's next? He mentions Atlantis as the next area of deployment?

n/t